SPOKANE, Wash., June 13, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Timberline Resources Corporation (Pink Sheets:TBLC) today announced the results of its dump sampling program at the Snowstorm Project in north Idaho's "Silver Valley." Timberline can earn a 49-percent interest in the Snowstorm Project from Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) by completing a Phase I exploration program with minimum expenditures of $250,000 by October 2006.
The Snowstorm Project features the Snowstorm Mine, a small but highly profitable operation from the early-1900s that produced 800,000 tons of ore averaging 4-percent copper and 6 ounces per ton (oz/t) silver. The dump sampling program targeted historic workings at the Snowstorm Mine, along with adits and shafts to the northwest in the Snowshoe, Lucky Calumet, and Missoula Tunnel areas. The sampled material is representative of the Snowstorm horizon from ten separate locations, covering a strike length of over 2,250 meters (1.4 miles). Assay results from select samples returned copper and silver values grading up to 6.26-percent and 8.63 oz/t, respectively, with many more samples returning grades comparable to the nearby stratabound deposits at Troy, Rock Creek and Montanore in western Montana.
Timberline Director of Technical Services Paul Dircksen added, "These results further demonstrate the potential to discover a world-class stratabound copper-silver deposit within the Coeur d'Alene Mining District. We are strongly encouraged by our findings at Snowstorm to date and intend to move the project forward as quickly as possible."
For a Snowstorm Project map, including sampling locations, please see the Timberline website at http://www.timberline-resources.com/images/Snowstorm.jpg.
Snowstorm Adits
Select samples of the mineralized horizon from three Snowstorm dumps returned the following values:
Dump Location Sample No. Copper (%) Silver (oz/t)
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Snowstorm #2 336665 2.25 2.93
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336666 2.24 6.90
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336667 2.23 2.90
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Snowstorm #3 336687 2.49 2.53
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336688 2.28 1.19
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336712 6.26 8.63
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336713 3.08 2.43
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336714 3.90 4.02
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Snowstorm #4 336711 0.54 2.60
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Snowshoe and Lucky Calumet Adits
The Snowshoe and Lucky Calumet adits are located between the Snowstorm Mine and the Missoula Tunnel area. The adits were driven in a northeast direction, apparently targeting the Snowstorm mineralized horizon. Select samples from the two Snowshoe dumps and one of the two Lucky Calumet dumps returned the following values:
Dump Location Sample No. Copper (%) Silver (oz/t)
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Snowshoe #1 336689 0.65 0.85
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336690 1.51 0.51
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336691 0.97 1.25
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Snowshoe #2 336693 1.18 0.08
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336686 1.87 2.90
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Lucky Calumet #1 336695 0.56 0.59
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Sampling from the Lucky Calumet dumps showed that the mineralized zone was at least partially intercepted in the workings. Timberline geologists believe that the lower grades returned from the Lucky Calumet area may be due to extensive leaching of the dump samples, though it is possible that the mineralized zone was not completely intercepted.
Missoula Tunnel Adits
The Missoula Tunnel adits are located about 2,000 meters northwest of the Snowstorm Mine. Two exploration-type adits are located high on the mountain and were apparently designed to confirm the presence of the mineralized zone down dip from the surface outcrop. A larger operation was developed on the lowest level at the Missoula Tunnel #3, targeting a Coeur d'Alene-type silver vein. Select samples from the Missoula Tunnel dumps returned the following values:
Dump Location Sample No. Copper (%) Silver (oz/t)
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Missoula Tunnel #1 336657 1.64 0.32
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336658 1.11 0.32
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336671 2.09 0.12
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336676 1.73 0.64
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Missoula Tunnel #3 336662 1.13 1.65
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336663 0.76 1.45
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336664 1.03 0.91
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336675 1.16 2.34
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336715 1.23 2.46
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Missoula Shaft 336716 1.05 3.19
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336717 0.90 3.88
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336718 2.41 5.76
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An underground sample map of the Missoula Tunnel #3, completed by a previous operator, shows that a 20-meter zone of copper-silver mineralization was intersected by the underground workings. Channel sampling along a 7-meter interval of the zone graded 1.0-percent copper and 1.43 oz/t silver, indicating the presence of ore grade mineralization more than 700 meters down dip from surface outcrops near the upper adits. Surface and underground sampling in the Missoula Tunnel area provides important evidence of a large mineralized stratabound zone on the western edge of the project area, more than one mile northwest of the Snowstorm Mine.
Work plans for the 2005 exploration season at the Snowstorm Project include a drill program designed to test the continuity and grade of the mineralized horizon. The program is subject to receipt of necessary financing.
Timberline Resources Corporation is a Spokane-based junior mineral exploration company focused on the cost-effective acquisition, exploration, and development of promising mineral properties in the western United States. Timberline's primary focus is the Snowstorm Project in north Idaho's "Silver Valley," where it can earn a 49-percent interest from Hecla Mining Company in a bulk-tonnage stratabound copper-silver target, potentially similar to well-known deposits at Troy, Rock Creek and Montanore. Timberline has fewer than 7 million shares outstanding and its common stock is quoted on the OTC Market under the symbol "TBLC."
Certain statements contained in this press release are "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on beliefs of management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expected results.