Tuesday, December 11, 2007

TNR Gold TNR.v Los Azules drilling has commenced

Minera Andes announces drilling commences at Los Azules copper project TSX: MAI
NASD-OTCBB: MNEAF
SPOKANE, WA, Dec. 11 /CNW/ - Minera Andes Inc. (TSX: MAI; US OTC: MNEAF)
is pleased to report a planned 10,000 meter, 24 hole drilling program has
commenced on the Los Azules porphyry copper project as part of the 2007-2008
exploration program. The exploration program at Los Azules is designed to
define an inferred resource and provide sufficiently detailed engineering and
technical information to allow the completion of an economic scoping study (a
Preliminary Assessment as defined by NI 43-101) of the property by mid next
year.
Minera Andes is advancing the Los Azules project under an option
agreement (see news release dated November 14, 2007) with Xstrata Copper, one
of the commodity business units within Xstrata plc (London Stock Exchange:
XTA.L and Zurich Stock Exchange: XTRZn.S). The scope and size potential of the
project increased dramatically in 2006 when Minera Andes drilling discovered a
near surface high-grade area of copper mineralization when AZ-06-19
encountered 221 meters of mineralization averaging 1.62 percent copper that
was 200 meters from hole AZ-06-20 containing 173 meters of 1.00 percent
copper. (Both holes are on TNR Gold's property S). Drilling in several holes ended in copper mineralization, including
two holes that bottomed in high-grade copper over 1 percent. This field season
an aggressive program is designed to define the size and scope of the entire
Los Azules copper target.
Allen Ambrose, president of Minera Andes said, "Over the past few field
seasons the drilling at Los Azules has discovered new high-grade copper
mineralization as we gain an understanding of this exciting project. Los
Azules is evolving as a sizeable porphyry copper target, with a high-grade
near-surface copper discovery at its core that is still open at depth."
During the last few years more than half the drilling to define a copper
resource has been completed and drilling will continue this field season over
the known area of leachable (chalcocite) and sulfide (chalcopyrite) copper
mineralization as currently defined. The area to be drilled covers
approximately 2.5 kilometers by 0.9 kilometers within the enriched copper
target currently identified at Los Azules that is about 3.3 kilometers long
and 0.9 kilometers wide. Holes will be drilled at a nominal grid spacing of
200 meters east-west and 400 meters north-south. Where needed fill in holes
will be drilled on the 200 meter north-south grid lines.
Drilling has commenced on the northern half of the mineralized copper
target and will also include infill drilling on the southern half of the
target. The holes will be drilled to a depth of approximately 350 meters. This
drilling will test a known area of leachable (chalcocite) and sulfide
(chalcopyrite) copper mineralization currently defined by 26 drill holes.

No comments: