Southern Arc reports assay results from Indonesia gold prospect

Canadian junior miner Southern Arc Minerals Inc. announced Monday that it had received assay results from the first 9 scout drill holes completed at the Lemonga Prospect located on Sumbawa Island in south-central Indonesia.

The company reported that the Lemonga Prospect is focused on a low-sulphidation epithermal system over which surface mapping by Southern Arc and previous operators has confirmed hydrothermal argillic alteration within an area approximately 1 km East-West by 1.5 km North-South. Five gold bearing quartz veins, named Amy, Betty, Cici, Dessy and Evi, have been identified within the alteration zone. These veins generally trend between North-South and Northeast-Southwest and have widths up to 10 meters wide at surface.

The best exposed vein, said the company, the Amy Vein, has a mapped strike extent of at least 950 meters.

Southern Arc has completed 7 shallow diamond drill holes spaced at intervals of between 100 meters and 250 meters along the strike of this vein. All holes were drilled at right angles to the steeply dipping vein structures.

The program to date has confirmed the extensive strike length of the Amy Vein and the presence of high grade shoots within it.

Scout drilling of the other three veins, Cici, Dessy and Evi is in progress.

Southern Arc Minerals Inc. is a newly listed Canadian company currently exploring for precious and base metals on two mineral concessions on the islands of Lombok and Sumbawa in south-central Indonesia. The concessions are held under preliminary general survey licenses (SIPPs) covering areas of 58,483 ha on Lombok and 31,204 ha on Sumbawa. The Lemonga Prospect is centrally located in the Sumbawa SIPP. Newmont's copper/gold Batu Hijau mine (2004 annual production 683 million pounds of copper, 715,000 oz gold) is located in the adjoining Contract of Work 15 km south of Southern Arc's concession. (alex)