TBD--(Marketwired - November 30, 2016) - Results have been received from two additional step-out holes at the Castelo de Sonhos gold project of TriStar Gold Inc. (the "Company" or "TriStar") (TSX VENTURE: TSG) confirming that gold mineralization, as predicted by the Exploration Target published in March of this year, now extends at least 1.6 kilometers to the southwest beyond the resource area defined by TriStar in its 2014 Technical Report.
Table 1 below shows the significant intervals for all complete drill holes received to date. Samples from the remaining four drill holes from Esperança South were recently shipped to the laboratory and assay results are expected in mid-December. Both drill rigs have now moved to Esperança Central and are drilling to the north of the current resource area.
| Hole ID | Thickness and gold grade | Downhole depth | Grade x Thickness | |||
| CSH-16-144 | 3.10 m @ 3.90 g/t | 121.80 ‒ 124.90 m | 12.1 gm/t | |||
| CSH-16-145 | 3.90 m @ 0.70 g/t | 12.70 ‒ 16.60 m | ||||
| 1.85 m @ 1.10 g/t | 163.40 ‒ 165.25 m | |||||
| 2.00 m @ 4.96 g/t | 177.20 ‒ 179.20 m | |||||
| Total: 7.75m @ 1.89 g/t | 14.7 gm/t | |||||
| CSH-16-146 | 2.10 m @ 7.51 g/t | 144.90 ‒ 147.00 m | 15.8 gm/t | |||
| CSH-16-147 | 1.80 m @ 0.63 g/t | 65.10 ‒ 66.90 m | ||||
| 4.10 m @ 3.68 g/t | 182.30 ‒ 186.40 m | |||||
| Total: 5.90m @ 2.75 g/t | 16.2 gm/t | |||||
| 2016 Southwestern extension average: | 4.71 m @ 3.12 g/t | 14.7 gm/t | ||||
| 2014 resource area average: | 4.14 m @ 2.43 g/t | 10.1 gm/t | ||||
Table 1. Significant gold intervals in first four holes on southwestern extension of Esperança South (holes CSH-16-144/145 were previously released). Drill holes were drilled towards an azimuth of 140 degrees, with a dip of 55 degrees. The downhole intersections are approximately true width of the mineralization.
Mr. Nick Appleyard, TriStar's President and CEO, commented: "The results from the first four drill holes at Esperança South are exceeding our expectations, and are all significantly higher than the average drill results that were used for the 2014 resource estimate. Castelo de Sonhos maintains its record that every single drill hole that intersects at least half of the conglomerate has significant intervals of gold mineralization. The conglomerate continues to appear to be pervasively mineralized."
Figure 1 shows the current drill program on the south west limb of the Castelo de Sonhos deposit. The drill-tested strike of mineralization has now been extended by approximately 1.6 km, and the grades and thicknesses encountered are superior to those seen in the drill holes used for the 2014 mineral resource estimate.
Infill drilling will be required to calculate a new resource estimate, it is anticipated that this drilling will be done early in 2017 using Reverse Circulation (RC). The RC drilling offers several advantages with the most important being a much larger sample, which should improve grade analysis. The other advantages of RC drilling are lower cost and faster drilling as compared to core drilling. Following the completion of the new resource the Company anticipates publishing a Preliminary Economic Assessment (scoping study) in the third quarter of 2017.
In December, a test program of petro-physical logging will be conducted on the 2016 drill holes. The logging will include an image of the inside of the drill hole, as well as gamma, resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and acoustic velocity all of which are commonly used by the oil industry for interpreting sedimentary basins, which we believe will aid in the understanding and modeling of CDS and its paleo-placer origin.
Sample analysis procedures and QA/QC protocols
Sample preparation and analytical work for the Castelo de Sonhos drilling program were carried out by SGS Geosol in Parauapebas, Para State (sample preparation) and Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (analysis), an ISO 9001:2008 and 14001:2004 certified laboratory which employs industry-standard analytical methods. As part of TriStar´s QA/QC protocol, standard samples and blanks were inserted into the sample processing stream at a rate of one per 10 samples. Duplicate and alternate laboratory check samples also form part of this sampling protocol.
TriStar's Vice-President, R. Mohan Srivastava (P.Geo.), is the QP for this press release and has prepared or supervised the preparation of the scientific or technical information in this press release.
About TriStar:
TriStar Gold is an exploration and development company focused on precious metals properties in the Americas that have potential to become significant producing mines. The Company's current flagship property is Castelo de Sonhos in Pará State, Brazil. The Company's shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol TSG. Further information is available at www.tristargold.com.
