Aztec Minerals Corp. announced that recent field work and review of historical data at the Tombstone Project has identified the Westside area as a high potential target for shallow gold-silver mineralization, almost doubling the project's potential gold-silver oxide mineralization footprint near to the historic Contention Pit. In 2023, the Tombstone JV acquired the Westside patented claim which is longitudinally astride the major Westside fissure stringer vein lode, a key geological feature with multiple evidence of hosting high-grade gold silver oxide mineralization in the Tombstone Project.

Recent review of historic data and on-site investigations by Aztec have confirmed that the Westside area was previously planned as an expansion of the Contention pit operations at the time on the interruption of mine operations in 1982. Aztec's recent exploratory work has confirmed several mineralized structures crossing the Westside area. From the study of historic reports, maps and sections, examination of historic workings and drillhole logs, the individual mineralized structures are strong targets, with indicative evidence of their intersections potentially hosting broad gold-silver mineralization at levels near the surface.

A review of historical data has confirmed that the Westside anticline was mined along multiple, replaced sediment layers near the axis to its crest in the sediments over all its 450+ m length, noting that, at its intersection with the Arizona Queen Fissure, 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 and high-grade gold as well. Aztec's drilling has confirmed that the gold-silver mineralization in the property extends beyond the limits of the historic mined stopes.

Most of the Westside area and its multiple targets have yet to be explored. The Westside -Sulphuret mine workings reached to the 7th and 8th levels (210-250 m), and historic drilling has significant CRD intercepts at 500 to 600 m depths. The 1982 historic mine development plan shows that the full width and depth of the shallow gold-silver mineralization was not included in the mine planning.

It is thought that the Blue limestone layer and the sediments immediately above and below it, would have the best potential to host oxidized gold-silver mineralization Tombstone was famous for, as it is the same sediment section of the lowest Bisbee formation. The Westside area open pit mine was not developed possibly as the timing for halting mining is coincident with the collapse of silver and gold prices in the early 1980's. Aztec also announces that crews have mobilized to site and have commenced the 2024 Tombstone exploration program. Company is currently developing drill targets with multiple disciplines including the continuation 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 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 will then be 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 will be used in supporting the upcoming drilling program design.

The ongoing exploration program is expected to add 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 ("CRD"), 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 ("reef") stacking on multiple, favorable horizons Positive indications for mineralization at Tombstone include: The Bisbee sediments exhibit widespread fracturing, silica-pyrites-sericite-clay alteration, quartz veinlets, stockworks, and hornfelsing and in the limestones jasperoids, dolomitization and skarn development. The Contention open pit mine is centered along a strong NNE fault structure with large, mineralized felsic dikes possibly related to a deeper intrusion The underground Contention mine mined the dike mineralization to over 300 m depth. Historic drilling by Newmont and Santa Fe to over 700 m depth have intersected narrow to wide, high grade CRD mantos, evidence that the Paleozoic limestones are prospective.

The presence of several manganese-silver rich mines surround the Property are considered indicative of distal mineralization to CRD deposits worldwide.