Geoscience BC Announces QUEST-South Airborne Gravity Survey

August 28, 2009-Kamloops, British Columbia -- Geoscience BC is pleased to announce the launch of an airborne gravity survey in the southern interior of British Columbia. This $2 Million airborne gravity survey, to be carried out by Sander Geophysics Ltd., will cover approximately 45,000 square kilometers and extend from Williams Lake to the US Border including the Kamloops, Merritt and Princeton areas.

"The Province is pleased to support regional geoscience projects like the QUEST-South geophysical survey, which provide valuable new public information for the mineral exploration industry," said Minister of State for Mining Randy Hawes. "These new geoscience datasets will stimulate increased exploration investment and job opportunities in British Columbia's southern interior".

This survey represents Phase 2 of Geoscience BC's QUEST-South Project, a $2.5 million project that combines regional geochemical and geophysical techniques to help exploration geologists identify different rock types and structures that will aid the exploration industry in identifying promising areas for more intensive exploration. Phase 1 of the QUEST-South Project, which includes the reanalysis of over 9000 archived stream sediment samples and the collection and analysis of over 1000 new stream sediment samples in south-central British Columbia, is already underway.

QUEST-South Project Area Click to enlarge

"The QUEST-South area has significant potential for copper-gold and copper-molybdenum deposits, but much of the area in the north is obscured by young volcanic rocks which make exploration challenging," said Dr. 'Lyn Anglin, President and CEO of Geoscience BC. "These surveys will provide the exploration community with new data in which to evaluate this prospective part of BC, reduce the risk and help to attract and guide more exploration activities and investment."

Sander Geophysics Ltd. will use both a helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft to fly the over 25,000 line-kilometer survey. Geoscience BC expects that this data, which will be contiguous with the combined QUEST and QUEST-West airborne gravity datasets collected in 2007 and 2008, will be released in early 2010.

"We're extremely pleased that Sander Geophysics has been selected to fly the QUEST-South airborne gravity survey," stated Luise Sander, Co-President of Sander Geophysics Ltd. (www.sgl.com). "We have flown the two previous QUEST gravity surveys (QUEST and QUEST-West) so we are well aware of the exploration interest these surveys generate, and we are confident that our unique AIRGrav airborne gravity technology will help make QUEST-South a similar success."

Geoscience BC is an industry-led, industry-focused, non-profit organization. Its mandate includes the collection, interpretation and marketing of geoscience data and expertise to promote investment in resource exploration and development in British Columbia. Geoscience BC works in partnership with industry, academia, government, First Nations and communities to attract mineral and oil & gas investment to B.C.

For more information on Geoscience BC's Projects, please see Geoscience BC's website at www.geosciencebc.com.

CONTACT:

Geoscience BC
'Lyn Anglin, Ph.D., P.Geo.
President and CEO
Geoscience BC
604-290-1194
Website: www.geosciencebc.com