Initial Metallurgical Testing Recovers Over 90% Gold From Suriloma Samples

VANCOUVER, Feb. 7, 2013 /CNW/ - Darwin Resources Corp ("Darwin" or "The Company") (TSXV:DAR) (OTCPK:DARWF)  (Frankfurt: DWU): Dr. Graham Carman, President & CEO, is pleased to provide results of preliminary bottle-roll gold leach tests from mineralized surface samples at the La Puerta area, together with the discovery of further extensions to the surface mineralization.  La Puerta is one of several target areas currently being explored by Darwin at the 100% controlled Suriloma epithermal gold - silver property in the Department of La Libertad, northern Peru. 

Highlights

• Gold recovery of 90.7% was obtained in two bottle-roll leach tests from representative surface outcrops of oxide mineralization grading 1.485 g/t gold.  Recuperation of this level is considered highly encouraging;
  
  
• The overall gold recovery was the same in two crushed sample fractions (i.e., -1.7mm and -75 micron). Maximum recovery was achieved from the finer fraction within 2 hours whereas the coarser fraction required 24 hours.  Cyanide consumption was low in both bottle-roll tests;
  
  
• In recent channel sampling, new zones of gold mineralization have been discovered up to 250 metres farther away from previous channels at La Puerta, extending significant gold mineralization in channel sampling to 1 kilometre of strike and 75 metres of vertical extent.
  
  
• Recent channel sample results include 20 metres @ 0.85 g/t gold, 6 metres @ 1.68 g/t gold + 53 g/t silver, and 10 metres @ 0.53 g/t gold + 133 g/t silver from mineralized structures exposed in channels beneath soil cover.  Additional gold bearing structures may remain hidden beneath deeper soil cover, target zones that will be tested in upcoming drilling.

Dr Graham Carman states: "The high level of gold extraction from samples of outcropping oxide gold mineralization at La Puerta is very encouraging.  The +90% gold recovery is about as good as one could expect with this type of preliminary test, with the bonus of achieving high recoveries with relatively low cyanide consumption.  Although the bottle-roll results are indicative only, they are sufficiently encouraging for us to continue our aggressive exploration plans at the La Puerta area, in particular to test primarily for leachable oxide gold mineralization in the upcoming +2000 metre drill program. Further metallurgical testing will be required and is planned once the initial drill program is completed. "

"We are excited that new zones of mineralization continue to be discovered at the La Puerta area especially in the western part, where mineralization remains open along strike (see Figure 1).  La Puerta is one of six target areas at Suriloma within a 7km x 3km area controlled 100% by Darwin. We are confident that with more systematic sampling, including drilling, more zones of mineralization will be found.  Our permitting for drilling is progressing well, with the maiden drill program at Suriloma on target for commencement in Q2 2013."

Metallurgical testwork
A bottle-roll gold leach test was carried out at Certimin in Lima, Peru using a composite sample from a 10 metre continuous channel sample of outcropping quartz stockwork mineralization at the La Puerta area.  The sample is considered typical of the grade of the outcropping oxidized mineralization.  The composite sample was made up of five 2m continuous samples each weighing about 3.2 kg.  A 2.2 kg subsample of each original sample was split, homogenized and combined into a single 11kg bulk sample for leach testing.  The head-grade of the bulk sample was 1.485 g/t Au.

Two cyanide leach bottle roll tests were carried out over a 72 hour period on a 1.5kg sample split, using a 100% minus 1.7mm size fraction, and a 90% minus 75 micron size fraction.  The cyanide concentration used was 500ppm NaCN, with a pH of 10.5 and 11.  The gold extraction tests, summarized in Table 1, recovered 90.7% of the total gold in both samples, indicating the vast majority of the gold in these outcrops is leachable.

Table 1.   Summary of gold extraction results from bottle roll tests

It is noted that Mineral Reserves or Resources have not been defined at Suriloma, and that the very preliminary gold extraction test results from surface outcrops are not necessarily representative of gold mineralization in the sub-surface. Refer to Forward Looking Statements below.

The qualified person, Dr Graham Carman, Darwin's President and CEO, and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, has reviewed and verified the contents of this release.   Channels were dug to a depth of up to 30cm depth across continuous sub-cropping zones covered by thin soils using a pick and chisel.  Each continuous channel sample was 2m in length.  Channel samples are considered representative of the in-situ mineralization exposed, and channel widths quoted approximate the true width of mineralization. Samples were analyzed by Certimin in Lima for gold using a 50g fire assay with an atomic absorption finish (method G0107), and for silver and other trace elements by ICP using an aqua regia digestion (method G0146). Cyanide bottle roll leach tests were carried out by Certimin using coarse rejects from the original samples sent for gold assay in 2012.

About Darwin Resources Corp (TSXV:DAR) (OTCPK:DARWF) (Frankfurt:DWU):
Darwin is a resource acquisition and development company.  The Company has a portfolio of gold and copper projects in Peru, and has a focus on the Suriloma gold property in the Department of La Libertad in northern Peru. 

On behalf of the Board,

"Graham Carman"
Dr Graham Carman, President & CEO

Forward Looking Statements This Company News Release contains certain "forward-looking" statements and information relating to the Company that are based on the beliefs of the Company's management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company's management.  Such statements reflect the current risks, uncertainties and assumptions related to certain factors including, without limitations, failure to successfully complete intended financings, capital and other costs varying significantly from estimates, production rates varying from estimates, changes in world metal markets, changes in equity markets, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, equipment failure, unexpected geological conditions, imprecision in resource estimates or metal recoveries, success of future development initiatives, competition, operating performance, environmental and safety risks, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from local authorities, and other development and operating risks. Should any one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein.  Although Darwin believes that assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange), nor the Frankfurt Stock Exchange accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Figure 1:  Significant gold and silver results from Darwin's channel sampling at the La Puertaarea click here:
http://files.newswire.ca/1151/DarwinFigure1.pdf

Table 1:   Significant gold and silver channel intercepts from the La Puerta area

SOURCE Darwin Resources Corp.

Image with caption: "Figure 1:  Significant gold and silver results from Darwin's channel sampling at the La Puerta area (CNW Group/Darwin Resources Corp.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130207_C4108_PHOTO_EN_23442.jpg

PDF available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2013/02/07/20130207_C4108_DOC_EN_23443.pdf