"Vancouver, BC: Ross
River Minerals Inc. (TSX-V: RRM) (the "Company") is
pleased to announce that it has completed compiling surface and
trench samples collected during 2004 on its Cerro Colorado, La
Langosta and La Cetolla copper-silver-gold porphyry targets located
in Sinaloa State, Mexico, and that it has discovered a fourth
area of porphyry-style copper mineralization on the 200 square
kilometre El Pulpo property.
Jocquistes
Prospecting in the eastern part of the El Pulpo claim area has
revealed a fourth area of porphyry style mineralization approximately
four kilometres east and south of La Cetolla. The prospect, called
Jocquistes, features widespread malachite/azurite encrustations
on fractures and outcrops and 1-3 centimetre quartz stockwork
veins containing chalcopyrite with associated pervasive phyllic
alteration overprinting potassic alteration over a minimum area
of 500 by 1,000 metres. Seven grab samples from leached outcrop
returned assays up to 0.67% copper, 40 ppm molybdenum, 8.54 g/t
silver and 0.06 g/t gold. The intensity of alteration and the
continuity of mineralization is similar to the La Cetolla prospect.
The Company plans to conduct extensive prospecting on this target
early in the fall to better determine the extent of the mineralization.
The discovery of the Jocquistes prospect has given a new perspective
to exploration of the El Pulpo claim block. An overall pattern
is emerging of copper prospects surrounding a molybdenum-rich
core.
Cerro Colorado
Soil geochemistry and Induced Polarization (IP) and magnetometer
geophysical surveys were completed over an area of 6.8 square
kilometres. An area 1,900 by 750 metres anomalous in copper,
gold, silver and molybdenum in soils was outlined associated
with an extensive IP anomaly. Satellite anomalies also occur
200 metres west (dimensions: 450 by 300 metres) and 520 metres
north (dimensions: 800 by 300 metres) of the major anomaly (see
press release dated June 9, 2004 and refer to Ross River's website).
Mapping in the southeastern part of the major anomaly identified
significant widespread areas of potassic and phyllic alteration
related to disseminated and stockwork copper mineralization within
the granodiorite host rock. One hundred seven rock chip samples
were collected from outcrops and from trenches and road cuts
at depths of 2 to 4 metres within this area. Individual samples
were collected over widths of 0.2-7.0 metres. Copper contents
ranged from 53 ppm to greater than 1% copper, molybdenum ranged
from 2.7 to more than 2,000 ppm, silver ranged from 0.19 g/t
to greater than 100 g/t and gold from 1 ppb to 2.32 g/t. Twenty-six
samples exceeded 0.3% copper of which four samples exceeded 1%
copper, one exceeded 2,000 ppm molybdenum and one exceeded 99.99
g/t silver, the upper reporting limit for these metals with the
ICP-Mass Spectrographic analytical method used.
La Langosta
Soil geochemical and IP/magnetometer surveys were carried out
over a grid 2,200 metres by 1,800 to 2,500 metres in the La Langosta
area. Prospecting and mapping was conducted over a small portion
of the anomalous area to identify the origin of the IP chargeability
anomalies. One hundred six rock samples were collected, including
95 chip samples, mostly from leached bedrock in hand-dug trenches
at depths of 1 to 2 metres. Copper contents ranged from 36 ppm
to greater than 1% copper, molybdenum ranged from 0.5 to 506
ppm, silver ranged from 0.06 to greater than 100 g/t and gold
from 1 to 46 ppb. Nineteen samples contained more than 0.3% copper
and one sample exceeded 1% copper which is being reassayed.
These results are extremely
encouraging considering these are from preliminary sampling over
a small part of the extensive anomalous areas of the Jocquistes,
Cerro Colorado and La Langosta targets and are mainly from leached
bedrock.
La Cetolla
Preliminary prospecting of the La Cetolla target east of the
La Langosta area has confirmed the copper-gold porphyry extending
over an area of 1,100 by 230 metres previously discovered by
Placer Mexicana in the 1970's. Subsequent exploration has extended
this area to 1,575 by 430 metres and is open in all directions.
Fifty-nine samples were taken from outcrops and from hand-dug
trenches at depths of 1 to 2 metres. Six of these were grab samples
with copper contents ranging from 167 ppm to greater than 1%,
molybdenum contents ranging from 2 to 1,293 ppm, silver contents
ranging from 0.80 to 95.58 g/t and gold contents of 9 ppb to
1.66 g/t . Two grab samples exceeded 1% copper. Fifty-three chip
samples were taken from 61.7 metres of trenches and 59.6 metres
of outcrops over widths of 0.3 to 5.40 metres. Copper contents
ranged from 18 ppm to greater than 1%, molybdenum ranged from
0.8 to 244 ppm, silver ranged from 0.12 to 44.13 g/t and gold
from 2 ppb to 0.79 g/t. Ten of the chip samples exceeded 1% copper
and are being reassayed.
The initial 2004 exploration
program on the El Pulpo property was curtailed by the rainy season
in early July. The Company has not received all the assays and
re-assays from the drilling program of the Papaya and La Trucha
gold-silver vein systems. These results will be released as soon
as they become available. Reassays have been requested for those
samples over the reportable limit. Data review, checking and
compilation of the initial 2004 program is presently underway
which will be followed by the planning of a major exploration
and drilling program of El Pulpo to commence this October.
Victor Jaramillo P. Geo. and
James R. Reeves P. Geo. were the Qualified Persons supervising
exploration of these targets."
Ross River informed Almaden
that assay results quoted in the above excerpt were received
from Acme Analytical Laboratories Ltd. of Vancouver. Almaden
believes these results to be very encouraging and are representative
of a large gold bearing intrusive hosted system. Almaden currently
has thirteen active joint ventures, including nine in which partners
are spending to earn an interest and a regional exploration program
with partner BHP Billiton underway to explore for copper-gold
deposits in Mexico.
