AQM Copper Inc. : AQM Copper continues to expand the Victoria zone and kicks off its 2012 exploration program

January 26, 2012
AQM Copper continues to expand the Victoria zone and kicks off its 2012 exploration program

Vancouver, B.C., January 26, 2012 - AQM Copper Inc. (TSX-V:AQM  BVL:AQM) ("AQM Copper" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the final results from its 2011 drill program at the Victoria discovery, located east of the Main Zone on the Zafranal Property and to announce the resumption of its exploration program in Zafranal through its wholly owned Peruvian subsidiary, Minera AQM Copper Peru SAC. Minera AQM Copper Peru S.A.C. is the operator of a 50/50 JV with Teck Resources Limited through a sole purpose Peruvian company.

The Company's drilling program at Victoria identified a continuous zone of secondary and primary copper mineralization extending over an 800 metre northwest-southeast strike length, showing no surface geochemical anomaly. The zone remains open to the southeast and at depth towards the north. Mineralization is hosted by strongly foliated diorite intrusive rocks and more mafic sub-volcanic rocks, emplaced along a regional scale shear zone, and in contact with the Coastal Batholith. The mineralized body appears to be parallel to the principal foliation orientation, and is interpreted to form a steep tabular body dipping to the north.

Today, the Company announces results from the final 9 diamond drill holes completed during 2011 at Victoria.

	Drill Hole		From (m.)		To (m.)		Interval (m.)		Cu%T		Au g/t		Comment
ZFDDH11-229	110	296	186	0.26%	0.03	Victoria Porphyry
Incl.	110	144	34	0.36%	0.04
Incl.	158	214	56	0.31%	0.03
ZFDDH11-230	64	136	72	0.27%	0.03	Victoria Porphyry
ZFDDH11-231	60	102.5	42.5	0.44%	0.03	Victoria Porphyry
Incl.	74	89	15	0.84%	0.04
ZFDDH11-232	76.75	200	123.25	0.30%	0.03	Victoria Porphyry
Incl.	76.75	154	77.25	0.34%	0.04
ZFDDH11-233	44	74	30	0.25%	0.01	Victoria Porphyry
ZFDDH11-234	24.2	200	175.8	0.29%	0.03	Victoria Porphyry
ZFDDH11-235	10	78	68	0.37%	0.02	Victoria Porphyry
Incl.	44	74	30	0.52%	0.02
ZFDDH11-236	106	374	268	0.28%	0.04	Victoria Porphyry
Incl.	106	210	104	0.32%	0.04
Incl.	224	254	30	0.41%	0.06
Incl.	314	374	60	0.31%	0.04
ZFDDH11-237	7.7	112	104.3	0.37%	0.05	Victoria Porphyry
Incl.	28	48	20	0.71%	0.03

The wide intercepts encountered on drill holes ZFDD11-229 and ZFDDH-234, both drilled on the same section (796100E), confirm that wide hypogene mineralization encountered on Victoria remains open to the east, south and north. Drill holes ZFDDH11-232 and ZFDDH11-235 were drilled on section 796200E and continue to extend the mineralization further to the east.

Drill hole ZFDDH11-231 was drilled 100 metres east of drill hole ZFDDH11-235 and intercepted higher grade supergene enriched copper mineralization. This zone remains open to the south. Drill holes ZFDDH11-230 and ZFDDH11-233 were the easternmost holes completed during 2011 on Victoria, and confirm that the zone remains open to the southeast, north and south. The strike length of the Victoria mineralized zone now measures 800 metres, marking this as a significant new discovery.

Drill holes ZFDDH11-236 and ZFDDH11-237 were drilled on sections 795900E and 796000E respectively and were aimed at defining the southern limit of the hypogene mineralization encountered on Victoria. Both holes cut significant widths showing that the zone is truncated by an E-W trending structure on its southern side which appears to have displaced the Victoria zone.

Bruce Turner, the Company's President and CEO, stated, "The 2011 drill program has clearly delineated two additional porphyry targets in Sicera Sur and Sicera Norte, as well as extending the limits of the Main Zone. The discovery of Victoria has added a significant new zone which remains open and which our new exploration program will continue to expand during 2012. As we move towards pre-feasibility, Zafranal remains a very exciting exploration play which continues to yield more surprises".

Two diamond drill rigs have been mobilized for the resumption of the exploration program and have now begun drilling on Victoria.

(formerly Apoquindo Minerals) is a Canadian based mineral exploration company developing copper deposits in South America. Through its wholly owned Peruvian subsidiary, Minera AQM Peru SAC, the Company is developing the Zafranal Copper-Gold Porphyry Project located in Southern Peru. Minera AQM Peru SAC is the operator of a 50/50 JV with Teck Resources Limited through a sole purpose Peruvian company formed for Zafranal as announced in its press release on July 8, 2010. The Zafranal project has NI43-101 compliant measured and indicated resources of 301 million tonnes grading 0.47% copper and 0.08 grams per tonne gold, and an inferred resource of 51 million tonnes grading 0.32% copper and 0.06 grams per tonne gold. Management and directors have extensive experience working for the world's largest mining Copper producers. Please refer to the Company's website for further information regarding the Company and its projects.

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