MMS.L Regulatory News (MMS)

25 Oct 2005 07:00

Maghreb Minerals PLC25 October 2005 PRESS RELEASE MAGHREB MINERALS PLC ANNOUNCES HIGH GRADE LEAD-ZINC MINERALISATION IN LATESTDRILLING RESULTS FROM TUNISIA HIGHLIGHTS • Maghreb Minerals drilling at Djebba hits a zone of 21.2m grading 13.24% combined Pb and Zn in one drill hole and in another drill hole, two zones - one of 27.9m grading 9.7% combined Pb and Zn with an additional lower zone of 25.6m grading 5.9% Pb and Zn in shallow drilling on its Djebba property. • Maghreb Minerals will bring a second drilling rig to Tunisia to step up its exploration program aimed at expanding the mineralisation already delineated at Djebba beyond the known estimate of 2.7Mt. Maghreb Minerals Plc ("Maghreb Minerals", MMS.L) is pleased to announce that ithas received results from its recent drilling programme on its Djebba propertyin Tunisia. Djebba is located 10km to the north of the Company's flagship FejLahdoum property. Maghreb Minerals has a planned programme of delineation drilling on its Djebbaexploration permit to confirm and extend the known zone of mineralisation.Previous work, by the Office Nationale des Mines (ONM) in the 1980s and by theCanadian Group SIDAM-Minorex in 1987-1989, resulted in a positive open pitfeasibility study for Djebba based on a resource estimate of 2.7Mt grading 6.14%Zn and 3.34% Pb within which there was an open pit reserve estimate of 800,000tgrading 6.59% Zn and 4.09% Pb. As part of this programme, four drillholes have been drilled at Djebba to teststratigraphy, to verify the tenor of known mineralisation and to extendexploration to cover the postulated feeder structure for the previouslydelineated lead-zinc mineralisation. The best results obtained were from the recent four hole drilling programme atDjebba and are as follows: MDJ3 (near ONM - DJ7) One mineralized zone (21.20 meters) with 13.24% Pb/Zn Interval (Lead) Pb% (Zinc) Zn% Pb/Zn%37.70-58.90 (21.2m) 7.58 5.66 13.24 Including 13.01m 10.92 8.89 19.81 Including 2.9m 32.18 8.58 40.76 Max. Value 50.9%/0.45m 13.19%/1.15m Highest combined Pb + Zn value of 61.21% over 0.45m was recorded in drill holeMDJ 3 at a depth below surface of 57m. MDJ4 (near ONM- DJ30b): Two mineralized zones: Upper: 27.90 meters with 9.67% Pb/Zn Interval Pb % Zn % Pb/Zn % 42.15-70.05 (27.9m) 2.22 7.46 9.67 Including 17.6 m 3.62 10.93 14.55 Including 3.95 m 5.9 19.77 25.67 Max value 31.07/1.15 16/0.30 Lower: 25.60 meters with 5.92% Pb/Zn Interval Pb% Zn% Pb/Zn% 74.30-95.65 (25.6m) 1.71 4.21 5.92 Max. Value 9.74%/1m 6.74%/1.40m As a consequence of the success of the recent drilling program at Djebba theCompany intends to contract a drill rig with the specific aim of testing thepotential of a high-grade feeder zone to the known mineralisation at Djebba. Itis anticipated that the rig will be on site by early 2006. Chairman, Gordon Riddler, who has just returned from visiting Djebba said, "Theresults from our verification drilling on the Djebba property have given strongcorroboration of the data from previous programmes over a strike length of 200mand support our plan to step up drilling activity at this property to delineateand extend the resource with a view to commencing an open pit feasibility study.To facilitate this, the Company is in negotiations to provide additionaldrilling capacity in Tunisia." For further information please contact: Maghreb Minerals Plc Westhouse Securities LLPRobyn Storer/Gordon Riddler Tim MetcalfeTel: 44 (0) 20 7618 6411 Tel: 44 (0) 20 7601 6100 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange