VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- 10/29/09 --
Astral Mining Corporation (TSX VENTURE: AA)(TSX VENTURE: AA.WT)(PINK SHEETS: AAMJF) ("Astral" or "the Company") and joint venture partners Kootenay Gold Inc. (TSX VENTURE: KTN) are pleased to report they are finalizing preparation of a bulk sample permit application for the JJ Main discovery zone on the 33,881Ha Jumping Josephine gold project in Southern British Columbia. The permit will allow Astral to extract 10,000 tonnes of mineralized material for the purposes of metallurgical testwork and further gold grade determinations. The JJ Main discovery zone is an elongate mineralized quartz stockwork zone exposed at surface. It has been intersected in trenching and drilling over 900m along strike, is up to 12.4m in width and has been intersected up to 240m vertical depth below surface. To date mineralisation is open in all directions; drill-intersected grades in the proposed test pit area include 10m averaging 9.95g/t gold (07JD001) and 8m averaging 8.31g/t gold (08JD074) (see News Releases June 14th, 2007 and June 26th, 2008).
Drilling on the JJ Main discovery zone during 2007 and 2008 returned variable gold grades within the main the target zone. The zone is typically mineralized throughout, with local high-grade concentrations associated with the occurrence of coarse visible gold. Results from these zones include individual metre assays of 56.4g/t gold from 07JD032, 61.8g/t gold from 07JD048 and 57.5g/t gold from 08JD074. The nuggety nature of gold mineralization at JJ Main makes average grade estimation challenging and Astral considers bulk testing essential to gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the distribution of mineralization and its amenability to standard metallurgical extraction techniques.
The JJ Main discovery zone is located less than 2km from the Highway 3 in southern British Columbia and Astral is considering several potential toll treatment options for extracted material. Preliminary metallurgical testwork on select mineralized intervals has been undertaken and results will be announced in the near future. Initial designs and drawings for the proposed test pit are completed and Astral is currently completing additional documents required for filing of the application. Astral plans to have all paperwork related to the bulk sample application prepared for submission to the Department of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources by the end of 2009. It must be noted that submission of application documents does not guarantee permission will be granted.
In addition to the bulk sample program, planning and permitting is now underway for a focussed and comprehensive trenching and diamond drilling programme on the Jumping Josephine Project for the spring 2010. This work will continue to evaluate the 2km JJ Main structure, as well as testing a number of other high-priority targets.
Work reported on in this release was completed under the supervision of Astral's Project Geologist Dale Brittliffe, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101.
Astral has earned a 60% interest in the JJ Project from Kootenay (see May 6th, 2008 news release).
Astral Mining Corporation is a Canadian company engaged in the exploration and development of precious metal properties in North America. By focusing on exploration in mining-friendly districts, the Company minimizes the political and social risks encountered in many other parts of the world. With a new gold discovery at the Company's Jumping Josephine Gold Project in Southern British Columbia and an experienced technical team and seasoned management, Astral is poised to leverage this expertise into early exploration success. Further details on Astral Mining Corporation and its high-quality portfolio of exploration projects can be found at www.astralmining.com.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Mr. Manfred Kurschner, President & CEO
Astral Mining Corporation
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Mr. James M. McDonald, CEO
Kootenay Gold Inc.
Cautionary Note to US Investors: This news release may contain information about adjacent properties on which we have no right to explore or mine. We advise U.S. investors that the SEC's mining guidelines strictly prohibit information of this type in documents filed with the SEC. U.S. investors are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on our properties. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. 2009 Number 13
Astral Shares Outstanding - 5,153,900
The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this release.
Contacts:
Astral Mining Corporation
Manfred Kurschner
President & CEO
604-641-1315
info@astralmining.com
www.astralmining.com
Kootenay Gold Inc.
James McDonald
CEO
403-238-6986
Kootenay Gold Inc.
Ken Berry
President
604-601-5655 or 1-888-601-5650
www.kootenaygold.ca
