FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 2, 2008
TRI ORIGIN ACQUIRES 100% INTEREST IN KEEWATIN PROPERTIES
Tri Origin Exploration Ltd. (the ?Company? or ?Tri Origin?) (TOE: TSX-V) is pleased to announce that it has signed an Assignment Agreement (the ?Agreement) with a subsidiary of BHP Billiton, BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc. (?BHP Billiton?), related to 16 mineral claims totaling approximately 123 km2 in Nunavut known as the Keewatin Properties.
Under the terms of the Agreement, BHP Billiton has agreed to assign and transfer to Tri Origin its interest in the Keewatin Properties in exchange for a 2% net smelter royalty and a 2% gross production royalty. Previously, Tri Origin had entered into an Option Agreement whereby it had the right to earn a 51% interest in 12 claims in Nunavut by conducting exploration work and drilling. The Agreement supersedes the Option Agreement and Tri Origin now has a 100% interest in the Keewatin Properties, subject to the aforementioned royalties. Tri Origin also has the right to all data generated by it and BHP Billiton respecting these claims.
The Keewatin Properties are now comprised of 16 claims in 4 blocks located 150 kilometres west of Arviat, Nunavut, Canada. Tri Origin has completed exploration work on these claims including geological investigations, prospecting and airborne geophysical surveying, as well as preliminary shallow drilling. This resulted in the identification of interesting copper, gold and uranium targets that require diamond drilling.
Tri Origin's field examination of theses important targets returned assay values from samples of boulders of up to 18.7 grams of gold per tonne, 22.1 lbs. uranium per tonne and 1.49% copper as well as up to 4.87 grams of gold per tonne in grab samples from outcrop.
Bob Valliant, President and CEO of Tri Origin stated, ?We are very pleased to have acquired a 100% interest in these claims, subject to the respective royalties. The Keewatin Properties represent an excellent opportunity to explore for gold and base metals in a very prospective and virtually unexplored area of Canada. We believe this highly prospective ground has the potential to host ?giant? deposits similar to that of the Broken Hill Mining district in NSW, Australia, one of the world's largest producers of zinc, lead and silver and offers new, untested uranium potential over a district-scale area.?
Tri Origin is a leading Canadian exploration company with gold and base metal exploration projects in Canada and, through its investment in Tri Origin Minerals Ltd., base metal exploration and development stage projects in Australia.
For further information please contact:
Tri Origin Exploration Ltd.
Dr. Robert Valliant, President
or
Rudy Duschek C.A., CFA, Executive V-P Corporate Development and CFO
Tel: (905) 294-9942.
Web page - www.triorigin.com
E-mail: invest@triorigin.com
Tri Origin Exploration Ltd. is publicly listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the trading symbol TOE. Tri Origin has leveraged exposure to mineral discoveries in Australia through its 48% equity interest in its subsidiary, Tri Origin Minerals Ltd.; a publicly traded company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange under the symbol TRO.