HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwire - May 10, 2011) - Linear Metals Corporation ("Linear" or the "Company") (News - Market indicators) is pleased to provide an update on its Nyanza Project exploration program including the addition of five new exploration concessions and the assay results of auriferous rock samples from the Kwoyo and Awuoro-Kanga areas. Linear is also pleased to report the receipt of anomalous geochemical results for a large recce soil sample grid covering the Kwoyo area, located 7.5 kilometres ("km") to the NW of the Awuoro-Kanga grid. The most recent rock and soil results appear to be outlining two or more sub-parallel major auriferous structures that extend over at least 12 km in strike length.

• Nyanza Project land package increased to approximately 1,100 km2;
• Aworo Grid West (Koyola working): rock samples of 18.4 g/t Au with 28 g/t Ag, and 5.21 g/t Au with 0.86 g/t Ag;
• Kanga Grid West (Gundo Guk workings): rock sample of 17.7 g/t with 17.1 g/t Ag;
• Kwoyo Grid: rock samples of 5.55 g/t Au with 6.6 g/t Ag; 4.36 g/t Au; and 0.77 g/t Au; and
• Kwoyo Grid: new 2.5 km x 0.6 km (open) Au-As-Sb-Pb-Zn soil anomaly

Matt Rees, the Company's Vice President of Exploration commented, "This is an exciting time for the Company, as we continue to outline the tremendous potential of this newly acquired property. The kilometric-scale soil anomalies and widespread gold mineralization, identified in outcrop as well as colonial and artisanal workings, and on several major parallel structures, indicate we may be on track to discovering a large, gold- and silver-mineralized district."

Linear's Chief Executive Officer, Brian MacEachen, added, "We have assembled a district-scale property package along a prolific greenstone belt in an area that has been subject to limited modern exploration. We believe this property portfolio may host multiple ore deposits and look forward to reporting the results of our systematic exploration program. The scale of this asset base will provide Linear with an opportunity to advance the projects for the benefit of all stakeholders, particularly our shareholders and the local communities."

District-scale Property Package

Linear, along with its partner East African Pure Gold ("EAPG"), has recently acquired five new exploration concessions (SPL1062-SPL1066) bringing the total area of Linear's Nyanza District concessions to approximately 1,100 square kilometres ("km2^"), all subject to Linear's February 2011 option agreement with EAPG and B&M Mining. Four of the new concessions are contiguous with SPL258 and cover potential extensions of several gold-bearing trends.

Linear's property package is hosted in the Migori sector of the Nyanza greenstone belt in south-western Kenya (Nyanza Province). The Migori belt is a northward continuation of the Archean greenstones located in neighbouring Tanzania that host several gold mines, notably AngloGold's Geita deposits, which combined contain over 16 million ounces of gold, and Barrick Gold's North Mara deposit, representing over 4 million ounces of gold. Linear's property package is host to extensive colonial and artisanal workings throughout the project area. 

Initial Work Program

Linear's initial work program has so far been limited to the Aworo-Kanga and Kwoyo areas located in the south-east portion of the SPL 258 concession where EAPG had completed a soil survey along with grab and chip sampling in 2009. SPL 258 is Linear's northern most concession covering an area of 358 km2. 

SPL 258 – Awuoro-Kanga Grid

EAPG's 2009 soil sampling program over the Awuoro-Kanga Grid was completed along 200 metre ("m") (Awuoro) and 400 m (Kanga) spaced grid lines and identified an extensive gold-in soil anomaly (up to 2,530 ppb Au locally) that extends semi-continuously over an area of seven km by one km and remains open in all directions. Linear has recently completed a more detailed sampling along the Kanga Grid with in-fill soil sampling along 200 m line spacing, as well as 200 m spaced extensions to the Awuoro Grid. Results are pending.

Ground follow-up by Linear has determined that many of the gold-in-soil anomalies identified by EAPG, in the Awuoro-Kanga trend, are associated with "Colonial-era" and/or later artisanal workings. Limited previous sampling by EAPG included 51 rock samples of which 31 samples returned assay results of greater than 0.5 g/t Au including grabs and chips of up to 37.8 g/t Au. A full listing and location map of all rock samples, as well as plots of all soil anomalies, will be available on the Linear website at www.linearmetals.com.

In many cases the gold anomalies in the soil are much more extensive than the area of the limited workings, indicating excellent potential for discovery of additional mineralization. As an example, at the east end of the Kanga Grid, gold-in-soils can be traced over a strike length of 1.3 km (open to the SE), where rock samples from an artisanal working taken by EAPG returned 9.55 g/t Au and >10 g/t Au (re-assay of pulp is pending). In this eastern area of the Kanga grid, there are at least three sub-parallel gold-mineralized trends outlined by the soils over a width of approximately 900 metres.

Ground follow-up by Linear has also determined that the large gold-in-soil anomaly in the central to eastern part of the Awuoro Grid is associated with the "Colonial-era" Owour Mine (and un-named associated workings), which operated intermittently from 1940 to 1943 until forced to shut down due to lack of supplies and equipment during the war. The old pits and shafts appear to line up on three parallel NW to W trends over a total width of approximately 400 m, whereas an individual trend (e.g. Awuoro Central Trend) shows evidence in local pits and shafts of mineralization of potentially as much as 75 m in width.

Samples taken by Linear of a "Colonial-era" working (Koyola) at the west end of the Awuoro grid returned 18.4 g/t Au with 28 g/t Ag (chip over 0.5 m of outcrop proximal to the working), and 5.21 g/t Au with 0.86 g/t Ag (composite "spoil" sample). Results of additional samples are pending. A 10 m radius composite sample taken of mine "spoil" at the west end of the Kanga Grid (Gundo Guk River area) returned 17.7 g/t Au with 17.1 g/t Ag.

SPL 258 – Kwoyo Grid

Linear has recently completed a recce level soil survey (400 m x 100 m sample spacing) over the Kwoyo Grid designed to test NW-trending structures along strike of the Awuoro grid, in proximity to several known historical gold workings. The soil samples on the Kwoyo Grid have outlined a large, anastomosing Au-As-Sb-Zn-Pb anomaly, approximately 2.5 km long x 0.6 km wide, possibly hosted along intersecting NW-trending and ENE-trending structures, and located proximal to several known auriferous workings. This anomaly represents another priority target, located approximately 7.5 km along strike from the Awuoro grid. The samples returned a large area of moderate gold-in-soil anomalies (up to 236 ppb Au), associated with a distinct gold-pathfinder element anomaly. Several recent rock samples from workings in the area of the soil anomaly returned additional auriferous results, including 5.55 g/t Au with 6.6 g/t Ag, and 0.77 g/t Au with 0.17 g/t Ag, while a sample taken approximately 500 m south of the grid returned 4.36 g/t Au with 0.36 g/t Ag. This latter working is interpreted from regional geology to lay on a parallel NW-trending structure that trends towards the west end of the Kanga Grid, into the Gundo Guk River area.

Geophysical and trenching programs are in progress over the anomalous trends on the Awuoro-Kanga Grid initially identified by the extensive gold-in-soil anomalies and the widespread auriferous rock samples. The geophysical program includes induced polarization ("IP") and magnetic geophysical surveys. Currently, the initial Gradient IP is nearing completion on a 2.5 km x 1 km Awuoro Grid. The Gradient IP has detected a distinct moderate-chargeability and high-resistivity trend that corresponds to the area of the workings, extending over a strike length of at least 2000 m (open in both directions, surveying ongoing). Initial results are expected to be released in the next few weeks once data has undergone QA/QC and significant trends followed up with Pole-Dipole surveying. The IP and magnetic surveys will initially cover the Awuoro-Kanga and Kwoyo Grids and are expected to be completed by the end of May.

Linear has recently initiated a trenching program on the Awuoro-Kanga Grid. The first trench, covering approximately 75 m over the Awuoro Central trend, has been completed and sample results are expected within the next month. A total of eight trenches covering approximately 1200 m are planned. Drill testing along the Awuoro-Kanga and Kwoyo areas is scheduled to commence within the next four weeks.

SPL 258 Summary

Together, the soil and rock data from the Awuoro-Kanga and Kwoyo areas, on the SE portion of the SPL 258 concession, appear to be outlining two or more sub-parallel major auriferous structures that extend over at least 12 km in strike length. The ongoing ground geophysical surveys will help to establish the structural trends and areas of potential mineralization around the former "Colonial-era" and recent artisanal workings. Although detailed records are scant, based on contemporary descriptions by mappers of the Kenyan Geologic Survey, the "Colonial-era" mines in SPL258 were generally limited in scale, following individual high-grade quartz veins to a maximum depth of approximately 10 to 30 metres.

The mineralization is hosted in silicified felsic volcanics, generally within sulphide-bearing, vuggy, quartz-vein stockworks along NW-trending structures. Although multi-element geochemistry of rock samples is currently limited, the mineralization has a distinct Au-Ag-As-Sb-Zn-Pb (±Ba±Te) geochemical association, which along with the cherty- to vuggy-style of quartz veining suggests an "epithermal-style" of mineralization.

This press release was prepared under the supervision of Matthew Ian Rees, M.Sc., P.Geo., VP Exploration for Linear Metals, who is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Rees has reviewed the scientific and technical information in this press release. All assays reported were performed by ALS Chemex, with samples initially prepped in Mwanza, Tanzania, and pulps analyzed in either South Africa or Canada.

Forward-Looking Information:

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, continuity of mineralization, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. The likelihood of future mining at the Nyanza Project is subject to a large number of risks and will require achievement of a number of technical, economic and legal objectives, including obtaining necessary mining and construction permits, completion of pre-feasibility and final feasibility studies, preparation of all necessary engineering for pits and processing facilities as well as receipt of significant additional financing to fund these objectives, as well as funding mine construction. Such funding may not be available to the Company on acceptable terms or on any terms at all. There is no known ore at the Nyanza Project and there is no assurance that the mineralization at the Nyanza Project will ever be classified as ore. For more information on the Company and the risk factors inherent in its business, investors should review the Company's Annual Information Form at www.sedar.com.