Azure Minerals has begun its second drilling program at its wholly owned El Tecolote Project in Mexico which will test several new copper targets identified and several nearby porphyry copper prospects. Situated between the company’s San Eduardo and La Tortuga Projects, El Tecolote covers 178 square kilometers of land containing abundant evidence of base metal mineralization with potential for both porphyry copper and skarn copper, zinc and silver deposits. An intensive USD 1.5 million exploration program has identified several new targets including Reyna del Cobre extensions of the El Tecolote Mine and several nearby porphyry copper prospects, all of which will be tested by the second round, 2,000 to 3,000 meter drilling program. Reyna del Cobre was discovered by Azure in early 2011 when drilling intersected multiple skarn zones containing massive sulphide copper, zinc mineralization. The first hole of the current drilling program will be at Reyna del Cobre, targeting the mineralized structure at a depth of approximately 150 meters below surface. The El Tecolote Mine which previously produced 1.4 million tonnes at 1.9% copper, 7% zinc and 47 grams per tonne silver closed in 1984 due low commodity prices, with unmined copper and zinc mineralization remaining around the old mine workings. Azure’s exploration in this area has identified possible strike and depth extensions and repetitions which will be drill tested as part of the current program. Drilling will also be carried out on a porphyry copper target to the south of the mine where strong induced polarization and geochemical anomalies are present along with surface occurrences of alteration, quartz veining and copper oxide mineralization within quartz feldspar porphyry.

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