Dr. George Ogilvie reports

ARIZONA SONORAN DRILLING AT MAINSPRING CONFIRMS NEAR SURFACE MINERALIZATION

Drilling at MainSpring on Arizona Sonoran Copper Company Inc.'s 100-per-cent-owned Cactus project in Arizona has confirmed near-surface mineralization up dip from the Parks/Salyer deposit. A total of 17,650 feet (5,380 metres) of drilling, or 16 holes, are reported herein, with 10 holes pending. The 2024 MainSpring inferred drill program (500 feet/152 metres drill spacing) is now complete and drilling continues to define indicated drill spacings (250 feet/76 metres drill spacing) with three drill rigs.

Drilling at MainSpring has: (1) extended the high-grade mine trend at Parks/Salyer by 650 feet (198 metres) to the southwest; and (2) traces lower-grade mineralization another 2,500 feet (762 metres) south, to within 140 feet (42 metres) of surface. Drilling on the MainSpring property illustrates a continuation of the porphyry system that hosts the Cactus project deposits. The lower-grade and near-surface MainSpring mineralization is currently being drill tested as a potential starter open pit within a pending preliminary economic assessment (PEA), which will be inclusive of a maiden MainSpring inferred resource and the application of the Nuton technologies to the primary sulphides using the same PFS (prefeasibility study) assumptions, as announced on Feb. 21, 2024. The PEA is expected in the summer of 2024 with M3 Engineering as lead consultant.

Highlights:

• The MainSpring zone is the southern extension of Parks/Salyer as it daylights toward surface to within 140 feet (42 metres) of surface;
• MainSpring is drilled over an area of at least 2,500 feet by 3,000 feet (762 metres by 915 metres), up dip of Parks/Salyer;
• ECM-198 -- extends Parks/Salyer high-grade mine trend by 650 feet (198 metres) to the southwest:
  • 882 feet (269 metres) at 0.44 per cent CuT (total copper) of continuous mineralization;
  • Including 83 feet (25 metres) at 1.41 per cent CuT, 1.30 per cent Cu TSol (total soluble copper) and 0.023 per cent Mo (molybdenum) (enriched);
• ECM-209 -- 256 feet (78 metres) at 0.51 per cent CuT, 0.44 per cent Cu TSol and 0.003 per cent Mo (oxide):
  • Including 98 feet (30 metres) at 0.95 per cent CuT, 0.87 per cent Cu TSol and 0.004 per cent Mo;
• ECM-197 -- 367 feet (112 metres) at 0.31 per cent CuT, 0.26 per cent Cu TSol and 0.002 per cent Mo (oxide):
• • And 125 feet (38 metres) at 0.56 per cent CuT, 0.47 per cent Cu TSol and 0.003 per cent Mo (enriched).

Note: True widths are not known.

George Ogilvie, president and chief executive officer of Arizona Sonoran, commented: "We are encouraged by the MainSpring drilling results to date. Since acquiring the asset in 2020 with only a stockpile and historic records, our team has done a tremendous job outlining a copper resource of 5.2 billion pounds M&I [measured and indicated] and 2.2 billion pounds inferred. With the issuance of our recent prefeasibility study, we reset our operational plan and economic outlook on the project based on this mineral resource, which includes reserves of three billion pounds from our four deposits. Looking forward, MainSpring is now presenting us with a new opportunity for near-term growth and further optimizations to the operations and financials. Our team's main focus now is to integrate MainSpring into the rest of the project. Within the next two quarters, we plan on issuing an inferred mineral resource on MainSpring and a PEA on Cactus and Nuton, inclusive of MainSpring. Subsequent drilling to the indicated category will feed into an updated PFS inclusive of the MainSpring opportunity by end of the year. We have entered a transitional and transformational year for the Cactus project."

Cactus mineral resources:

• M&I -- 446 million tonnes at 0.58 per cent Cu for 5.2 billion pounds copper;
• Inferred -- 234 million tonnes at 0.472 per cent Cu for 2.2 billion pounds copper.

Resources at the Cactus project are a combination of leachable and primary mineralogies.

Cactus mineral reserves:

• 276 million tonnes at 0.484 per cent Cu TSol for three billion pounds of copper.

See press release dated Feb. 21, 2024, for details related to the copper inventory.

Drilling and geology recap

Of the 59 completed drill holes, 26 (35,529 feet or 10,828.3 metres) were drilled in 2024 and 33 (35,718.9 feet or 10,887.1 metres) were previously drilled by Arizona Sonoran or the former optionholder. The inferred drilling at MainSpring is defining a mineralized zone at least 2,500 feet by 3,000 feet (762 metres by 915 metres) that trends northwest toward and is contiguous with the Parks/Salyer deposit. Drilling to date shows oxide and enriched mineralization as shallow as 140 feet (42 metres) from the surface in the south and to 450 feet (137 metres) on the northern end with enriched and primary mineralization extending as deep as 2,250 feet (686 metres) in hole ECM-198.

MainSpring is the southern extension of the Parks/Salyer horst block at the southwestern end of the Cactus mine trend. Copper mineralization at MainSpring is hosted within brecciated granite and monzonite porphyry, as are the Cactus West, Cactus East and Parks/Salyer deposits and the northeast extension target. Mineral resources at the Cactus project are a combination of leachable and primary mineralogies. The Cactus West deposit and Parks/Salyer deposit/MainSpring area are preserved as uplifted horst blocks, bounded by normal faults to the east and west that juxtapose Gila conglomerate against adjacent upper plate mineralization. The Parks/Salyer deposit, comprising an indicated mineral resource of 144 million tonnes at 1.01 per cent copper and an inferred mineral resource of 48 million tonnes at 0.97 per cent copper, continues onto the MainSpring property to the south. The MainSpring mineralization, containing oxide, enriched and primary copper mineralization, thickens and increases in tenor to the north as it approaches the high-grade Parks/Salyer deposit. Drilling results at Parks/Salyer and MainSpring indicate that MainSpring could be the distal low-pyrite shell of the high-grade ore shell at Parks/Salyer. Also intercepted to the very south of the MainSpring drilling is a late-stage quartz monzonite porphyry that is unmineralized but that contains slightly elevated primary copper grades at its margins. Drill hole ECM-198 intersected thick primary mineralization and extends Parks/Salyer's high-grade mine trend onto the north end of MainSpring and demonstrates that the zone between MainSpring and Parks/Salyer is an analogue for the moderately graded pyrite shell. The latest inferred drilling at MainSpring has focused on filling in the area between the deeper Parks/Salyer mineralization and the shallow MainSpring mineralization.

Quality assurance/quality control

Drilling completed on the project between 2020 and 2024 was supervised by on-site Arizona Sonoran personnel, who prepared core samples for assay and implemented a full quality assurance/quality control 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, Ariz., for analysis. Skyline's sample prep, analytical methodologies and quality control system comply with global certifications for quality (ISO 9001:2008).

Technical aspects of this news release have been reviewed and verified by Allan Schappert (CPG No. 11758), who is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Arizona Sonoran Copper Company Inc.

Arizona Sonoran's objective is to become a mid-tier copper producer with low operating costs and to develop the Cactus and Parks/Salyer projects 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-per-cent interest in the Cactus project (formerly ASARCO's Sacaton mine) which is situated on private land in an infrastructure-rich area of Arizona. Contiguous to the Cactus project is the company's 100-per-cent-owned Parks/Salyer deposit, which 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 that have a long-standing record of successful project delivery in North America, complemented by global capital market expertise.

We seek Safe Harbor.