Drilling Report: Exploration Update - Dina Gold Prospect, Ethiopia

    Drilling Report: Exploration Update - Dina Gold Prospect, Ethiopia
             



                   Minerva Resources Plc (AIM:MVA)
               ('Minerva Resources' or 'the Company')

          Exploration Update - Dina Gold Prospect, Ethiopia

Highlights

  * A diamond drill hole from an initial 3 hole programme at Dina
    gold prospect intersected a very significant gold mineralised
    zone 7.1m @ 9.4 g/t Au and a second zone of 3.8m @ 2.4 g/t Au,
    including 0.7m @ 7.0g/t Au.

  * Strong potential to develop a new gold project

Terry Ward, Managing Director, commented today, "The excellent gold
assay results from Dina, which is only 13 kilometres northwest of
Minerva's Tulu Kapi gold project, have confirmed this region as a
developing gold province.  It also emphasises the potential
opportunity of establishing a single gold treatment plant in a
centralised position whereby feed from all three gold prospects
(Dina, Gudeya-Guji and Guji) could be transported to Tulu Kapi and
treated under a multiple feed source scenario."

Dina Gold Prospect (100% Minerva Resources)

Minerva Resources has completed two diamond drill holes at its Dina
gold prospect, near the town of Guliso, approximately 13km northwest
of Tulu Kapi in western Ethiopia. The Dina prospect covers an area of
about 1.4 km2 and is located along a topographic ridge in an area
containing ancient surface mine workings. The area lies within an
extensive zone of stream sediment anomalies, extending over an
approximate strike length of 15km.

The mineralisation comprises concordant and discordant
quartz-tourmaline-sulphide veins in a strongly sheared diorite host.

Work conducted by Minerva Resources has included geological mapping,
rock chip sampling, trenching, soil and stream sediment sampling, and
magnetics and IP geophysical surveys. Gold bearing quartz veins have
been followed discontinuously over 2.5km of strike within a northerly
trending soil anomaly. From outcrop, these veins appear to dip east
and are hosted in sheared schists. Individual veins can be up to 6m
wide and are traceable for up to 400m along strike. Rock samples from
the quartz veins have returned up to 6.7g/t Au. Crushed and panned
wall rock and vein material has shown "colour" (gold) in pan
concentrate.

In 2007, a dipole-dipole IP-resistivity survey was conducted over the
prospect on six E-W profiles spaced 50 to 100m apart along strike.
Based on outcrop and interpreted IP resistive bodies, an initial
programme of three 120m spaced diamond bore holes were planned to
drill westward into interpreted east dipping vein system to a depth
of 150m. The first drill hole DBH-01, intersected silica and
carbonate alteration and widespread but low grade gold anomalism from
88 to 121 metres with a maximum assay in that zone of 0.5 g/t Au.

However, on further examination of the drill core, it appeared that
the alteration ran sub-parallel to the core, suggesting that the
drill hole was in fact running along side the alteration zone instead
of intersecting it, as originally planned.  The decision was then
made that the second hole, although to be drilled on the same section
as the first, would be oriented 180 degrees (eastwards) to the first
hole in an attempt to penetrate the alteration zone.  It was this
second hole that intersected significant mineralised zones of
quartz-tourmaline-sulphide veins.

The best intersections in Dina DBH-02 are:


- From 69.6 to  7.1m @ 9.4 g/t Au from a zone of sulphide and
76.7m:          tourmaline rich
                strongly fractured quartz veins,

- From 136.2 to 3.8m @ 2.4 g/t Au, from a zone of
140.0m:         quartz-sulphide-tourmaline
                veins and schistose sheared diorite, including 0.7m @
                7g/t Au


Other gold intersections from deeper in the drill hole are:

- From 142.1 to 142.5m; 0.4m @ 1.0 g/t Au
- From 145.3 to 146.4m; 1.1m @ 0.9 g/t Au

It is planned to follow these significant intercepts by fencing
DBH-02 with additional holes at 40 metre spacing before tracing this
mineralisation along strike.

Qualified Person

The information in this release which relates to exploration results
is based on information compiled by Tim Craske, BSc(Hons), MAIG,
AFAIM. Mr Craske is General Manager Exploration for Minerva Resources
and has over 25 years experience in gold and base metals exploration
and resource estimation. He is auditing the current drill programme
and is responsible for signing off exploration results for news
releases to the market. Mr Craske is a Competent Person as defined in
the Australian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral
Resources and Ore Reserves and has reviewed and approved this
release.


For further information please contact:

Terry Ward
Minerva Resources plc
Tel: +44 (0)20 73795012 / (0) 7989571576
terry.ward@minervaresources.com
web: www.minervaresources.com

Nick Rome
Bishops Gate Communications Ltd
Tel: +44 (0)20 7562 3350
nick.rome@bishopsgatecommunications.com

James Joyce / Sarang Shah
W. H. Ireland
Tel: +44 (0)20 72201666
james.joyce@wh-ireland.co.uk


Notes to Editors

Minerva Resources plc is a UK based mineral exploration and
development company quoted on London's Alternative Investment Market
(AIM:MVA). The Company is intent on delivering shareholder value by
increasing and developing its mineral resources in a socially and
environmentally responsible manner.

The main focus is resource development in Ethiopia where the Company
has first-mover advantage on prospective ground on the Arabian-Nubian
shield. Key projects include the gold resources at the Tulu Kapi,
Gudeya-Guji, Guji and Dina Prospects and the Yubdo Platinum Mine,
located in western Ethiopia, some 560km west of Addis Ababa.

Tulu Kapi was mined in the 1930s by an Italian company. In the 1970s,
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) mapped and drilled
Tulu Kapi. Tan Range Exploration carried out soil sampling and
further mapping and drilling in the 1990s. These two phases of work
confirmed mineralisation extending over a strike length of 1.5km. The
project is undergoing resource drilling on a 600m section at present,
after encouraging Minerva Resources ground mapping, data
reinterpretation and excellent scout drilling results.

Drilling programmes are also underway at the Gudeya-Guji, Guji and
Dina gold prospects, which are located in close proximity to Tulu
Kapi. The drilling has shown mineralised intersections on all three
prospects.

The results from the drilling on Tulu Kapi and the satellite
prospects and their close proximity point towards a new gold province
with the potential for the establishment of a 'one treatment plant
-multiple feed scenario'.

The Company is examining the potential to expand the small scale
platinum production operations at Yubdo, some 25km from the Tulu Kapi
Project. A pilot gravity recovery plant has been installed, a
metallurgical research programme has been initiated and further
exploration activities have commenced on the 9km by 1.5km surface
expression of the orebody.

In Sierra Leone, the Company holds gold, platinum and diamond
exploration licences, which will for the most part continue to be
developed by existing Joint Venture partners.

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