Canyon Resources Corp (CAU)

[jake89]

Canyon Resources Initiates Drilling at its Briggs Area Projects

GOLDEN, Colo., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Canyon Resources Corporation (Amex: CAU - News). Canyon Resources Corporation is pleased to announce that it has initiated a 10,000 foot drilling campaign that will focus on work at both the Cecil R gold property, located four miles north of its Briggs Mine in Inyo County, California, and at the Briggs Mine itself. Harris Exploration Drilling and Associates Inc. has been contracted for the reverse circulation (RC) drilling that commenced operation today.
Gold mineralization at Cecil R occurs along a consistent and continuous shallow-dipping oxidized detachment fault zone, a planar feature located immediately below an upper plate cover of unconsolidated gravels. These gravels mantle the flat topped broad ridges at low elevations along the western foot of the Panamint Range. Exploration attention has been turned to this property because of its consistency and amenable configuration to open pit mining. Limited past exploration at Cecil R has demonstrated the continuity of the gold-mineralized zone with true widths of mineralization ranging from several feet to 90 feet. The property has in-place mineralized material estimated as 5.75 million tons at an average grade of 0.024 opt gold at a 0.015 opt cutoff grade, open in all directions along the generally 15 degree westerly dipping fault plane. Three companies have had exploratory drilling programs at Cecil R: in 1973 Homestake Mining Company drilled three holes followed by Inspiration Copper Company in 1978 who drilled 18 RC holes. Between 1991 and 2006, Canyon Resources drilled a total of 30 RC holes on Cecil R. Drilling results from these three campaigns form the basis of the mineralized material estimate.

Although some infill drilling has been planned in the incipient campaign, the present drilling program was designed primarily to step out from the known mineralization to potentially increase the area of known gold mineralization. Recent geological field work has demonstrated that the gold-bearing detachment structure continues below gravels which drape ridges to the south of the area drilled in the past. Six of the 30 planned holes will be drilled in this area. Permits for these programs have been approved and drill roads have been prepared.

Upon completion of the planned Cecil R drilling program, the drill rig will be moved to the bottom of the BSU pit of the Briggs Mine from where a minimum of three holes are planned to further explore the Goldtooth structure. These holes will provide crucial information on the down-dip and northward extension of the high-grade Goldtooth mineralized structure discovered during the 2006 drilling campaign. The planned drill holes will provide further exploration information on the region just north of Hole R-16 which had an intersection of 18 feet grading 0.48 ounce per ton of gold.

For additional information on Canyon Resources, please visit our website at http://www.canyonresources.com.

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended. Such forward-looking statements include, among others, feasibility and drilling studies for the Briggs and Cecil R projects, mineralized material estimates, reserves estimates, drilling capability and the potential reopening or expansion of the Briggs Mine. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, among others: the volatility of gold prices; potential operating risks of mining, development and expansion; the uncertainty of estimates of reserves, mineralized material and gold deposits; and environmental and governmental regulations; availability of financing; the outcome of litigation, as well as judicial proceedings and force majeure events and other risk factors as described from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Most of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict.


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