Pacific Rim discovers new vein at Santa Rita

Vancouver The recent discovery of a high-grade gold vein has prompted Pacific Rim Mining (PMU-T) to apply for permits to drill the new target situated just 10 km northwest of its flagship El Dorado gold project in El Salvador.

The newly discovered Trinidad vein is one of two known vein structures discovered during a reconnaissance program on the Santa Rita gold project. The vein has been traced for more than 1,400 metres in a northwest-southeast direction.

Seven rock samples collected across the vein over a 500-metre strike length returned encouraging results, including: 6.43 grams gold per tonne over 1.5 metres; 14.59 grams over 1 metre; 25.76 grams over 1.5 metre; 118.29 grams over 1.5 metres; 32.67 grams over 0.5 metre; 12.64 grams over 2 metres; and 59.52 grams over 1.5 metres.

Pacific Rim is completing a baseline environmental assessment of the Santa Rita project in advance of the proposed drill program. Meanwhile, the company is continuing to advance the Minita deposit at El Dorado. A pre-feasibility study released early this year examined an operation capable of producing 80,000 oz. annually at life-of-mine cash costs averaging US$163 per gold-equivalent oz.

Before completing the Minita pre-feasibility study, Pacific Rim discovered the South Minita gold target about 500 metres south of the Minita deposit. Ongoing work is aimed at examining the potential to expand the size and scope of the proposed mine at El Dorado by mining both deposits simultaneously. Toward this end, a drilling program will further test the South Minita target, which consists of a series of mineralized zones with a strike length of about 1,500 metres.