Aztec Minerals (TSX-V: AZT / WKN A2DRF0) presents strong results from its Tombstone project in Arizona. Three additional reverse circulation (RC) drill holes from the 2025 program once again confirm the extensive, near-surface gold-silver oxide mineralization in the Contention target area. Highlights include drill hole TR25-17 with 36.5 m at 8.14 g/t
Aztec Minerals with Spectacular Drill Results
In the northern part of the Contention target, Aztec tested a previously unexplored area of the “Head Center Area” with TR25-17 and intersected two zones of near-surface oxide mineralization: the wide main zone (36.5 m) and further down 16.7 m at 0.42 g/t gold and 1.0 g/t silver. The adjacent TR25-17A yielded 18.2 m at 0.58 g/t gold and 0.58 g/t silver (reported by the company as 53.08 g/t silverEq), but ended in an open stope over 7.6 m – the starting point for TR25-17 was subsequently moved by a few meters. TR25-16, approximately 45 m to the south, intersected 50.2 m at 0.67 g/t gold and 42.67 g/t silver, as well as a second zone with 9.1 m at 0.92 g/t gold and 8.7 g/t silver.
And as the company explains, these results support the interpretation of a broad oxide envelope with locally high-grade precious metal intercepts in the center of the historic Contention mining district.
Program Status and Next Steps at Aztec Minerals
The 2025 RC program so far comprises 29 drill holes (~4,900 m) in a fan/grid design that tests the continuity of mineralization west, east, and south of known structures, as well as at depth. Some of the RC holes serve as pre-collars for planned deep drilling. Core drilling was paused in October due to technical issues with the drill rig and is expected to resume shortly – with Big Sky Exploration LLC as the contractor. The targets are Paleozoic carbonates located beneath the Bisbee Formation, where NSAMT anomalies indicate large-volume, conductive bodies.
According to the company, the mineralization in the Contention area remains open in all directions. With 16 pending RC assays and the resumption of core drilling, attention is focused on step-outs along strike and down-dip, as well as on deeper targets beneath the oxidized zone.
Geological Context: Historic Tombstone District
The Tombstone project is located approximately 100 km southeast of Tucson and covers large parts of the historic Tombstone silver district. The district is known for high-grade, oxidized silver and gold veins, hydrothermal breccias, and CRD (Carbonate Replacement Deposits) bodies, which were extensively mined in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Historic reports (cited by the company) mention ~32 million ounces of silver and ~250,000 ounces of gold in production.
Aztec Minerals’ current objective is two-pronged: firstly, the expansion of the near-surface, potentially heap-leachable oxide gold-silver mineralization in the vicinity of the Contention pit, and secondly, the exploration of deeper CRD/sulfide targets. The hematite-rich, silicified breccias, as well as vein and dike structures mapped to date, correspond to the material spectrum that was historically extracted from the Contention mine.
Conclusion: Aztec Minerals delivers further high-grade, near-surface precious metal intercepts, thereby expanding the oxide gold and silver envelope in the Contention area. With continued RC expansion drilling, planned deep core drilling, and numerous pending assays, attention is now focused on the spatial extent of the oxide mineralization and the potential of deeper CRD targets in the classic Tombstone district.
