February 10, 2026  – Vancouver, British Columbia.  - TheNewswire - Andina Copper Corporation is pleased to provide an update on exploration activities at its Piuquenes Project in San Juan Province, Argentina. Ongoing drilling at Piuquenes East continues to expand known porphyry copper-gold mineralization, with assay results pending. In addition, the Company has recently completed a deep-penetrating Magnetotelluric (MT) geophysical survey, which has defined a new, high-priority drill target at Piuquenes North.

PIU09 was completed at Piuquenes East to a depth of 799.5 m and intersected multiple zones of porphyry mineralization (assays pending).

PIU10A is currently being drilled and is designed to test a high-priority target located between the Piuquenes East and Piuquenes Central zones.

MT has outlined a previously untested, deep-seated low-resistivity anomaly measuring approximately 800 m × 700 m (the MT Anomaly) at Piuquenes North, immediately north of and adjacent to Piuquenes Central and Piuquenes East.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The integration of drilling results, geological interpretation, alteration mapping, IP, magnetics and MT geophysics has provided a clear focus for the next phase of exploration.  

 

• Follow-up drilling at Piuquenes East continues to expand mineralization intersected in PIU-06 (refer 30 April 2025 News Release). 

  • PIU09 (January 2026) was drilled to 799.5 m, intersecting multiple mineralized intervals. Visually stronger mineralization was logged from ~565–635 m downhole (assays pending). 

  • PIU10A designed to test a high-priority target located between the Piuquenes East and Piuquenes Central zones is currently being drilled. 

 

• New high-priority MT Anomaly defined at Piuquenes North measures 800 m × 700 m. 

 

• The MT Anomaly is coherent, remains untested by drilling, and will be evaluated by proposed drill holes PN01 and PN02 (Figures 2 and 3), with drilling to shortly commence.  

 

• To facilitate concurrent drilling at Piuquenes East and Piuquenes North, the Company has mobilized a second drill rig. 

 

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Figure 1: Piuquenes Cu-Au project location map, San Juan Province, Argentina.

Piuquenes East Drilling – Drill Holes PIU09 and PIU10A

Follow-up drilling at Piuquenes East continues to expand the porphyry copper-gold mineralization intersected in PIU06 (refer 30 April 2025 News Release):

• 208 m @ 0.31% Cu, 0.13 g/t Au, 1.24 g/t Ag (from 292 m) 

• Including 98 m @ 0.49 % Cu, 0.16 g/t Au, 1.26 g/t Ag (from 292 m) 

PIU09 was completed to a downhole depth of 799.5 m and intersected multiple zones of porphyry mineralization. An upper mineralized interval was logged between 370–395.7 m downhole, followed by a more extensive and continuous zone from approximately 520 m, which increases in intensity between 565 m and 635 m and persists to around 675 m downhole. The thickness and continuity of mineralization observed in PIU09 support the interpretation of a robust porphyry system at Piuquenes East displaying multiples phases of veining and associated mineralization.

PIU10A designed to test a high-priority target located between the Piuquenes East and Piuquenes Central zones is currently being drilled. The hole targets the convergence of geological and structural features, including a NNE-trending structure mapped at surface and structurally related phreatomagmatic breccia containing clasts and veinlets of early mineralization. This surface expression indicates the presence of a porphyry mineralization at depth.

The primary objective of PIU10A is to test for a previously untested porphyry intrusive body at depth, while a secondary objective is to improve understanding of the structural framework linking the Piuquenes East and Central mineralized zones.

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Figure 2: IP chargeability section highlighting a strong, vertically extensive chargeability anomaly coincident with porphyry mineralization and drilling at Piuquenes East.

Geology and mineralization – PIU09

Observations from PIU09 provide geological support for the interpretation of a deeper mineralized source. Downhole logging records an increase in porphyry vein density and intensity with depth, including the development of well-formed quartz B-type veins with anhydrite–sulphide re-opening and associated chalcopyrite ± bornite mineralization.

Mineralization strengthens notably below ~565 m downhole and persists to approximately 675 m, with no clear decrease in intensity at the base of drilling. This vertical zonation and persistence of mineralization are consistent with the upper portions of a vertically extensive porphyry system and support the interpretation that the newly identified MT anomaly may represent a deeper intrusive or magmatic–hydrothermal source beneath the current drilling.

 

New MT and IP Data – Refined Exploration Framework

The MT survey completed in December has identified a coherent, deep-seated, low-resistivity anomaly at Piuquenes North that extends well below the limits of current drilling and beneath the known mineralized centres at Piuquenes East and Piuquenes Central. The anomaly is characterized by its low-resistivity contrast, significant vertical extent commencing ~600 m below surface.

The MT response extends beyond the core low-resistivity/high-conductivity zone and outlines a broad target area at depth; however, current interpretation focuses on the most coherent and well-defined core anomaly, which is considered the highest-priority drill target.

In the context of Miocene-aged porphyry systems of the southern Andes, conductive features of this scale and depth are commonly associated with deep intrusive activity or magmatic-hydrothermal sources, rather than shallow alteration effects.

Integration of the MT data with existing Induced Polarisation (IP) datasets, drilling results, alteration mapping and structural interpretation has improved understanding of the spatial relationship between deeper conductive features and overlying porphyry-style mineralization. This relationship suggests that the currently defined Piuquenes East and Central mineralization may represent upper-level expressions related to a deeper source at Piuquenes North.

The MT Anomaly will be tested by planned drill holes PN01 and PN02, designed to test this feature and its interpreted relationship to known mineralization.

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Figure 3: Plan view of planned Andina drill holes targeting the Piuquenes North MT anomaly, shown at a 2,500 m RL slice (planned hole *).

 

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Figure 4: Cross-section A–A′ highlighting a significant, untested Piuquenes North MT anomaly (~800 × 700 m) at Piuquenes North, defining planned priority targets PN01* and PN02* (planned hole *).

 

President & CEO Joseph van den Elsen commented:

“Piuquenes has the characteristics of a significant Andean porphyry copper system, and a second drill rig has now been mobilized. Concurrent with the continued testing of the porphyry copper-gold system at Piuquenes East, we will shortly commence drill testing of the newly defined MT anomaly at Piuquenes North.

The scale, coherence and depth extent of the MT anomaly are particularly encouraging and, with multiple zones of porphyry-style mineralization already confirmed at both Piuquenes Central and Piuquenes East, we are entering an exciting phase of exploration across multiple targets”.

      

Andina Copper has completed two drill holes to date, with one additional hole currently in progress and two further holes planned to commence imminently. A summary of drill holes referenced in this release is provided in Table 1 below:

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Table 1: Summary of drill holes referenced in this release.

 

The Company’s Corporate Presentation is available at: Andina Copper Corporate Presentation

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ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Joseph van den Elsen

President & Chief Executive Officer

joseph@andinacopper.com

 

Jordan Webster

VP – Technical Communications

jordan@andinacopper.com

 

QUALIFIED PERSON

Francisco Montes, a consultant of Andina Copper Corp and a “qualified person” (“QP”) within the definition of that term in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical information that forms the basis for this news release. Francisco Montes is a member of Australian Institute of Geoscientists (MAIG #4160).

   

ABOUT ANDINA COPPER  

Andina Copper Corporation is a unique South America- focused copper explorer listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV:ANDC), Frankfurt (FSE: FIR), and OTC (OTCQB: PMMCF) exchanges.

The Company holds two significant discoveries along the world’s premier copper producing Andean porphyry belt in Argentina and Colombia, and a compelling undrilled copper-gold target in the prolific copper production district of the Coastal Cordillera of Chile.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Andina Copper expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will" or "may" occur.  These statements are subject to various risks.  Although Andina Copper believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guaranteeing of future performance, and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSXV nor the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.