Candente publishes 1Mt Cañariaco copper resource

Vancouver-based Candente Resource (TSX: DNT) has announced an independent preliminary mineral resource estimate on the Cañariaco Norte zone of its Cañariaco copper-gold property in northern Peru. The zone has an inferred resource of 76.5Mt grading 0.614% copper and 0.099g/t gold to contain 1.04Mt copper and 243,000oz gold at a 0.3% copper cut-off, according to independent geologist James McCrea. The resource is based on 15 drill holes for 3,451m. Of the 15 holes, 12 were drilled by Candente in 2004 with 100m spacing. Candente plans to start a 2005 drill program in May to expand the resource. The first target will be the central to southern portion of the deposit, where testing of leachable chalcocite mineralization has shown 92% recovery after 93 days. Drilling will also test two other copper-gold porphyry targets on the property. The company is currently in the process of obtaining environmental permits to drill an additional 78 holes. Some 23 have been drilled to date.