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UNDERGROUND SAMPLING RETURNS AVERAGE GRADE OF 4.65 g/t GOLD, 32.71 g/t SILVER AT WTM's LLUVIA DE ORO PROJECT
Individual assays to 45.60 g/t gold over 1.60 metres confirm high-grade potential of Lluvia gold system
(Vancouver, September 9, 2008) West Timmins Mining Inc. (TSX: WTM) (the "Company") announced today that a compilation of results from 158 channel samples collected recently by the Company and previously by the Consejo de Recursos Minerales ("CRM" - now the Mexican Geological Survey) from shallow subsurface workings of the Lluvia de Oro epithermal gold system have returned average grades of 4.65 g/t gold and 32.71 g/t silver.
Channel samples were collected intermittently from silica altered zones along the Cuauht�moc adit of the Lluvia de Oro Mine. The Company's recently completed sampling serves to augment and confirm previous sampling conducted by CRM in the main adit and from the Cuauht�moc and Lluvia de Oro Gold Zones within the mine. Out of the 158 samples, 14 returned grades of greater than 10.00 g/t gold, and only 21 of the samples collected returned less than 1.00 g/t gold. Channel samples were collected from eight levels spanning 78 metres vertically, for 450 metres along the strike length of the Cuauht�moc adit and from previously mined stopes which average 32 metres in width. Individual samples ranged in length from 0.50 to 3.55 metres, averaging 2.10 metres.
"The fact that the previously mined portions of the Lluvia de Oro system are still averaging 4.65 g/t gold and significant silver over significant widths, across multiple levels, is confirmation of the strength and potential of the gold-silver system at Lluvia." said Darin Wagner, President and CEO of West Timmins Mining Inc. "Our initial results confirm the earlier work by CRM and clearly indicate the presence of both high-grade and bulk tonnage gold-silver targets at Lluvia."
Drilling is expected to commence at Lluvia de Oro during October of 2008 and will target the extension of the previously mined, high-grade ore shoots and veins, as well as recently identified alteration zones that may further enhance the bulk tonnage potential of this large gold-silver system. The historically reported average production grades at Lluvia de Oro are 95 g/t gold and 865 g/t silver with production generated from the Cuauht�moc and two other principal adits on the property during the first half of the 20th century.
The Lluvia de Oro Project is located in southern Chihuahua, Mexico, less than 30 kilometres to the east of Goldcorp's El Sauzal open-pit gold deposit which in 2007 was the largest gold mining operation in Mexico and Goldcorp's lowest cost gold producer. Goldcorp reported an average production grade of 4.65 g/t gold for El Sauzal in 2007 (source: Goldcorp 2007 Annual Report).
Quality Control and Assurance
Geochemical results reported herein are from underground channel samples collected by the Company and by CRM. Sampling by the Company was conducted on site by trained personnel employed by consulting firm Minera Cascabel S.A. de C. V. on behalf of West Timmins Mining. Sealed samples were transported to ALS-Chemex's preparation facilities in Hermosillo, Mexico. Samples were assayed for gold by standard fire assay-ICP finish with a 30 gram charge. Samples additionally underwent 34 element ICP-MS analysis. Gold assays in excess of 3.0 g/t gold were automatically re-assayed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish to insure reproducibility and greater accuracy. Silver, zinc, copper and lead values in excess of 100 ppm, 1%, 1% and 1% respectively were re-analyzed by fire assay. For quality control purposes blank and analytical control standards were inserted into the sample sequence at regular intervals.
Samples collected by CRM were collected during two studies of the Lluvia de Oro Property culminating in 1986. The samples from the CRM programs were assayed at CRM's laboratory facilities in Mexico. Analysis for gold and silver are reported as having been completed by standard fire assay techniques. No systematic quality control program was undertaken by CRM, however in the majority of cases the values obtained by the Company and CRM from duplicate sample locations are consistent within the average variability to be expected in a high-grade gold system of this type.
Mr. Darin Wagner (M.Sc., P.Geo), the Company's President, has acted as non-independent qualified person for this news release. The qualified person has visited the project site, examined the sampling procedures and quality control measures employed by the Company, reviewed the available data from the historic sampling completed by CRM, reviewed the duplicate sampling procedures and results and has verified that there were no significant analytical discrepancies with respect to the quality control samples submitted for analysis along with the channel samples collected by the Company.
About West Timmins Mining Inc. (www.westtimminsmining.com):
WTM is focussed on the exploration and development of district-scale gold and related base metal projects in the major gold camps of North America. In August the Company announced the start of a 22,000 metre drill program targeting recently discovered high-grade gold mineralization on its Thunder Creek Property in Timmins. WTM also has five active exploration projects in Mexico, highlighted by the Monta�a de Oro Project in Sonora, Mexico where the Company is testing the La Dura Copper Porphyry discovery and the high-grade Lluvia de Oro gold-silver Project in Chihuahua, Mexico. West Timmins Mining is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol WTM.
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On behalf of the Board of West Timmins Mining Inc.
"Darin W. Wagner"
Darin W. Wagner
President and Chief Executive Officer
For further information contact:
Darin W. Wagner, President & CEO
West Timmins Mining Inc., Vancouver
Tel: (604) 685-8311 / Toll Free: (866) 685-8311
E-mail: info@westtimminsmining.com
The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this news release, which has been prepared by management.
For further details on West Timmins Mining Inc. please refer to prior disclosure at www.sedar.com. The securities described in this press release have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or under any U.S. state securities laws, and such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent an exemption from such registration requirements.
This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities regulation, including statements regarding the future activities of the Company. Forward looking statements reflect the current beliefs and expectations of management and are identified by the use of words including "will", "expected to", "plans", "planned" and other similar words. Actual results may differ significantly. The achievement of the results expressed in forward looking statements is subject to a number of risks, including those described in the Company's annual information form as filed with the Canadian securities regulators which are available at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon forward looking statements. |