Porphyry Footprint Continues To Expand At Red Top

VANCOUVER - Zacapa Resources reported that the first four holes (RT-21-001 and RT-22-002 through RT-22-004) have cut porphyry style alteration and veining with multiple intervals containing visible copper minerals and further expanding the volume of hydrothermal alteration at Red Top to vertical depths of more than 800 meters. A fifth drill hole is underway with a planned depth of 1,200 meters to explore deeper portions of the 100% owned Red Top porphyry copper project in the Superior Mining District, Arizona.

Drill holes RT-21-001, RT-22-002, RT-22-003 and RT-22-004 were designed to test the copper potential at depth beneath a >3.5 kilometer by 1.5 kilometer outcropping quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration zone with a core of advanced argillic alteration (pyrophyllite-illite-sericite) (Figure 1). Similar to the previously released drill holes (RT-21-001, RT-22-002, and RT-22-003), RT-22-004 cut a series of texturally distinct hypabyssal quartz feldspar porphyry intrusions and importantly diabase intrusions with varying intensities of porphyry related hydrothermal alteration (quartz-sericite-pyrite and possibly sericite-chlorite after biotite), porphyry style "A-Veins", porphyry style "B-Veins" and intermittent intervals containing chalcopyrite and bornite mineralization commonly associated with what appear to be late-stage, open space quartz veins.

Porphyry style alteration, veining and mineralization has been confirmed with diamond drilling over an area measuring 1,200 meters by 800 meters and over a vertical extent of over 800 meters increasing Zacapa's confidence that a significant hydrothermal system is present and has the potential to host significant copper mineralization. In addition to the large volume of alteration, numerous favorable host rock lithologies are present including at least three phases of texturally distinct hypabyssal quartz-feldspar (+/- hornblende) porphyry intrusions and importantly iron-rich diabase intrusions which are a key high grade host rock at the nearby (8 kilometers) Rio Tinto/BHP Resolution mine development project (1.8 Bt @ 1.5% Cu).

Zacapa is leveraging recently collected airborne (MobileMT) and magnetic geophysical survey to help vector toward a potentially higher temperature, more intensely altered copper-rich core to this newly identified porphyry system in the prolific Superior Mining District of Arizona. Drill hole number five (RT-22-005) is a near vertical hole situated between drill holes RT-21-001 and RT-22-003 and is currently at 604 meters depth.

"We are very pleased by the ongoing drill success at Red Top and the further expansion of a new porphyry footprint in one of the world's top porphyry copper districts.  The geological context and geometry of the target area are coming into focus and we look forward to establishing Red Top as a premier copper exploration project," said Adam Melnik, Chief Executive Officer.  "Zacapa is incorporating the newly acquired geophysical data along with more detailed mapping and remote sensing to assist us in vectoring toward the core of a new copper-molybdenum porphyry system in Arizona."