Columbus Gold commences drilling at Awakening

Columbus Gold Corporation, a gold exploration and development company operating principally in Nevada, has started a Phase I drilling program at its Awakening gold located 45 miles north-northwest of Winnemucca, Nevada.

The company has permitted and bonded twenty-four drill sites for this drill program which will consist up to approximately 7,200 ft of reverse circulation (RC) drilling in 10 to 12 holes.

The Awakening District has already produced 26,262 ounces of gold from 1914-1963, largely from the Jumbo Mine. Gold mineralisation on the east side of the district occurs with narrow quartz veins cutting Mesozoic shale and sandstone.

The company has recently explored the property with a series of excavator trenches followed by the drilling of six rotary holes in January 2008.

The preliminary metallic screen assaying of cuttings, available from only one hole (ABZN), indicates the potential to significantly upgrade gold values in both high and low grade samples. Metallic screen assaying of the other holes is in progress.

The Awakening Property is situated in an area of considerable exploration. XCal is drilling at the Sleeper Mine to the northwest; Evolving Gold is planning a drill program to the west; and Newmont is earning into Fronteer’s Sandman Project to the east-southeast.