Aztec Minerals Corp. announced that 3D modeling of gold-silver mineralized features supports a high confidence interpretation for continuity of shallow, oxidized Au-Ag exploration and drilling targets, below, alongside and to the West of the Contention Open pit at the Tombstone Project in Southeastern Arizona. The ongoing review and modelling of extensive historic and current data, combined with ongoing field work at the Tombstone Project has provided the key elements to building the first 3D model of the historic Tombstone Silver District, incorporating: underground workings, mined stopes, geology, multielement geochemistry, SWIR alterations, and geophysics.

The modelling's preliminary results show the basis of the primary geological controls of gold-silver mineralization down to over 300 meters depth. This is an important milestone to support exploration drilling of shallow targets to potentially extend the footprint of the known gold-silver mineralized zones. Surface exploration confirms much of the upper portions of the historic data and strengthens the confidence of the 3D model.

The surface exploration and modelling have also exposed areas of potential Au-Ag mineralization not extensively explored in the past. The ability to integrate historic and current exploration data for the first time in 3D at the Tombstone Project provides Aztec with valuable information and a strong foundation to continue expanding the footprint of the shallow gold-silver mineralization. The Tombstone JV owns patented claims related to the Contention and Westside mines.

Both mines host the three main deposit styles in the Tombstone district (fissure stringer vein lodes, mineralized Qfp dikes with breccias, and CRD mineralized beds in anticlines). They both encompass multiple, historic mines that produced high-grade gold-silver oxide mineralization at the Tombstone Project. Aztec's recent surface exploration has confirmed the presence of several known and new mineralized features and mine workings and has georeferenced their positions in the project area.

This has confirmed the historic positions of the underground workings and related important mineralized features, and that the mineralized features could be exploration targets, with evidence that their intersection potentially hosts broad gold-silver mineralization near surface. Review of historic data has confirmed the Westside anticline was mined on at least five separate, stacked, oxidized CRD replaced layers in the sediments near the crest of the axis along its 450+ m length, noting that, at its intersection with the Arizona Queen Fissure at the fifth level, the 120 m long Sulphuret stope, was mapped at over 60 m wide and 10-20 m thick. The Sulphuret stope was reported (Butler, 1938) to have production averaging 70 opt silver with high-grade gold.

Aztec drilling has confirmed that the gold-silver mineralization in the property extends beyond the limits of the historically mined stopes. Most of the Westside area and its multiple targets have yet to be explored, representing a key area for future drilling and potential shallow resource delineation. The Westside - Sulphuret mine workings reached to the 7th and 8th levels (210-250 m), and historic drilling has significant CRD-style mineralized intercepts at 500 to 600 m depths.

Several poorly explored anticlines, with evidence of mineralization at the edge of the historic open pit, have been identified and will be part of the exploration targeting. In the Tombstone district the sedimentary hosted mineralization (CRD) is focused on the anticlines, in multiple, stacked horizons that have favorable permeability and chemistry with associated skarning- hornfelzing, argillic and silicic alterations. It appears the Qfp dikes generally have significant Au-Ag mineralization associated with them in the sedimentary country rock at an estimated average radius of 15 meters distally from their physical limits.

The dikes and the quartz stringer lode-fissures at their intersections with the favorable sedimentary horizons often develop broad zones of mineralization. Aztec's crews onsite are continuing the 2024 Tombstone exploration program. Company is currently developing high priority drill targets as a result of the surface exploration program in the area of the Contention pit and surroundings, advancing the detailed geological mapping, and further out with reconnaissance level geological mapping of lithologies, Terraspec SWIR alterations and structures, multi-element rock geochemistry, and thin section petrology and alterations to review the hosting of the gold-silver mineralization.

The data acquired is being integrated into the 3D model being constructed including the historic mine workings and geologic mapping of the principal portion of the Tombstone district. The 3D model is being geolocated to the current surface and geology, geochemistry and geophysics and will then be interpreted to strengthen both shallow and deep drilling targeting. This information will be used in supporting the upcoming drilling program design.

The ongoing exploration program is adding key knowledge into the expansion potential of the bulk tonnage, gold-silver oxidized mineralization, and from that, continue drilling and mineralization footprint. The focus of this exploration program is to better define the three styles of mineralization known to exist on the property and to identify top priority targets for drilling. The three types of known mineralization at the Tombstone property are as follows: · Silver-gold bearing, north-northeast striking felsic intrusive dikes hosting mesothermal stock- works and hydrothermal breccias that cut the Cretaceous Bisbee Group and the underlying Paleozoic carbonates, on which the historic Contention underground mine and later the 1980's open pit heap leach mine was developed, which now is known to extend laterally and vertically beyond the Contention pit High-grade, silver-gold quartz stringer vein lodes striking northeast cutting the Cretaceous Bisbee Group clastic sediments and the Paleozoics, which are related to several of the historic mines in the Tombstone district Tombstone's well known, high grade, oxidized, silver-gold rich base metal carbonate replacement deposits, which lie in the lowermost Bisbee Group and in the underlying Paleozoic carbonates, have a geologic setting very similar to the world-class Hermosa Taylor base metal sulfide deposit of South32, located 65 kilometers southwest of Tombstone.

Strong structural controls of the Tombstone CRD deposit locations related parallel to the crests of anticlines, usually with vertical stacking on multiple, favorable horizons Aztec holds a 75% interest in the Tombstone Property Joint Venture, which includes most of the original patented mining claims in the main district as well as some recently acquired properties.