Atacama Copper drills 7.9 g/t AuEq over 1.3 metres and 6.1 g/t AuEq over 2.6 metres at Cristina Project, Mexico

Atacama Copper Corp. [TSXV-ACOP] reported results from five holes of a 10,000-metre diamond drilling program at its wholly-owned Cristina precious metals project in southwestern Chihuahua State, Mexico.

Atacama has now reported 10 holes totalling 3,094.5 metres of drilling as part of a 40-50-hole drill program. The Cristina project consists of multiple outcropping quartz veins that are frequently greater than 10 metres in width and extend for at least a 5-km strike length. Four parallel mineralized vein zones have been mapped and sampled to date, with most of the existing mineral resource estimate at Cristina contained within only one of the vein zones, the Guadalupe vein.

Highlights of the five holes reported here, all from the eastern portion of the main Guadalupe vein system, include 7.87 g/t AuEq over 1.3 metres estimate true width (1.08 g/t Au, 282.5 g/t Ag, 3.84% Zn, 1.50% Pb and 0.17% Cu) in hole ACD24-226. This 1.3-metres wide intercept occurs within a broader mineralized zone measuring 2.50 g/t AuEq over 22.0 metres estimated true width (0.63 g/t Au, 60 g/t Ag, 1.42% Zn, 0.55% Pb, 0.04% Cu).

Hole ACD24-229 returned 8.10 g/t AuEq over 1.8 metres estimated true width (0.77 g/t Au, 214 g/t Ag, 5.18% Zn, 2.43% Pb, 0.45% Cu). This 1.8-metre wide intercept occurs within a broader mineralized zone measuring 4.76 g/t AuEq over 3.8 metres estimated true width (0.93 g/t Au, 114 g/t Ag, 2.56% Zn, 1.38% Pb, 0.23% Cu).

Hole ACD24-229 returned 14.88 g/t AuEq over 0.8 metres estimated true width (13.80 g/t Au, 29.6 g/t Ag, 0.99% Zn, 0.34% Pb and 0.09% Cu). This 0.8-metre wide intercept occurs within a broader mineralized zone measuring 2.49 g/t AuEq over 14.5 metres estimated true width (1.49 g/t Au, 31.5 g/t Ag, 0.83% Zn, 0.21% Pb and 0.02% Cu).

Hole ACD24-230 returned 6.11 g/t AuEq over 2.6 metres estimated true width (1.65 g/t Au, 50.1 g/t Ag, 5.67% Zn, 0.93% Pb and 0.26% Cu). This 3.3-metre wide intercept occurs within a broader zone of mineralization measuring 1.32 g/t AuEq over 49.0 metres estimated true width (0.53 g/t Au, 12.6 g/t Ag, 0.87% Zn 0.25% Pb and 0.04% Cu)

Tim Warman, CEO, commented: “These latest holes continue to support our goal of delineating and expanding the known higher-grade zones within the Guadalupe vein system to define a robust underground resource at Cristina. Not only are we seeing the expected higher-grade zones, but these are frequently set within broader intervals of lower grade material that may be amenable to bulk underground mining as is carried out successfully at Fresnillo’s nearby San Julian mine.”

All five holes reported here were drilled in the eastern portion of the Guadalupe vein system and a kilometer east of the first 5 holes released. Infill drilling should show that the high grade in these two areas should connect. ACD24-226 fills an information gap and brings veining closer to the surface at a higher grade than adjacent drill holes. This intercept is also expected to convert a zone of Inferred resource to Indicated as well as increasing the resource grade and ounces around the drill hole.

The drill program is expected to continue over the next several months, with results released periodically as they are received and analyzed.

The goal of targeting the higher-grade zones within the main Guadalupe Vein, as well as other high-grade veins in the area, is to both increase the size and the grade of the resource and demonstrate the underground resource potential at Cristina.

The current, primarily open-pit mineral resource estimate comprises Indicated resources of 17.5 Mt at 0.51 g/t gold, 33.8 g/t silver, 0.47% zinc, 0.19% lead and 0.04% copper (1.33 g/t AuEq grade), for a contained 752,000 gold-equivalent ounces.

Inferred resources are 19.0 Mt at 0.51 g/t gold, 27.5 g/t silver, 0.50% zinc, 0.19% lead and 0.05% copper (1.27 g/t AuEq grade), for a contained 777,000 gold-equivalent ounces.

Drilling is also planned for the Yecora copper project in Sonora Mexico. In Chile, the Placeton/Caballo Muerto project hosts several untested porphyry copper targets situated between the large-scale Relincho and El Morro/La Fortuna copper-gold deposits of the Nueva Union joint venture between Teck and Newmont Mining.