Arizona Sonoran Cactus East Drilling Demonstrates Consistency of Mineralization; Intersects 148.5 ft of 2.57% TCu

Rhea-AI Summary

Arizona Sonoran Copper Company (TSX: ASCU | OTCQX: ASCUF) released new drilling results from the Cactus East orebody, confirming high-grade mineralization with significant intercepts. Highlights include ECE-067, showing 148.5 ft at 2.57% TCu and ECE-085 with 268.0 ft at 1.51% TCu. The ongoing drilling program has exceeded 31,800 ft out of a targeted 60,000 ft, contributing to future mine planning. The results reaffirm existing geological interpretations and support a robust underground mining scenario.

Positive

• High-grade intercepts reported, including ECE-067: 148.5 ft at 2.57% TCu.
• Total infill drilling program of 60,000 ft is over halfway complete.
• Infill results support previous geological interpretations and expand the mineral resource base.

Negative

• None.

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. & TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Arizona Sonoran Copper Company Inc. (TSX:ASCU | OTCQX:ASCUF) (“ASCU” or the “Company”) releases 7 drill holes from the Cactus East, Cactus Mine Project infill drilling program. This new set of assays continue to support the previously defined geological interpretations with thick and high-grade intercepts outlined within the underground Cactus East orebody, immediately to the northeast of the historic Sacaton pit. Infill drilling is targeting 125 ft (38 m) spacing with the goal of generating measured mineral resources (see FIGURES 1-7).

Highlights:

• Thick and high-grade intercepts are consistent with previous wider spaced drilling intercepts and resource model interpretation
• ECE-067: 148.5 ft (45.3 m) @ 2.57% TCu, 2.53% Cu TSol (enriched)
  • Incl. 10 ft (3.0 m) @ 10.53% TCu, 10.13% Cu TSol
• ECE-085: 268.0 ft (81.7 m) @ 1.51% TCu, 1.38% Cu TSol (enriched)
  • Incl. 203.0 ft (61.9 m) @ 1.74% TCu, 1.64% Cu TSol
  • 383.3 ft (116.9 m) @ 0.51% TCu (primary)
• ECE-082: 226.6 ft (69.1 m) @ 1.39% TCu, 1.26% Cu TSol (enriched)
  • Incl. 117.7 ft (35.9 m) @ 1.88% TCu, 1.73% Cu TSol
  • 379.0 ft (115.5 m) @ 0.68% TCu (primary)
• ECE-066: 244.8 ft (74.6 m) @ 1.26% TCu, 1.14% Cu TSol (enriched)
  • 142.4 ft (43.4 m) @ 1.63% TCu, 1.55% Cu TSol (oxide)
• ECE-062: 173.0 ft (52.7m) @ 1.60% TCu, 1.49% Cu TSol (oxide)
  • Incl. 100.6 ft (30.7 m) @ 2.28% TCu, 2.15% Cu TSol
  • 258.0 ft (78.6 m) @ 1.01% TCu, 0.91% Cu TSol (enriched)

Ian McMullan, Arizona Sonoran Chief Operating Officer commented, “Cactus East assay results continue to build upon and support the previously released assays. The high porphyry copper grades with good thicknesses underpin future mine planning and mine design work for a targeted underground bulk mining scenario at Cactus East. As previously mentioned, drills are currently focusing on Parks/Salyer to build out the known mineralization and will return later in the year to complete the measured category drilling.”

Drilling Program Recap
The total infill program inclusive of Cactus East and Cactus West (60,000 ft | 18,290 m) is now over halfway complete. A total of 16 HQ drill holes in the heart of the Cactus East orebody were drilled for a total of 31,817.7 ft (9,700 m). Assays are pending on 2 holes and 5 holes remain to be drilled (10,000 ft | 3,048 m). At Cactus West, 25 holes (16,000 ft | 1877 m) have been designed to infill the upper portions of the planned open pit in addition to what was previously infill drilled on the southern side of the pit (see FIGURE 3). An expansionary drill program (12,000 ft | 3,660 m) is planned to follow the Cactus infill program. Due to the successful drilling results at Parks/Salyer (similar grades with greater thicknesses over a greater area), the two available drill rigs have been prioritized to that discovery. Drilling will resume on Cactus later in the year.

As shown in Table 1, holes ECE-062, ECE-068 and ECE-069 show solid intercepts of higher-grade oxide mineralization adjacent to historic holes S-145, S-146 and S-149 while adjacent holes from this program show continuity of thickness and grade in the underlying enriched zone over 750 ft (230 m) of strike. Drill holes with pending assay results test extensions of this reported mineralization to the northeast and southwest.

Cactus East infill drilling results are consistent with previously drilled results and show thick, high-grade intercepts of both oxide and enriched mineralization. Importantly, the infill drilling continues to support previous geological interpretations and controls on mineralization within the deposit. The mineralization shows grade and mineralization characteristics similar to Parks/Salyer, although it is contained within a more restricted horst fault block structure. These drilling results will provide valuable infill data for localized mine design work.

TABLE 1: Drilling Highlights

HOLE	ZONE	Feet			Metres			TCu	Cu TSol
		from	to	length	from	to	length	%	%
ECE-059A	oxide	1,166.0	1,280.3	114.3	355.4	390.2	34.8	0.86	0.80
	including	1,172.3	1,217.0	44.7	357.3	370.9	13.6	1.42	1.35
	enriched	1,387.0	1,641.0	254.0	422.8	500.2	77.4	0.63	0.48
	including	1,387.0	1,432.0	45.0	422.8	436.5	13.7	0.96	0.95
	enriched	1,641.0	1,873.3	232.3	500.2	571.0	70.8	0.41	0.04
	including	1,774.0	1,873.3	99.3	540.7	571.0	30.3	0.55	0.04
ECE-060	oxide	1,065.0	1,314.0	249.0	324.6	400.5	75.9	0.96	0.91
	including	1,108.0	1,197.3	89.3	337.7	364.9	27.2	1.78	1.71
	enriched	1,448.0	1,575.0	127.0	441.4	480.1	38.7	1.29	1.21
	including	1,458.0	1,498.0	40.0	444.4	456.6	12.2	1.78	1.63
	primary	1,575.0	1,853.2	278.2	480.1	564.9	84.8	0.40	0.04
ECE-062	oxide	1,148.0	1,321.0	173.0	349.9	402.6	52.7	1.60	1.49
	including	1,183.4	1,284.0	100.6	360.7	391.4	30.7	2.28	2.15
	enriched	1,351.0	1,361.0	10.0	411.8	414.8	3.0	6.20	5.91
	oxide	1,432.4	1,452.0	19.6	436.6	442.6	6.0	0.38	0.36
	enriched	1,472.0	1,730.0	258.0	448.7	527.3	78.6	1.01	0.91
	including	1,489.0	1,499.0	10.0	453.8	456.9	3.0	4.15	3.89
	and	1,528.5	1,589.0	60.5	465.9	484.3	18.4	2.38	2.23
	primary	1,730.0	1,865.5	135.5	527.3	568.6	41.3	0.29	0.04
ECE-066	oxide	1,472.0	1,614.4	142.4	448.7	492.1	43.4	1.63	1.55
	including	1,475.0	1,567.0	92.0	449.6	477.6	28.0	1.99	1.77
	enriched	1,614.4	1,859.2	244.8	492.1	566.7	74.6	1.26	1.14
ECE-067	oxide	1,343.0	1,476.8	133.8	409.3	450.1	40.8	0.37	0.34
	including	1,350.5	1,380.0	29.5	411.6	420.6	9.0	0.90	0.88
	oxide	1,654.0	1,685.0	31.0	504.1	513.6	9.4	1.09	1.07
	including	1,667.8	1,685.0	17.2	508.3	513.6	5.2	1.72	1.70
	enriched	1,685.0	1,833.5	148.5	513.6	558.9	45.3	2.57	2.53
	primary	1,833.5	1,864.5	31.0	558.9	568.3	9.4	0.46	0.04
ECE-082	oxide	1,425.0	1,444.0	19.0	434.3	440.1	5.8	0.47	0.35
	oxide	1,474.0	1,486.0	12.0	449.3	452.9	3.7	0.73	0.67
	enriched	1,486.0	1,712.6	226.6	452.9	522.0	69.1	1.39	1.26
	including	1,486.0	1,603.7	117.7	452.9	488.8	35.9	1.88	1.73
	primary	1,712.6	2,091.6	379.0	522.0	637.5	115.5	0.68	0.11
	including	1,712.6	1,763.0	50.4	522.0	537.4	15.4	1.02	0.17
	and	1,905.0	1,931.3	26.3	580.6	588.7	8.0	1.01	0.28
ECE-085	oxide	1,371.0	1,430.0	59.0	417.9	435.9	18.0	1.04	1.02
	enriched	1,430.0	1,698.0	268.0	435.9	517.6	81.7	1.51	1.38
	including	1,432.0	1,635.0	203.0	436.5	498.3	61.9	1.74	1.64
	primary	1,698.0	2,081.4	383.4	517.6	634.4	116.9	0.51	0.14
	including	1,838.0	1,888.0	50.0	560.2	575.5	15.2	0.74	0.06

1.		Intervals are presented in core length and are drilled with very near vertical dip angles.
2.		Drill assays assume a mineralized cut-off grade of 0.1% CuT reflecting the potential for heap leaching in the case of Oxide and Enriched, or in the case of Primary material to provide typical average grades. Holes were terminated below the basement fault.
3.		Assay results are not capped. Intercepts are aggregated within geological confines of major mineral zones.
4.		True widths are not known.

Table 2: Drilling details

Hole	Easting (m)	Northing (m)	Elevation (ft)	TD (ft)	Azimuth	Dip
ECE-059A	424,318.7	3,647,124.4	1,512.1	1,906.3	0	-90
ECE-060	424,283.8	3,647,105.8	1,511.7	1,936.5	0	-90
ECE-062	424,273.4	3,647,059.0	1,510.4	1,888.0	0	-90
ECE-066	424,282.2	3,646,978.5	1,493.3	1,947.0	0	-90
ECE-067	424,319.9	3,646,941.7	1,493.5	1,897.8	0	-90
ECE-082	424,128.0	3,646,863.3	1,462.9	2,314.1	0	-90
ECE-085	424,129.5	3,646,899.3	1,464.6	2,117.0	0	-90

Quality Assurance / Quality Control
Drilling completed on the project in 2020 and 2021 was supervised by on-site ASCU personnel who prepared core samples for assay and implemented a full QA/QC program using blanks, standards, and duplicates to monitor analytical accuracy and precision. The samples were sealed on site and shipped to Skyline Laboratories in Tucson AZ for analysis. Skyline’s quality control system complies with global certifications for Quality ISO9001:2008.

Technical aspects of this news release have been reviewed and verified by Allan Schappert – CPG #11758, who is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101– Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Links from the Press Release
FIGURES 1-7: https://arizonasonoran.com/projects/cactus-mine-project/press-release-images/

Neither the TSX nor the regulating authority has approved or disproved the information contained in this press release.

About Arizona Sonoran Copper Company (www.arizonasonoran.com | www.cactusmine.com)
ASCU’s objective is to become a mid-tier copper producer with low operating costs, develop the Cactus Project that could generate robust returns for investors, and provide a long term sustainable and responsible operation for the community and all stakeholders. The Company's principal asset is a 100% interest in the Cactus Project (former ASARCO, Sacaton mine) which is situated on private land in an infrastructure-rich area of Arizona. Contiguous to the Cactus Project the Company is also exploring on its 100% owned Park Salyer property that could allow for a phased expansion of the Cactus Mine once it becomes a producing asset. The Company is led by an executive management team and Board which have a long-standing track record of successful project delivery in North America complemented by global capital markets expertise.

Forward-Looking Statements
Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of ASCU to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect the outcome include, among others: future prices and the supply of metals; the results of drilling; inability to raise the money necessary to incur the expenditures required to retain and advance the properties; environmental liabilities (known and unknown); general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; results of exploration programs; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry; political instability, terrorism, insurrection or war; or delays in obtaining governmental approvals, projected cash operating costs, failure to obtain regulatory or shareholder approvals.

Although ASCU has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release and ASCU disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220913005233/en/

For more information

Alison Dwoskin, Director, Investor Relations

647-233-4348

adwoskin@arizonasonoran.com



George Ogilvie, President, CEO and Director

416-723-0458

gogilvie@arizonasonoran.com

Source: Arizona Sonoran Copper Company Inc.

FAQ

What are the latest drilling results for ASCUF from the Cactus East orebody?

Arizona Sonoran Copper Company reported high-grade intercepts, including ECE-067 with 148.5 ft at 2.57% TCu.

How much of the drilling program for ASCUF has been completed?

The total infill drilling program has surpassed 31,800 ft out of a planned 60,000 ft.

What is the significance of the drilling results for ASCUF?

The results confirm high-grade mineralization and support future underground mining plans.

What mineral grades did ASCUF report in the recent press release?

Notable grades include ECE-085 with 268.0 ft at 1.51% TCu and additional high-grade intercepts across several drill holes.