07:08 AM EDT, 09/16/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Arizona Sonoran Copper Company ( ASCUF ) Tuesday released an updated mineral resource estimate for the Cactus copper project in Arizona.

Drilling converted 51% of the inferred material to measured and indicated while dropping the overall M&I grade by 15% due to the inclusion of lower-grade near-surface material from Parks/Salyer South deposit.

The updated MRE includes 1,143 million short tons at 0.48% total copper for 11 billion pounds, or 5.5 million short tons, of contained copper at the M&I category; and 233 million short tons at 0.37% total copper for 1.7 billion pounds, or 0.85 million short tons, of contained copper at the inferred category.

The results represent a decrease of 56% at the inferred category due to conversion to the M&I category. The updated MRE showed 75% of the Cactus project M&I copper pounds are leachable.

At the Parks/Salyer deposit, 100% of the near-surface, low-grade copper mineralization at Parks/Salyer South was converted to the indicated category. Other changes include a 52% increase to 514.1 million short tons above cut-off, a 31% increase of total copper pounds to 6.3 billion, and a 14% grade reduction to 0.61% total copper and 0.49% total soluble copper.

90% of the Parks/Salyer copper pounds in the M&I classification are leachable.

At the Cactus West and Cactus East deposits, changes to the M&I classification include a 151% increase to 557.6 million short tons above cut-off, a 184% increase of total copper pounds to 4.43 billion pounds, and a 19% grade reduction to 0.40% total copper and 0.20% total soluble copper.

The Cactus project is at an advanced permitting stage and is advancing to a pre-feasibility study expected in the fourth quarter of 2025. A final investment decision is expected as early as the fourth quarter of 2026.