SPOKANE, Wash., April 5, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Minera Andes Inc. (TSX-V:MAI) and (OTCBB:MNEAF) is pleased to announce that core drilling has started at its 100 percent-owned Cerro Mojon project in Santa Cruz province, Argentina. Surface exploration discovered epithermal gold and silver mineralization at Cerro Mojon last year. A drill program of approximately nine holes totaling up to 2,270 meters is designed to test several of the 15 mineralized vein structures identified on the property.
Geologic mapping and sampling on the property by our exploration staff, starting in April of last year, has identified more than 15 mineralized vein structures. Several of these structures outcrop for over 500 meters of strike length. In addition, in February of this year, a gradient array induced polarization geophysical survey was completed over an area 2.0 km by 2.5 km that covered 60 percent of the exposed mineralized structures. This survey identified several anomalies coincident with gold and silver mineralization found at the surface. These drill targets are being given high priority in the current program.
Allen V. Ambrose, president of Minera Andes said, "Cerro Mojon, located about 40 km on trend northwest of the producing Cerro Vanguardia mine, has excellent potential to host gold and silver mineralization. It is a good fit for our exploration model in the region and contains geology similar to our developing San Jose project that is under construction and feasibility completion. I look forward to reporting the progress at Cerro Mojon."
Of approximately 340 surface samples of mineralized rock taken on the property, 217 samples have detectable gold, including 117 with more than 0.1 g/t and 20 with more than 1 g/t. The best sample contains 4 g/t (0.13 opt) gold. Anomalous silver is more widespread on the property with 289 samples containing detectable silver, including 109 with more than 10 g/t and 22 with more than 100 g/t with the highest sample containing 855 g/t (27 opt).
Minera Andes is a gold, silver and copper exploration company working in Argentina. The corporation is funded with working capital of about US$7.6 million and a pending credit facility of up to US$2 million for feasibility study completion and underground construction at its advanced-stage silver/gold project in Santa Cruz province. Minera Andes holds about 500,000 acres of mineral exploration land in Argentina, including the co-owned Huevos Verdes/San Jose silver/gold project now under construction and feasibility consideration for possible mine production. Minera Andes has also discovered an enriched copper zone at its Los Azules property and is acquiring other exploration targets in southern Argentina. The Corporation presently has 90,084,719 issued and outstanding shares.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT -- Although Minera Andes believes many of its properties have promising potential, its properties are in the early stages of exploration. None have yet been shown to contain proven or probable mineral reserves. There can be no assurance that such reserves will be identified on any property, or that, if identified, mineralization may be economically extracted. There can be no assurance that the Cerro Mojon gold/silver project will be found to be economically feasible or that a mine will be successfully constructed.
THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.