Avrupa Reports New Drill Results and Extends Massive Sulfide Mineralization at Sesmarias North, Alvalade Project, Portugal

Highlights include:

• SES21-040:  36.45 meters @ 0.72% Copper, 0.36 g/t Gold, 21 g/t Silver, and 0.82% Lead, including:
  • 11.0 meters @ 1.05% Copper, 0.51 g/t Gold, 39.2 g/t Silver, and 1.64% Lead.
• SES21-039:  39.2 meters @ 0.44% Copper, 0.71 g/t Gold, 27.1 g/t Silver, 2.07% Zinc, and 0.79% Lead, including overlapping mineralized zones:
  • 17.25 meters @ 1.01 g/t Gold
  • 16.7 meters @ 34.6 g/t Silver
  • 16.7 meters @ 0.58% Copper
  • 9.7 meters @ 1.23% Lead
  • 8.0 meters @ 2.96% Zinc and 7.7 meters @ 3.5% Zinc.
• SES21-039:  A second significant massive sulfide intercept lower in this hole:  14.8 meters @ 0.45% Copper, 0.29 g/t Gold, and 28.7 g/t Silver.

Further highlights include:

• SES21-039 and SES21-040 extend massive sulfide mineralization for 350 meters to the southeast from the previously-reported SES21-033/036 section;
• Grades improving to the southeast;
• 11 drill holes, 5,862 meters completed to date on five sections at SES North and one section in the SES Central sector;
• Results from 10 holes now reported; results from one hole pending
• Drilling is underway on a 12th hole at Sesmarias.

Avrupa Minerals Ltd. (AVU:TSXV) is pleased to report that drilling continues to expand and upgrade polymetallic, massive sulfide mineralization at the Sesmarias Copper-Zinc Prospect within the Alvalade Project (Alentejo, Portugal).  The program is a joint venture between Avrupa Minerals and Minas de Aguas Teñidas, S.A. (MATSA) and is operated by Avrupa through the JV entity PorMining Lda.  To date, the Company has completed 11 diamond drill holes on six different fences, totaling 5,862 meters, and is drilling a 12th hole testing potential massive sulfide mineralization on Section 0350S.

Paul W. Kuhn, President and CEO of Avrupa Minerals, commented, “With continued drilling in the SES North sector, we have now intersected significant massive sulfide mineralization over 350 meters in strike length to the southeast from previously-reported intersections in SES21-033 and 036.  The SES21-039 intercept is the longest, to date, in the joint venture, and shows improving copper, zinc, and gold grades, as we move south along the strike of massive sulfide mineralization originally discovered in SES008.  The SES21-040 intercept contains the best copper results, to date, with 11 meters of 1.05% copper within a longer interval of polymetallic mineralization.  As we move south towards the SES Central (Discovery) sector, we look forward to the potential of continued improvement of grades.”

SES North Results and Sections 

To date, the Company completed ten drill holes in the SES North sector during this phase of drilling (SES20-031 through SES21-040), and one further hole in the SES Central sector (SES21-041), totaling 5,862 meters.  The Company reports results for SES21-037 through 040 in this release.

Drilling at SES21-042 is now underway on the 350 S section to test for possible mineralization above SES21-040.  Following the completion of SES21-042, the Company plans to drill further on the 350 S section to test for potential downdip massive sulfide mineralization below the SES21-040 intercept.  That hole will be collared approximately 40 meters northeast of the SES21-040 location.

Through all phases of drilling and exploration at Sesmarias, the Company has drilled copper-zinc massive sulfide mineralization in various lenses over a strike length of 1.7 kilometers.  Through interpretation of various programs of geophysical work and re-logging of historical drilling in the district, including holes with massive sulfide mineralization present, the strike length for possible massive sulfide mineralization may easily be extended to the north for a further 800-1000 meters.  All indications suggest that potential for further mineralization to the south is open, as well.  For now, the Company will continue to work on extending and upgrading the mineralization at SES North towards the SES Central sector, as well as defining massive sulfide occurrence in the Central sector.

Through detailed logging of the new core from this phase of drilling, as well as detailed re-logging of all the Sesmarias area historic core, we have established that the Sesmarias massive sulfide system is heavily folded and strongly modified by several phases of post-mineralization faulting.   However, through all this structural modification, the Company continues to intersect the target mineral horizon in all of the Sesmarias drilling.  The identification and separation of the different lenses of massive sulfide mineralization is strictly related to the location of mineralization on a specific limb of successive and adjacent folds (see sections below).  This supports the previous identification of the 2 Lens, the 8 Lens, the 10 Lens, and others at Sesmarias, as they are situated on different fold limbs and will project to the surface as separate lenses.  This geometry explains the historic situation of the numerous massive sulfide lenses that make up the Lousal deposit, just seven kilometers north of Sesmarias.  We expect a similar targeting story for Monte da Bela Vista, a further 2 kilometers beyond Lousal, as the complicated geology in all three target areas appears to be similar, if not directly related.

Figure 1.  Plan view of Sesmarias North drilling, with drillhole locations and cross section lines.

Figure 1a.  Surface expression of the 8 Lens Target Zone (red dashed lines) and projected surface expression of mineralization in the SES North sector.  Drilling is underway on the Section 350 S, where we have discovered a new lens (in purple) for the northern sector with significantly higher copper grade than previous holes in the northern sector.

Following is a summary of new results for SES North mineralization from Section 000 to Section 350 S.  Results are reported in order of drilling.

Table 1.  SES21-037 intercept information.  Section 000.  Possible bottom of lens on this section.

Table 2.  SES21-038 intercept information.  Section 070 S.  Overall zone of mineralization defined by mixed stockwork and semi- to massive sulfide material.

Table 3a.  SES21-039 upper intercept information.  Section 120 S.  Longest intercept, to date, in this phase of drilling.  Contains overlapping zones of Au-Zn and polymetallic mineralization.

Table 3b.  SES21-039 lower intercept information.  Section 120 S.

 Table 4.  SES21-040 intercept information.  Section 350 S.  Long intercept contains best copper results, to date, in this phase of drilling.  Copper grades appear to increase towards the south.

Following are the summary cross sections for 8 Lens mineralization in the Sesmarias North sector.  Further information will be posted on the Avrupa Minerals website.

Figure 2.  Section 000:  Simplified geological section, showing massive sulfides and stockwork zone in SES008, SES21-033, SES21-036, and SES21-037.   While the section shows the apparent bottom of the 8 Lens, further work to potentially open up the mineral horizon below SES21-037 and expand downdip will be contemplated in the future.  However, at this time, new drilling will be concentrated towards the south where copper and zinc grades appear to be rising and the size of the lens appears to be increasing.

Figure 3.  Section 070 S:  Simplified geological section showing location of massive sulfides in SES21-038, as well as SES20-031 crossing the top of the Lens 8 pod.  Targeting for further mineralization on this section clearly lies downdip from the SES21-038.

Figure 4.  Section 120 S:  Simplified geological section showing two intercepts of massive sulfide mineralization in SES21-039.  Intercepts appear to lie in separate limbs of ancillary folding on the northeast limb of the main syncline identified in the SES North sector drilling during this phase of the program.  Results, combined with those of SES21-038 (above) and SES21-040 (below) suggest potential vectoring to the southeast at SES North towards higher grade copper and zinc mineralization.

Figure 5.  Section 350 S:  Simplified geological section, showing massive sulfides and stockwork zone in SES009 and SES21-040, along with ongoing drilling at SES21-042, represented by a dashed line.  The Company plans to aim for a depth of approximately 600 meters for 042.  The hole intercepted strong mineralization on the southwest limb of the main syncline for the first time in the northern sector at Sesmarias.

The continuing work program is fully funded by Minas de Aguas Teñidas, S.A. (“MATSA”).  MATSA can initially earn a 51% interest in the Alvalade Experimental Exploitation License property by completing funding requirements set out in the joint venture agreement between the companies. MATSA may then increase their interest in the Project to 85% by preparing a bankable feasibility study.  Avrupa previously described the details of the agreement in news releases dated October 1, 2019 and November 20, 2019.

Minas de Aguas Teñidas, S.A. (MATSA) is a private Spanish mining company, which owns and operates three mines in the province of Huelva (Andalusia, Spain):  Aguas Teñidas, Magdalena, and Sotiel.  MATSA also holds 1,312 km² of exploration permits in the south of Spain and 1,106 km² in Portugal. Focused on innovation and the most advanced technology to develop modern and sustainable mines, MATSA is a 50:50 joint venture company of Mubadala Investment Company, a sovereign investor managing a global portfolio aimed at generating sustainable returns for its shareholder, the Government of Abu Dhabi, and Trafigura, one of the world’s leading commodity trading houses.

Avrupa Minerals Ltd. is a growth-oriented junior exploration and development company directed to discovery of mineral deposits, using a hybrid prospect generator business model.  The Company holds one 100%-owned license in Portugal, the Alvalade VMS Project, now optioned to MATSA in an earn-in joint venture agreement.  Avrupa focuses its project generation work in politically stable and prospective regions of Europe, presently including Portugal and Kosovo.  The Company continues to seek and develop other opportunities around Europe.

For additional information, contact Avrupa Minerals Ltd. at 1-604-687-3520 or visit our website at www.avrupaminerals.com.

On behalf of the Board,

“Paul W. Kuhn”

Paul W. Kuhn, President & Director

This news release was prepared by Company management, who take full responsibility for its content.  Paul W. Kuhn, President and CEO of Avrupa Minerals, a Licensed Professional Geologist and a Registered Member of the Society of Mining Engineers, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators.  He has reviewed the technical disclosure in this release.  Mr. Kuhn, the QP, has not only reviewed, but prepared and supervised the preparation or approval of the scientific and technical content in the news release.

Information about the Lousal Mine comes directly from published academic documents prepared by the geological survey of Portugal (LNEG), theses from the University of Lisbon, private company documents authored by mine geologists employed at one time by the Lousal Mine, and copies of original mine records.  The information is considered accurate, but NOT compliant to present-day NI 43-101 regulations and standards.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.