Arizona Mining Inc.(TSX:AZ)(Arizona Mining or the Company) announces the results of five exploration holes from the current drill program focused on expansion of the Taylor Sulfide Zone (TS) and Taylor Deeps Zone (TDS) located on its 100%-owned Hermosa Project in Santa Cruz County, Arizona. The drill holes highlighted in this release are successful step out exploration and infill drill holes highlighting the continued potential for resource growth and increased grades separate from the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) (see Press Release dated April 3, 2017).

In addition to its expanded exploration program with 15 rigs targeting 328,000 feet (100,000 metres) of drilling in 2017 compared to 6 rigs targeting 184,000 feet (56,000 metres) of drilling earlier this year the Company has been focused in the past several months on various activities associated with its ongoing Feasibility Study. This work includes hydrology drilling that has demonstrated ample water availability, condemnation drilling forthe proposed tailings storage facility on its private land, and additional drilling for metallurgical test work.

The drill results continue to significantly expand and infill both the Taylor Sulfide and Taylor Deeps Zones and indicate overall higher zinc, lead and silver grades than the average grade of the PEA, said Chief Operating Officer Don Taylor. It is clear that our expanded drill program continues to not only add size to the ultimate deposit, but more importantly it is delineating higher grade material that should benefit the economics of the project. We continue to focus on the southeastern extension of the Taylor Deeps Zone where the mineralization has increased zinc, lead and silver grades and is also coming closer to the surface. This area has the potential to significantly improve the early development plan for the mine.

HDS-478 is an angle drill hole (azimuth 80 degrees; -75 degrees inclination) located in the northeast corner of the Hardshell claim block (see Figures 1, 2 and 3). The drill hole successfully targeted the eastern extension of the mineralization encountered in previously reported drill hole HDS-435 (for results, see Press Release dated April 20, 2017). HDS-478 intersected two significant mineralized horizons in the Taylor Sulfide Zone with a cumulative thickness of 25 feet (for individual intervals see Table I). Notably, drilling also intersected a significant thickness of high grade zinc-lead-silver mineralization in the Taylor Deeps Zone further east than any previous drilling in this area. The results of HDS-478 extend the Taylor Deeps mineralization approximately 220 feet east of that intersected in HDS-435 and approximately 1,800 feet east of the PEA resource outline. Most notable of the results from HDS-478 are:

  • 5 feet assaying 23.0% zinc; 16.9% lead; and 30.0 ounces per ton (opt) silver (TS)

  • 20 feet assaying 15.6% zinc; 11.3% lead; and 15.9 opt silver (TS)

  • 25 feet assaying 13.1% zinc; 6.9% lead; and 5.3 opt silver (TDS)

HDS-473 is a vertical infill hole located on the Trench claim block, 800 feet west of the PEA resource outline (see Figures 1, 2 and 3). The hole targeted the Taylor Deeps Zone between previously released drill holes HDS-436 and HDS-453. HDS-473 intersected several veins in the overlying volcanics and two mineralized horizons in the Taylor Deeps Zone. The upper mineralized horizon in the Taylor Deeps Zone was comprised of a 19.5-foot-thick interval assaying 24.6% combined zinc-lead and 21.7 opt silver. Notable assays include:

  • 19.5 feet assaying 2.4% zinc; 22.2% lead; and 21.7 opt silver (TDS)

HDS-472 is a near vertical infill hole located on the north central portion of the Hardshell claim block, 700 feet east of the PEA resource outline (see Figures 1, 2 and 3). The hole successfully targeted the Taylor Deeps Zone and the extension of the Taylor Sulfide Zone outside the resource grade shell used for the PEA. HDS-472 intersected lower grade but continuous zinc-lead-silver sulfide intercepts in all three carbonate units in the Taylor Sulfide Zone. In the Taylor Deeps Zone, HDS-472 intersected a 36-foot-thick interval assaying