FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
18
December, 2007
DRILLING COMMENCES TO ADD TO TAILINGS RESOURCE AT WOODLAWN
Tri
Origin Exploration Ltd. (TOE:TSX-V) is pleased to announce that it’s
51%-owned subsidiary, Tri Origin Minerals Ltd. (TRO:ASX) has commenced drilling
at the North Tailings Dam as part of a bankable feasibility study in progress at
the Woodlawn Zinc-Copper Projects at Woodlawn, located 200 kilometres southwest
of Sydney, NSW.
Three tailings dams, the
North, South and West exist at Woodlawn as a result of the mining of over 13
million tonnes of high-grade copper, lead, zinc, silver ore conducted between
1978 and 1998 by previous operators.
Earlier this year, the Company had
drilled the South and West Dams to obtain samples for metallurgical test work
and resource estimation purposes. A Measured and Indicated Resource estimate
was announced in June for the South and West tailings dams of:
6.98 million tonnes grading 0.55% copper, 1.34% lead, 2.31%
zinc, 0.31 grams per tonne of gold and 30 grams per tonne of silver
An additional Inferred
Resource of 1.61 million tonnes at similar grades located primarily in the
South Dam was also calculated.
The current drill program at the
North Dam will consist of approximately 55 holes to be drilled on a 75 metre by
75 metre nominal spacing to enable samples from the North Dam to be collected
for detailed metallurgical evaluation, resource estimates to be undertaken and
an optimum mine schedule to be developed for all three tailings dams. 
Through this work it is anticipated
that the overall tailings resource tonnage for the South, West and North Dams
will increase to more than 10 million tonnes.
Additional drilling will also be
carried out on the South Dam to infill areas that were covered by water or not
accessible during the previous drilling programme. This work is intended to
upgrade part of the Inferred Resource at the South Dam into the Measured and
Indicated Resource categories for mining study purposes.
Furthermore, the South and West Dam’s
locked cycle metallurgical test work programme is drawing to a close. Results
from this programme will determine the plant design criteria for tailings
re-treatment as well as provide relevant inputs to the design of the North Dam
metallurgical test work programme.
The results of this work will
contribute to an optimum mine plan and the undertaking of an economic
evaluation for the feasibility study on the Woodlawn tailings re-treatment
project (WRP). The WRP is part of a bankable feasibility
study now in progress by TRO which also includes the Woodlawn underground
project (WUP) which is studying the re-development of the Woodlawn underground
mine. The bankable feasibility study is scheduled for completion by the end of
the first quarter of 2008.
For further information please
contact:
Tri Origin Exploration Ltd.
Dr. Robert Valliant, President
Tel: (905) 294-9942.
Web page: www.triorigin.com
E-mail: invest@triorigin.com
Tri Origin
Exploration Ltd. is publicly
listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol TOE. Tri Origin has
leveraged exposure to mineral discoveries in Australia through its 51% equity
interest in its subsidiary, Tri Origin Minerals Ltd.; a publicly traded company
listed on the Australian Securities Exchange under the symbol TRO.