Junior exploration roundup

Florida-based MineCore International (MCIO.PK) has agreed to sell its 50% interest in the La Fortuna gold prospect in Venezuela to Canada's San Remo Resources in exchange for 8 million common voting shares worth a total of Cdn$2mn (US$1.6mn), MineCore said in a statement. The agreement requires San Remo to raise up to Cdn$1mn in equity financing for the exploration and development of the La Fortuna property. San Remo will also have the option to purchase the remaining 50% interest in La Fortuna on a right of first refusal basis from MineCore. MineCore started work on the property in 1995 and has carried out soil sampling, trenching, auguring and diamond drilling. Soil sampling revealed several areas of gold anomalies, with values up to 3.64g/t, the statement said. *** Salt Lake City-based Golden Eagle International (OTCBB: MYNG) has amended its agreement with Atlas Precious Metals to acquire Atlas' gold bar mill and CIP plant currently located in Nevada, Golden Eagle said in a statement. The amendment removes from the original agreement the requirement that Golden Eagle should move the mill and plant by June 24, 2005. As a result Golden Eagle said its liabilities are reduced by US$3.6mn, which was reported in its financial statements for 2004, running the risk that Atlas would cancel the transaction and return Golden Eagle's common stock if it failed to remove the mill in time. Golden Eagle paid Atlas 20 million shares of its common stock in exchange for the amendment. The company's main asset is the Buen Futuro gold-copper project in eastern Bolivia. *** Reno-based miner Meridian Gold (NYSE: MDG) has completed 21 diamond drill holes at the Natividad gold project in Nicaragua for a total of 2,500m, its joint venture partner Radius Gold (TSX-V: RDU) said in a statement. Drilling at Natividad, formerly known as El Pavón, has so far focused primarily on the Pavón South zone. The final hole is in progress in the current round of drilling at Pavón South and the drill rig will then be moved 2km west to the Brisas structure, where five holes are planned. Management anticipates a second drill rig will be on site at Natividad during next month, when drilling will focus on the Pavón North and Central zones. Radius expects to release the first results from the program towards mid-June. *** Vancouver-based Almaden Minerals (TSX: AMM) has begun a diamond drill program to test for gold-silver-copper mineralization in the Northern and Highway zones of its Caballo Blanco project in Mexico's Veracruz state, the company announced. The Caballo Blanco project is optioned to Comaplex Minerals (Comaplex), which can earn a 60% interest in the project by spending US$2mn over four years. The present drill program will test the high-sulfide epithermal gold system exposed in the Northern and Highway zones, Almaden said. *** Vancouver-based Far West Mining (TSX-V: FWM) has completed the third drill campaign at the 4a3 target in the Santo Domingo area of its Candelaria copper project in northern Chile's Region III, the company said in a statement. A total of 21 holes were drilled to test the potential of the target to host large-tonnage manto iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposits. Assay results have been received for the first eight holes and the results include 56m of 0.81% copper, 22m of 0.72% copper and 64m of 0.53% copper. The remaining results are expected mid to late June.