A preliminary scout diamond drilling program at Southern Arc Minerals" J3 Prospect on Sumbawa Island, Indonesia, has further defined gold and silver mineralization.

The J3 Prospect is in the south-eastern corner of Southern Arc"s Taliwang property, about 12km north of Newmont"s Batu Hijau porphyry copper and gold mine.

Seven holes totalling 413.6 m were drilled at inclinations of -45 degrees to -75 degrees, to a maximum depth of 79.40 metres. The holes were targeted to test subsurface extensions of known surface gold and silver jasperoid mineralization.

All but one drill hole intersected a shallow, westward-dipping jasperoid layer of variable thickness (intercepts of 0.2 to 5.55 metres), hosted by a volcano-sedimentary sequence of andesitic tuff, lavas, fossiliferous limestones and marls. No definitive sub-vertical structural feeder zones were identified.

Final assay results have been received from the independent ITS laboratory in Jakarta and apart from an intersection in one drill hole of 2 metres @ 1.93 grams/tonne gold and 11 grams/tonne silver from 7.2 to 9.2 metres, no other significant intersections were reported.
While a number of coincident surface geochemical and geophysical targets at the J3 Prospect remain untested, Southern Arc will focus its immediate attention on negotiating the Contract of Work for its Taliwang property.

Southern Arc is also continuing drilling on its Selodong copper-gold porphyry project on the island of Lombok.