Erdene Resource Development Receives Preliminary Drilling Results from Nomin Project

By Joel ScanlonJul 8 2011

Erdene Resource Development has released the preliminary drilling results from its Nomin copper-gold project in south western Mongolia.

The company has identified numerous small-scale relic mineral works in the Nomin exploration license during the 2010 regional exploration program. The location of this exploration license is around 35 km west of the Zuun Mod license. These works are described by shallow hand dug pits and allied waste rock fragments. Erdene geologists have gathered samples during the 2010 field season and it has yielded high anomalous values of gold and copper. The company has started the drilling program in June and has targeted geophysical and geochemical anomalies, which is associated with this mineralization zone.

Erdene has confirmed the presence of gold and copper mineralization at shallow depths through the primary results of the first two drill holes. TND-01, the first hole, has intercepted 0.1% copper over 10 m in the propylitically altered granodiorite. TND-02, the second hole of this drilling program has intercepted a huge sulphide mineralization zone at a depth of around 60 m vertically. Erdene has cut 2.4 g/t gold and 2.4 g/t copper over 2 m and 0.71 g/t gold, 1.8% copper over 82 to 90 m at an interval of 8 m. It has drilled the TND-01 hole in vertical and TND-02 hole from the similar collar locality using 50° angle, which is cutting the interpreted subsurface extension of the mineralized pits. The preliminary interpretation recommends two or more sharply plummeting mineralized zones. The company has drilled three shallow holes additionally along the trend of the pits that expand over 250 m strike length. It is waiting for further assay results and will examine the new zones along the strike and at depth in future.