VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – (September 3, 2008) - Rio Cristal Zinc Corp. (the “Company” or “RCZ”) (TSX.V: RCZ), is pleased to announce that high-grade zinc oxide mineralization continues to be intercepted by a third set of drill holes at the Cristal project within the Company's Charlotte Bongará claim block in Peru.

Highlights Include:

• Drill hole CR-24: 8.1 meters of 23.5% zinc from 23.8 to 31.9 meters depth

• Drill hole CR-08: 6.3 meters of 27.9% zinc  from 33.4 to 39.7 meters depth

• Drill hole CR-03: 3.3 meters of 27.7 % zinc from 56.8 to 60.1 meters depth

• Drill hole CR-25: 2.0 meters of 22.5% zinc from 36.3 to 38.3 meters depth

• Drill hole CR-22: 7.5 meters of 16.7% zinc from 18.1 to 25.7 meters depth

• Drill hole CR-28: 3.9 meters of 15.1% zinc  from 18.5 to 22.4 meters depth

• Drill hole CR-29: 10.1 meters of 8.1% zinc  from 20.7 to 30.8 meters depth

 
Charles Ushela, President and CEO of Rio Cristal Zinc, said "The recent results from our drilling program at Cristal are excellent and have exceeded our expectations, especially with regards to high-grade zinc oxides.  We are focusing the remaining efforts on expanding the phase one shallow drilling to outline a near-surface zinc oxide zone; and have initiated follow-up reconnaissance of anomalies at other targets on the Charlotte Bongará property.  To date RCZ has drilled 40 holes totaling 4,197 meters, 1,970 meters of which are shallow holes to identify zinc oxides." 

 

Mr. Ushela continued, "The limited deep drilling accomplished to-date has also been positive.  We have been able to confirm that the host rock formational permeability conditions are favorable for significant zinc sulfide mineralization and disseminated zinc sulfide mineralization, while not ore grade in the holes to-date, is clearly present in the system." 

The drilling program intercepts are interpreted as being part of a large Mississippi Valley type (MVT) zinc district of which Rio Cristal Zinc controls over 25,000 hectares.   The Charlotte Bongará concessions are  adjacent to the Florida Canyon exploration project (Votorantim Metais and Solitario Exploration & Royalty Corp.), and the high grade zinc oxide mine operated by Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.

 

In addition to the highlighted intercepts, drilling also intersected 1.9 meters averaging 14.4% zinc (drill hole CR-27) and 1.6 meters averaging 6.3% zinc (CR-30).  All intercepts are down-hole lengths and true widths have not been calculated. A geological map identifying drill holes locations, cross-sections and table of results are available at the Map Room at www.riocristalzinc.com

QA/QC

 

Shallow target diamond drilling focused on zinc-oxide targets has been performed using HQ diameter core with recoveries averaging greater than 75%. Deep targets diamond drilling program is performed using HQ diameter up to 300m depth, NQ diameter up to 470m depth and BQ diameter up to 600m depth with better than 90% recovery. Core is logged and split on site under the supervision of RCZ geologists. Sampling is done over intervals defined by geological criteria with minimum sample length of 0.5m and a maximum sample length of 2.0m. Samples are bagged, codified, sealed and transported by Company geologists directly to the Company office in Lima, Peru for standards and blank samples insertion and delivered to ALS Chemex Laboratory facilities in Lima, Peru. ALS Chemex is an ISO 9001:2000-certified laboratory and is preparing for ISO 17025 certification. Zinc and lead assays utilize Agua Regia sample digestion with Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy assaying method (commercial code “ME-ICP41”). Samples grading above maximal 10% Zn detection limit of ME-ICP41 method are assayed using AAS method (Atomic absorption, commercial code AA-46). The QA/QC program for each sampling batch includes geochemical standards insertion every 20th sample, blank samples insertion every 50th sample and field duplicate insertion every 30th sample. High grade samples pulps duplicates and rejects will be re-assayed by BSE Inspectorate Laboratory facilities in Lima applying the same samples preparation procedure as that used by ALS Chemex Laboratory.

 

As required by the National Instrument 43-101, Rio Cristal Zinc’s designated Qualified Person for the supervision of exploration of the projects is Miroslav Kalinaj, who has verified the technical information, reported in this news release.

About Rio Cristal Zinc Corporation

Rio Cristal Zinc is a Canadian corporation focused on the discovery and further development of zinc deposits in Peru. The principal asset of RCZ is the Charlotte Bongará claim block located in northern Peru within an emerging Mississippi Valley-type zinc district. Additional information can be found on the Company’s website, www.riocristalzinc.com.

 

For further information please contact Ross Knutson at:
Telephone: (778) 588-6880
Toll Free: (866) 609-9644
Fax: (604) 609-9946
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential exploration results, future plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future results, events and objectives could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Rio Cristal’s expectations include exploration and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. 

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