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Re: News Release - Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Encouraging Diamond Results from Tongo Project in Sierra Leone
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Mano River Resources Inc. ("Mano" or "the Company"), the TSX-V and
AIM-listed exploration and development company focussed on West Africa
is pleased to announce encouraging initial diamond recoveries from the
Tongo kimberlite project in eastern Sierra Leone. The Tongo project is
a Joint Venture between Mano's 68.5% owned subsidiary company, Stellar
Diamonds Limited ("Stellar") and BHP Billiton. BHP Billiton can earn
up to a 51% interest in the Tongo project under the current spending
plan of $3.4million, with a further option to earn up to 70%.
Highlights of the initial recoveries are:
.. 1,894 diamonds, totalling 2.05 carats, recovered from six 200 kg
(dry weight) samples, including
.. 49 diamonds over 0.85mm recovered, totalling 1.43 carats
.. 72 diamonds, totalling 2.85 carats, recovered from 23 surface grab
samples
Stellar's CEO, Karl Smithson, commented:
"We are extremely pleased with these results and consider the
significant number of diamonds recovered to be a promising indicator of
potential grade. Additionally, the presence of diamonds in the plus
0.85mm size fraction from these small samples is particularly
encouraging. With our partners, BHP Billiton, we are now undertaking a
1,200m drilling programme aimed at locating any potential kimberlite
pipes or blows associated with the dykes and look forward to providing
an update in due course."
Four kimberlite dykes have been mapped and trenched at various points
along strike by Stellar on the 33km2 Tongo project, which is a retained
area from the original 9,700km2 Reconnaissance Exclusive Prospecting
Licence. The dykes in the licence area currently range in strike
length from 0.5km to 2km and range in width from a few centimetres up
to 1m. Tongo is located 35km south of the Kono Joint Venture between
Stellar and Petra Diamonds where underground test diamond mining is
underway.
Six 200kg (dry weight) samples were collected from the Tongo trenches
and consigned to the SGS Lakefield Research Africa laboratory ("SGS")
(non ISO compliant) in Johannesburg, South Africa for total diamond
liberation by caustic dissolution.
Some 1,894 diamonds weighing a total of 2.05 carats were recovered. The
full results are shown in Table 1. All six samples yielded a
significant number of diamonds, many in excess of 0.85mm (i.e. 'DTC
sieve size 1'). The highest number of diamonds recovered from a single
sample was 756 diamonds (totalling 0.317-carats) from Dyke 3 (sample
JV-2527). However, the most carats from a single sample (0.534-carats)
were recovered from Dyke 1 (sample JV-2525). The largest diamond
recovered was a white octahedral stone weighing 0.31-carats (Dyke 1
sample JV-2525). The SGS laboratory described the majority of the
diamonds as white, transparent or translucent, dodecahedrons,
octahedrons or fragments. A number of these diamonds show perfect or
near perfect preservation and exhibit octahedral form.
In addition to the six samples submitted for caustic dissolution,
Stellar also collected 23 surface grab samples from the four dykes.
These samples ranged in wet weight from 20 kg to 1,200 kg, and were
processed in-field by washing and manual concentrating to produce a
greater than 0.3 mm mesh sized concentrate. Diamonds were recovered
from the concentrates using a binocular microscope in the kimberlite
indicator mineral laboratory established by Stellar in Monrovia,
Liberia. Some 72 diamonds, weighing 2.85-carats, were recovered from
22 of the 23 samples collected and processed. The full results are
shown in Table 2.
Table 1
Summary of the Caustic Dissolution Results for the Stellar Diamonds
Limited - BHP Billiton Joint Venture, Tongo Project, Sierra Leone.
Each represents a 200kg (dry weight) sample.
JV- 2447 Tongo Dyke 1
Sieve Size Number Weight of
(mm square mesh) of diamonds Diamonds (carats)
>9.50 0 0
6.70 to 9.50 0 0
4.75 to 6.7 0 0
3.35 to 4.75 0 0
2.36 to 3.35 0 0
1.70 to 2.36 0 0
1.18 to 1.70 2 0.0984465
0.85 to 1.18 3 0.0297690
0.600 to 0.850 8 0.0336491
0.425 to 0.600 21 0.0343500
0.300 to 0.425 44 0.0229640
0.212 to 0.300 35 0.0070445
0.150 to 0.212 73 0.0071115
0.106 to 0.150 53 0.0013330
0.075 to 0.106 28 0.0002525
Total 267 0.2349201
Total >0.85 5 0.1282155
JV- 2525 Tongo Dyke 1
Sieve Size Number Weight of
(mm square mesh) of diamonds Diamonds (carats)
>9.50 0 0
6.70 to 9.50 0 0
4.75 to 6.7 0 0
3.35 to 4.75 0 0
2.36 to 3.35 1 0.3102525
1.70 to 2.36 0 0
1.18 to 1.70 5 0.1263540
0.85 to 1.18 2 0.0192740
0.600 to 0.850 9 0.0326575
0.425 to 0.600 11 0.0173515
0.300 to 0.425 26 0.0130395
0.212 to 0.300 41 0.0082375
0.150 to 0.212 55 0.0038245
0.106 to 0.150 62 0.0018360
0.075 to 0.106 36 0.0006450
Total 248 0.5334720
Total >0.85 8 0.4558805
JV- 2448 Tongo Dyke 2
Sieve Size Number Weight of
(mm square mesh) of diamonds Diamonds (carats)
>9.50 0 0
6.70 to 9.50 0 0
4.75 to 6.7 0 0
3.35 to 4.75 0 0
2.36 to 3.35 0 0
1.70 to 2.36 1 0.0712690
1.18 to 1.70 3 0.1160940
0.85 to 1.18 2 0.0233875
0.600 to 0.850 12 0.0531935
0.425 to 0.600 19 0.0279135
0.300 to 0.425 30 0.0148490
0.212 to 0.300 59 0.0106520
0.150 to 0.212 118 0.0066650
0.106 to 0.150 60 0.0014350
0.075 to 0.106 41 0.0005950
Total 345 0.3260535
Total >0.85 6 0.2107505
JV- 2527 Tongo Dyke 3
Sieve Size Number Weight of
(mm square mesh) of diamonds Diamonds (carats)
>9.50 0 0
6.70 to 9.50 0 0
4.75 to 6.7 0 0
3.35 to 4.75 0 0
2.36 to 3.35 0 0
1.70 to 2.36 1 0.0790750
1.18 to 1.70 5 0.1674805
0.85 to 1.18 7 0.0704790
0.600 to 0.850 22 0.0864705
0.425 to 0.600 58 0.0817730
0.300 to 0.425 82 0.0354835
0.212 to 0.300 119 0.0203180
0.150 to 0.212 190 0.0134695
0.106 to 0.150 204 0.0052150
0.075 to 0.106 68 0.0007225
Total 756 0.5604865
Total >0.85 13 0.3170345
JV- 2446 Tongo Dyke 4
Sieve Size Number Weight of
(mm square mesh) of diamonds Diamonds (carats)
>9.50 0 0
6.70 to 9.50 0 0
4.75 to 6.7 0 0
3.35 to 4.75 0 0
2.36 to 3.35 0 0
1.70 to 2.36 0 0
1.18 to 1.70 1 0.0384845
0.85 to 1.18 3 0.0417240
0.600 to 0.850 1 0.0037535
0.425 to 0.600 2 0.0013575
0.300 to 0.425 10 0.0054435
0.212 to 0.300 21 0.0047045
0.150 to 0.212 19 0.0016500
0.106 to 0.150 18 0.0005950
0.075 to 0.106 6 0.0000800
Total 81 0.0977925
Total >0.85 4 0.0802085
JV- 2505 Tongo Dyke 4
Sieve Size Number Weight of
(mm square mesh) of diamonds Diamonds (carats)
>9.50 0 0
6.70 to 9.50 0 0
4.75 to 6.7 0 0
3.35 to 4.75 0 0
2.36 to 3.35 0 0
1.70 to 2.36 2 0.1107165
1.18 to 1.70 1 0.0222685
0.85 to 1.18 10 0.1094660
0.600 to 0.850 3 0.0131115
0.425 to 0.600 16 0.0220770
0.300 to 0.425 19 0.0109820
0.212 to 0.300 36 0.0067005
0.150 to 0.212 40 0.0030150
0.106 to 0.150 52 0.0017950
0.075 to 0.106 18 0.0002665
Total 197 0.3003985
Total >0.85 13 0.2424510
Table 2
Summary of Tongo Diamond Results
Taken from Field Grab Samples
Sample Dyke Wet weight Diamonds Carats
Number (kg) (+0.3mm)
2446 Dyke 4 120 2 0.250
2446 Dyke 4 1,200 5 0.320
2505 Dyke 4 430 15 1.655
2528 Dyke 4 90 12 0.120
2529 Dyke 4 210 0 0.000
2530 Dyke 4 360 14 0.820
2531 Dyke 4 450 1 0.010
2532 Dyke 4 840 5 0.020
Total 3,700 54 3.195
2526 Dyke 3 60 0 0.000
2527 Dyke 3 400 2 0.150
Total 460 2 0.150
2448 Dyke 2 320 1 0.030
2504 Dyke 2 250 4 0.005
2536 Dyke 2 600 16 1.240
Total 1,170 21 1.275
2506 Dyke 1 250 9 0.210
2525 Dyke 1 1,000 15 0.850
2449 Dyke 1 20 1 not weighed
2447 Dyke 1 500 3 0.030
2506 Dyke 1 250 9 0.050
2533 Dyke 1 430 10 0.440
2534 Dyke 1 500 5 0.020
2535 Dyke 1 160 4 0.150
2537 Dyke 1 1,000 15 1.080
2538 Dyke 1 90 1 0.020
Total 4,200 72 2.850
Mano's Qualified Person responsible for reviewing the content of this
release is Karl Smithson, Executive Director and CEO of Stellar
Diamonds Limited. Mr. Smithson holds BSc in Geology from Kingston
University in the UK, a MBA from the Graduate School of Business, Cape
Town and is a member of the South African Council for Natural
Scientific Professions (as Professional Geologist).
About the laboratory procedure
At the SGS laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa, the samples were
dried and 200kg (dry weight) of each sample was subjected to total
diamond liberation through caustic dissolution (4kg sample aliquots
boiled at 550-deg Celsius in caustic soda for 14 hours). The fusion
residues were then passed through a 90 micron sieve and the +90 micron
fractions were then dried and passed to the MSA Geoservices laboratory
for diamond picking. Diamonds that reported to the +0.075mm square
mesh sieve size were recovered, measured (X,Y,Z axes), described and
weighed. Diamonds reporting to the +0.212mm sieve size were weighed
individually, whereas diamonds reporting to the -0.212mm sieve size
were weighed together in their respective sieve class size.
For further information on Mano River Resources and Stellar Diamonds
Limited, you are invited to visit the Company's website at
www.manoriver.com or contact:
Mano River Resources Inc
Luis da Silva, CEO
+44 (0) 1235 810 740
Stellar Diamonds Limited
Karl Smithson, CEO
+44 (0) 77 837 07971
Pelham PR
Charles Vivian
+44 (0) 20 7743 6670
GMP Securities Europe LLP,
an Appointed Representative of Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited
James Hannon
+44 (0) 20 7459 3606
Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited
Edward Farmer
+44 (0) 20 7614 8384
The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not take
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release
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Copyright (c) 2007 MANO RIVER RESOURCES INC. (MANA) All rights
reserved. For more information visit our website at
http://www.manoriver.com/ or send mailto:releases@manoriver.com
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