Aztec Minerals Corp. (TSX-V: AZT) (OTCQB: AZZTF) and Dragoon Resources LLC ('Tombstone JV Partner') announce the acquisition of one patented claim (private property rights) amounting to 7.82 hectares (19.33 acres), increasing the overall Tombstone Joint Venture (75% Aztec) land package to 452.02 hectares (1,116.94 acres).
Aztec and Dragoon have acquired the Westside patented claim from a third-party for cash consideration of US$65,000. The claim immediately adjoins the Tombstone property core patented claims to the northwest, expanding opportunities to explore new targets in the historic Tombstone Silver District in Southeastern Arizona. The patented claim was purchased outright and has no underlying royalties or work commitments.
Aztec Mineral CEO Simon Dyakowski stated 'Aztec and our partners have again advanced the consolidation of the historic Tombstone district with the acquisition of a fifth patented claim since recommencing exploration activities at the project in 2020. We are excited to explore targets toward and including the historic Westside Mine which is notable in the district for hosting some of the highest silver and gold grades of the late 1800s mining era. The opportunity to add private land holdings in the mining friendly jurisdiction of Arizona highlights the attractiveness of our expanding land position at the Tombstone Project.'
The Westside patented claim covers several historic mine shafts, and prospects. Its main shaft had adjacent exploitation by underground workings with a vertical extent over 240 meters in depth. The West Side claim has the majority of the northeast striking Westside fissure-vein system. The claim covers on strike the Westside fissure for 450 meters with its oxidized, mesothermal quartz-gossan silver-gold mineralization. The Westside claim also has oxidized CRD replacement style, silver-lead-gold-copper mineralization hosted in the Westside roll (anticline) which continues into the Tombstone project for a total of a 650 meter long, southeasterly trend. The Westside roll (B.S. Butler, et.al., 1933) is reported to host multiple horizons of oxidized to mixed-supergene mineralization hosted in Mesozoic Bisbee Group clastic sediments, Paleozoic limestones, and Tertiary quartz-feldspar porphyry dikes.
The Westside claim was staked in October 1881 by the Girard Gold and Silver Mining Company (incorporated in 1879), patented in 1901, mostly operated from the 1880's to the early 1900's and was recognized for having high grades of gold as well as silver. Historic production during the period from 1888 to 1894 as reported by Eng. W. F. Staunton was 5,157t of 67.42 opt Ag, 1.273 opt Au, and 9.79% Pb.
Tombstone Project Highlights
Well located property on patented (33) and unpatented (42) claims (452.02 hectares/1,116.94 acres), covers much of the historic Tombstone silver mining district, great infrastructure, local town, road access, full services, water, power
Historic silver district produced 32 million oz silver from 1878-1939, in high grade, oxidized, silver-gold-lead-zinc-copper vein and CRD deposits, and small open pit heap leach production in late 1980's
Drilling by Aztec in 2020-21 has demonstrated that the Contention Pit target has significant Au-Ag mineralization which is open in all directions
Multiple other prospective targets in Cretaceous and Paleozoic rocks related to major NW and NNE trending structures hosting porphyritic intrusions crosscutting a possible caldera ring structure
A very important target is a potential bulk-tonnage carbonate replacement deposit in Paleozoic limestones similar to the Taylor discovery (100+ million tonnes of 10% Zinc Equivalent) located 60 km southwest of Tombstone (mineralization hosted on adjacent and/or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of the mineralization hosted on the Company's property) whose presence is suggested by historic deep drilling intercepts for CRD mineralization returned multiple intersections grading up to 32 gpt silver, 0.61% copper, 6.5% lead and 2.6% zinc over 7.2m core length
Distinct magnetic and AMT anomalies confirm multiple target areas, Contention pit hosts dikes along strongest district structure, excellent potential for CRD deposits with similar geology to the 'Taylor' deposit
Aztec high-grade surface rock samples from the Contention Pit, grade up to 3,178 gpt silver and 23.5 gpt gold, epithermal stockwork mineralization open along strike. Out of 94 samples collected from within the pit, silver ranges between
AZTEC MINERALS CORP. 