Asia Now starts drilling at Habo project in China

With the close of southern China’s rainy season, Asia Now Resources (NOW-V) has begun a 1,000-metre drill program at its Habo copper-gold project in Yunnan province.

The drill program includes two holes to test a large copper-gold-molybdenum system in the Habo South Block. The system has porphyry-style mineralization at the surface. Channel samples collected from trenches had up to 1% copper and up to 1.3 grams gold per tonne.

The mineralization system is at least 1,300 metres long and 800 metres wide with a possible limit of the system on the northeast side.

The company has already completed five adits into a hillside at Habo varying in length from 50 to 100 metres for a total of about 400 metres but assay results have not yet been released. The company plans to do another 500 metres worth of adits as well.

Asia Now has a 70% interest in Habo with joint venture partner Yunnan Geology and Mineral Resource Company.

Asia Now, based in Toronto, is focused on exploration in China and has three other projects on the go. It has been active in China since 2002 and began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange in March 2006.

The Beiya project and the Dongchuan property are in Yunnan province as well.

Asia now has two joint venture partners for the Beiya project. It has a 72% interest with Yunnan Non-Ferrous Geology and Mineral Resources Company (72%), which has an operating open-pit gold mine next to Beiya.Asia Now also has a 70% interest with Yunnan Geology and Mineral Resource Company for Beiya.

A drill program has been underway at Beiya since November. Results from chip and channel samples taken across a stockwork system over 100 metres wide at surface had values from 0.3 to 20.9 grams gold per tonne, with most results between 0.5 and 2 grams gold per tonne.

Asia Now has two joint ventures with separate Chinese partners for the Dongchuan copper, gold and base metals project, located on two adjacent properties. The company has a 75% interest with Yunnan Jinsha Mining, a subsidiary of China’s third largest copper producer, Yunnan Copper Group, and a 72% interest with Yunnan Non-Ferrous Geology and Mineral Resource Company. The company began underground sampling in May, but hasn’t yet released results.

The Great Wall project is in Hebei province in northeastern China. The company has an 80% interest with its joint venture partner, 2nd Geological Team of the Hebei Prospecting and Developing Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. The property has Carlin style gold deposits and is located near a small producing gold mine. 2nd Geological Team has begun surface exploration programs to identify drill targets.