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 Mon Jul 21, 2008
Bear Creek Announces Drilling Continues To Intersect High-Grade Silver, Mineralized Footprint Expands, And Metallurgical Testing Continues To Show High Leach Recoveries At Santa Ana, Peru

 Vancouver, B.C. - Bear Creek Mining (TSX Venture: BCM) ("Bear Creek" or the "Company") is pleased to announce results for 27 additional diamond drill holes (4,643 meters). Drilling at Santa Ana now totals 45,946 meters in 251 drill holes. Santa Ana is located in southeastern Peru 200 kilometers south of the Company's Corani silver-base metal deposit which is currently advancing under pre-feasibility studies. Highlights of this press release include:

Drill hole

Intersects

Including

SA-133

116 m @ 103 g/t Ag and 0.9% Zn

22 m @ 438 g/t Ag and 1.3% Zn

SA-135

68 m @ 216 g/t Ag

12 m @ 442 g/t Ag and 8m @ 935 g/t Ag

SA-138

82 m @ 86 g/t Ag and 0.9%Zn

8 m @ 125 g/t Ag and 1.7% Zn and 10 m @ 317 g/t Ag, 1.9% Zn

SA-124

80 m @ 64 g/t Ag and 1.3% Zn

16 m @ 229 g/t Ag and 2.6% Zn

SA-132

46 m @ 94 g/t Ag

 

SA-139

22 m @ 242 g/t Ag

 


Andrew Swarthout, President and CEO of Bear Creek, states "We are extremely pleased that recent drilling results verify higher-grade, leachable silver mineralization occurs in at least two zones with excellent continuity, which have the potential to provide the basis for robust starter pits. These higher grade zones with large tonnages developing in the 90 g/t silver range provide confidence that Santa Ana can become as important economically to Bear Creek as our Corani silver-base metal deposit which is currently in pre-feasibility stage."

Mr. Swarthout continues "Exploration upside also remains an exciting opportunity at Santa Ana as the deposit remains open. For instance, many of these latest higher grade zones were discovered beneath surface expressions with little evidence of the existence of silver mineralization; supporting our thesis that additional hidden or "blind" discoveries will continue to be made. In addition, two of the better holes (SA-138 and SA-139) are located well beyond the current resource boundary also indicating significant remaining growth potential throughout the still under-explored district."

One-hundred-fifty-six drill holes have been now been completed since the first resource estimate in January 2008. "We are very excited to be able to soon see the effects of this recent drilling on the resources, both in size and grade, as we prepare for updating the model in September."

New drilling results are as follow. All intercepts are down-hole lengths and true widths have not been calculated.



Drill Hole
 #

Azimuth (degrees)

Inclination (degrees)

Total Depth

From (m)

To
(m)

Interval (m)
DTH

Silver
(grams per tonne)

Lead

Zinc

 

 

(m)

(%)

(%)

SA-124

90

-60

173.6

8

88

80

63.7

0.5

1.3

Includes

 

 

 

34

50

16

229.1

1.1

2.6

 

 

 

 

116

138

22

33.6

0.4

0.9

SA-126

90

-70

68.5

12

55

43

72.9

0.6

0.8

Includes

 

 

 

28

42

14

135.9

0.8

1.4

SA-126A

90

-55

160.2

8

76

68

28.0

0.1

0.3

SA-128

90

-70

158.2

98

122

24

32.7

0.2

0.2

 

 

 

 

142

152

10

35.6

0.3

0.5

SA-129

90

-70

154.4

8

78

70

33.7

0.2

0.4

Includes

 

 

 

50

52

2

303.0

0.4

0.2

SA-130

120

-70

301.4

180

186

6

102.0

0.9

1.8

 

 

 

 

220

230

10

25.0

0.1

0.2

 

 

 

 

268

280

12

67.7

1.5

1.9

SA-130A

300

-70

203.7

No significant intervals

SA-131

90

-70

184.3

2

20

18

27.9

0.2

0.3

 

 

 

 

36

48

12

22.7

0.2

0.4

 

 

 

 

94

96

2

357.0

2.3

3.1

 

 

 

 

150

160

10

31.8

0.1

0.1

SA-132

90

-70

155.0

68

114

46

94.0

0.3

0.5

Includes

 

 

 

68

78

10

290.6

0.4

0.1

SA-133

90

-70

173.0

14

130

116

102.7

0.3

0.9

Includes

 

 

 

60

82

22

438.2

0.5

1.3

 

 

 

 

168

172

4

118.5

2.5

1.9

SA-134

90

-70

161.7

0

48

48

27.2

0.2

0.3

 

 

 

 

44

48

4

115.0

0.8

0.5

 

 

 

 

108

122

14

36.0

0.4

0.7

SA-135

90

-70

169.5

1

12

11

35.2

0.2

0.2

 

 

 

 

22

52

30

40.8

0.2

0.3

includes

 

 

 

30

32

2

358.0

0.3

0.5

 

 

 

 

98

166

68

215.6

0.6

0.7

Includes

 

 

 

100

112

12

441.8

0.6

0.9

and

 

 

 

128

130

2

460.0

3.2

3.4

and

 

 

 

154

162

8

934.0

1.2

0.7

SA-136

90

-70

156.0

14

30

16

48.4

0.5

0.3

 

 

 

 

40

52

12

42.2

0.4

0.1

 

 

 

 

92

98

6

65.7

0.2

0.4

 

 

 

 

168

170

2

108.0

0.3

0.2

SA-144

90

-70

155.3

4

8

4

90

0.3

0.1

 

 

 

 

62

96

34

33.4

0.4

0.5

Includes

 

 

 

88

90

2

163.0

0.6

0.4

SA-145

300

-60

161.2

50

56

6

34.3

0.3

0.2

 

 

 

 

106

110

4

75.5

2.1

0.6

SA-146

90

-70

196.0

36

44

8

34.3

0.3

0.7

 

 

 

 

118

124

6

122.3

0.3

0.2

 

 

 

 

146

184

38

83.6

0.5

0.8

includes

 

 

 

172

176

4

478.5

1.2

2.4

 

 

 

 

154

176

22

---

---

1.2

SA-147

90

-70

166.0

4

52

48

74.0

0.6

0.6

includes

 

 

 

40

46

6

254.3

1.6

1.1

 

 

 

 

118

130

12

39.0

0.2

0.6

 

 

 

 

22

136

114

---

---

0.8

SA-148

90

-70

213.6

4

100

96

37.6

0.3

0.8

includes

 

 

 

86

96

10

125.0

1.0

1.8

 

 

 

 

168

208

40

74.5

0.5

0.4

Includes

 

 

 

176

188

12

176.0

0.2

0.2

 

 

 

 

120

176

56

---

---

1.0

SA-149

90

-70

160.2

134

160

26

62.6

0.2

0.4

Includes

 

 

 

150

160

10

105.8

0.2

0.6

 

 

 

 

Hole TDs in 154g/t Ag



(Full drill results can be found at www.bearcreekmining.com. To access the silver drill hole map directly please refer to http://www.bearcreekmining.com/i/pdf/072108map.pdf

Close-spaced drilling on 25 x 50 m centers has been completed on eight lines spaced throughout the mineralized area. An additional four detailed lines are planned and will be drilled over the coming weeks. New holes in this report, including SA-124, SA-133, SA-135 and SA-138 located on three separate lines, demonstrate that drilling on 25 x 50-meter centers will continue to:
  • Further improve the project economics by intersecting additional blind, high-grade silver mineralization that wider-spaced drilling might miss;
  • Establish continuity of mineralization, converting inferred resources into measured and indicated resources; and
  • Convert blocks that were considered to be waste into mineralized material and reduce the stripping ratio as drilling density increases and expansion drilling continues.

Another extension of a significant structural corridor to the southwest of the current resource was intersected in hole SA-139 with intervals of 22 m @ 242 g/t Ag, 14 m @ 183 g/t Ag and 6 m @ 284 g/t Ag. The drill hole extends the mineralization 300 meters southwest of the first resource estimate, and mineralization remains open.

Three drills continue on the property completing close-spaced infill and deposit extension drilling. Currently, two drills are focusing on confirming and expanding higher-grade silver zones with the objective of defining plus 90 g/t silver bodies. The third drill is following new extensions, such as the one discovered by drill holes SA-139 and SA-138.

Metallurgy-ongoing leach testing continues to support high recoveries in heap leach conditions in all areas explored to date and across all silver grade ranges. As reported, column leach testing performed at McClelland Laboratories indicates that greater than 70% silver recoveries can be expected in a heap leach (see news release dated Feb 25, 2008). Continuous agitation bottle roll testing being performed at RDI's testing facilities in Denver, Colorado indicate similar leaching characteristics to the columns throughout the deposits. Additional column testing will be performed in the pre-feasibility stages of the project to further confirm recoveries.

A second resource estimate is planned for release in September and will include approximately 156 additional drill holes, over double the number used in the first resource estimate of January 2008.

The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

- End -

Andrew Swarthout - President and CEO, or Patrick De Witt - Investor Relations
Phone: 604-685-6269 Direct: 604-628-1111
E-mail:
For further information, please visit the Company's website (www.bearcreekmining.com)

Regulatory footnotes:
All of Bear Creek's exploration programs and pertinent disclosure of a technical or scientific nature are prepared by or prepared under the direct supervision of David Volkert, P.Geo., Bear Creek's Vice President of Exploration and/or Marc Leduc, P. Eng., Vice President of Technical Services and the President and CEO, Andrew Swarthout, P.Geo., who serve as the Qualified Persons under the definitions of NI 43-101. All diamond drilling has been performed using HQ diameter core with recoveries averaging greater than 95%. Core is logged and split on site under the supervision of Bear Creek geologists. Sampling is done on two-meter intervals and samples are transported by Company staff to Juliaca, Peru for direct shipping to ALS Chemex, Laboratories in Lima, Peru. ALS Chemex is an ISO 9001:2000-registered laboratory and is preparing for ISO 17025 certification. Silver, lead, and zinc assays utilize a multi-acid digestion with atomic absorption ("ore-grade assay method"). The QC/QA program includes the insertion every 20th sample of known standards prepared by SGS Laboratories, Lima. A section in Bear Creek's website is dedicated to sampling, assay and quality control procedures.

Certain disclosure in this release, including management's assessment of Bear Creek's plans and projects, constitutes forward-looking statements that are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors relating to Bear Creek's operation as a mineral exploration company that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors are disclosed in Bear Creek's continuous disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators including its most recent annual information form, available on www.sedar.com. Bear Creek expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.