Mantle cuts high-grade zinc at Akie (December 26, 2005)

Vancouver — Results are in for Mantle Resources‘ (MTS-V, MTSZF-O) first drill hole on the Akie base metal project, in northeastern British Columbia, showing high-grade zinc mineralization.

Hole A-05-30 cut 37 metres (from 531.8 metres down-hole depth) of 11% zinc, 2.6% lead and 21.2 grams silver per tonne, including a 17.9-metre richer interval grading 17.2% zinc, 4.2% lead and 30.1 grams silver.

Results excite Mantle management, as they significantly exceed historic values by previous operator Inmet Mining (IMN-T, IEMMF-O). In 1995, the major calculated a non-National Instrument 43-101-compliant inferred resource (based on four widely spaced holes) of 13 million tonnes grading 8.5% zinc, 1.5% lead and 13.2 grams silver, over an average true thickness of 6.3 metres. The resource sits within a body of massive sphalerite-galena-pyrite-barite mineralization, 50 million tonnes or larger.

Akie is a sedex zinc-lead deposit situated in the southern Kechika Trough. Mineralization is hosted in Gunsteel Formation shales with a sheet-like body of laminated-to-massive pyrite and barite, containing local finely laminated bands of sphalerite and galena.

As operator, Mantle is earning up to a 65% interest from Ecstall Mining (EAM-V, ESMGF-O), who currently holds a 40% interest and has an option-to-purchase agreement from Inmet to acquire the remaining 60% for $475,000. Mantle will vest its interest for cash payments of $450,000 and exploration spending of $4 million; there are no royalties on the project.

Shares of both Mantle and Ecstall reacted exuberantly to the high-grade intercept, rallying to 85- and 17-per-share levels, respectively, on high volumes.