Exeter increases drilling at Caspiche and Cerro Moro to 10 rigs
07 Dezember 2009 - 3:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
VANCOUVER, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Exeter Resource
Corporation (AMEX:XRAAMEX:TSX:XRC), or the "Company" is pleased to
announce that it has received net proceeds of C$54.5 million from
its recent financing, bringing the Company's treasury to C$81
million. The new funds allow Exeter to accomplish the following
tasks: - to increase drilling activity to 10 rigs in order to
expand and confirm the known gold resources for Caspiche and Cerro
Moro, and - to maintain a high level of exploration and mine
development activity through 2011. At Caspiche, the Company now
plans 35,000 metres ("m") (114,829 feet ("ft")) of drilling, up
from the previously announced 20,000 m (65,617 ft) program. Boart
Longyear have added two rigs to the four already being provided by
Major Drilling. The program will continue to May 2010. At Cerro
Moro, (including the Fomicruz joint venture), the Company has
increased the drilling program from 20,000 m (65,617 ft) to 50,000
m (164,042 ft). To accomplish this expansion, Boart Longyear have
increased the rigs on site from two to four. The in-fill drilling
program (20 m by 20 m pattern (66 ft by 66ft)) will continue as
previously budgeted. The goal remains to accelerate exploration at
Cerro Moro and to meet a Q3-2010 timeline for a pre-feasibility
study. At Caspiche, the goal is to drill test beyond the known
resource and to complete sufficient in-fill drilling to generate
"indicated resources" by Q3-2010. The timeline is being maintained
for the completion of a development options study in Q4-2010.
Chairman Yale Simpson said "Given current gold prices and our
strategic goals, it is essential that we maintain our timeline for
a Caspiche development options study and a Cerro Moro
pre-feasibility study. The new funds give us the ability to not
only meet the timeline, but to increase the known gold resources
for both projects. "Exploration and development budgets to the end
of 2010 are presently being formulated. Importantly, we continue to
build our development team as we progress towards mine development
decisions." About Exeter Exeter Resource Corporation is a Canadian
mineral exploration company focused on the discovery and
development of gold and silver properties in South America. The
Company has C$81 million in its treasury. On the Caspiche Project
in Chile, Exeter recently announced an inferred mineral resource
estimate of 1,117 Mt (million metric tons) at a grade of 0.55 grams
per metric ton gold and 1.12 grams per metric ton silver, including
1,017 Mt at a grade of 0.22% copper. This equates to in-situ
inferred resources of 19.6 million ounces of gold, 40 million
ounces of silver and 4.84 billion pounds of copper (a total of 32.4
million gold equivalent ounces*. Drilling with six rigs to expand
and upgrade the resource estimate is underway. On the Cerro Moro
Project in Argentina, Exeter recently announced an initial inferred
mineral resource estimate of 646,000 ounces gold equivalent** at a
grade of 18 g/t gold equivalent**. The Company has drilled over 200
infill holes on the Escondida vein structure, principally to
upgrade the sectors of the inferred resource that might be
scheduled for early mining. Drilling to expand the deposit has
recently been initiated and will continue through 2009.
Engineering, environmental and infrastructure studies are being
advanced ahead of a scoping study in 2010. Matthew Williams,
Exeter's Exploration Manager and Justin Tolman, Exeter's Caspiche
Project Manager both considered a "qualified person" within the
definition of that term in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of
Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has supervised the preparation of
the technical information contained in this news release. You are
invited to visit the Exeter web site at
http://www.exeterresource.com/. EXETER RESOURCE CORPORATION Bryce
Roxburgh President and CEO *Gold ("Au") equivalence for copper
("Cu") and silver ("Ag") was calculated by Exeter using assumed
metal prices of US$800/ounce ("oz") for Au, US$12/oz for Ag and
US$2/pound ("lb") for Cu. The formula to calculate Au equivalence
for Cu was pounds of Cu multiplied by 2 and divided by 800; Au
equivalence for Ag was calculated using the formula oz of Ag
multiplied by 12 and divided by 800, and in both cases assumes 100%
recovery. Reported grades and metric tons have been rounded (see
news release NR 9-22 dated October 20, 2009). **Inferred mineral
resource estimate of 1,098 Mt containing 371,000 ounces gold at a
grade of 10.5 g/t and 19.2 million ounces silver at a grade of 545
g/t for 646,000 ounces gold equivalent at a grade of 18 g/t gold
equivalent. Gold equivalent is calculated by dividing the silver
assay result by 70, adding it to the gold value and assuming 100%
metallurgical recovery (see news release NR 9-14 dated July 8,
2009). Safe Harbour Statement - This news release contains
"forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements"
(together, the "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of
applicable securities laws and the United States Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including the Company's belief as to
the extent and timing of its drilling programs, various studies
including engineering, environmental, infrastructure and other
studies, and exploration results, budgets for its exploration
programs, the potential tonnage, grades and content of deposits,
timing, establishment and extent of resources estimates, potential
for financing its activities, potential production from and
viability of its properties and expected cash reserves. These
forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news
release. Users of forward-looking statements are cautioned that
actual results may vary from the forward-looking statements
contained herein. While the Company has based these forward-looking
statements on its expectations about future events as at the date
that such statements were prepared, the statements are not a
guarantee of the Company's future performance and are subject to
risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could
cause actual results to differ materially from future results
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such
factors and assumptions include, amongst others, the effects of
general economic conditions, the price of gold, silver and copper,
changing foreign exchange rates and actions by government
authorities, uncertainties associated with legal proceedings and
negotiations and misjudgements in the course of preparing
forward-looking information. In addition, there are also known and
unknown risk factors which could cause the Company's actual
results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any
future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by
the forward-looking statements. Known risk factors include risks
associated with project development; the need for additional
financing; operational risks associated with mining and mineral
processing; fluctuations in metal prices; title matters;
uncertainties and risks related to carrying on business in foreign
countries; environmental liability claims and insurance; reliance
on key personnel; the potential for conflicts of interest among
certain officers, directors or promoters of the Company with
certain other projects; the absence of dividends; currency
fluctuations; competition; dilution; the volatility of the
Company's common share price and volume; tax consequences to U.S.
investors; and other risks and uncertainties, including those
described in the Company's Annual Information Form for the
financial year ended December 31, 2008, dated March 27, 2009 filed
with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available at
http://www.sedar.com/. Although the Company has attempted to
identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events
or results to differ materially from those described in
forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause
actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or
intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements
will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events
could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.
Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements. The Company is under no obligation to
update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required
under applicable securities laws. NEITHER THE TSX NOR ITS
REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE
POLICIES OF THE TSX EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE DATASOURCE: Exeter
Resource Corporation CONTACT: B. Roxburgh, President or Rob Grey,
VP Corporate Communications, Tel: (604) 688-9592, Fax: (604)
688-9532, Toll-free: 1-888-688-9592, Suite 1260, 999 West Hastings
St., Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6C 2W2,
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