Category: Silver / Gold

Fortuna's San Jose In-Fill Drilling Returns 29.1m @ 6.8 g/t Au + 933 g/t Ag

Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. (TSX VENTURE: FVI)(BVL: FVI) is pleased to announce the initial results from the in-fill drilling program in the Trinidad Zone of the San Jose silver-gold deposit located in Oaxaca, Mexico. Assay results have been received for 22 drill holes located in the Trinidad Zone. Highlights include:


SJO-127      29.1m @ 6.75 g/t Au + 933 g/t Ag from 394.5m
SJO-128       3.2m @ 9.41 g/t Au + 603 g/t Ag from 212.9m
             15.1m @ 5.71 g/t Au + 1,022 g/t Ag from 296.5m
SJO-121      16.8m @ 2.23 g/t Au + 304 g/t Ag from 298.6m(1)
             20.6m @ 8.89 g/t Au + 752 g/t Ag from 428.3m
SJO-123       4.9m @ 8.98 g/t Au + 1,182 g/t Ag from 186.4m
SJO-126      12.2m @ 4.09 g/t Au + 427 g/t Ag from 194.6m
SJO-136      10.3m @ 3.71 g/t Au + 240 g/t Ag from 155.8m
(1) all depths are measured downhole

The 33,000m in-fill drilling program, initiated in June of 2008, is designed to convert a significant portion of the resources in the upper 250m of the deposit to the Indicated category prior to proceeding with a pre-feasibility study. Two surface core drill rigs and two multi-purpose reverse circulation/core drill rigs are currently drilling in the Trinidad Zone.

The San Jose Project is being explored and developed under a joint venture between Fortuna (76%) and Continuum Resources Ltd. (24%). In August 2008, Fortuna and Continuum announced an agreement whereby Fortuna will acquire all of the issued and outstanding securities of Continuum (see Fortuna News Release dated Aug. 14, 2008). As a result of the acquisition, Fortuna will own a 100% interest in the San Jose Project.

Assay results from the 22 drill holes in the Trinidad Zone are summarized below. Length-weighted assay averages have been calculated for the mineralized intervals using a lower cut-off of 100 g/t Ag-equivalent. True widths of the mineralized veins are estimated at approximately 75 to 90% of the drill intervals. Updated longitudinal sections showing the location of the drill hole intercepts for each of the major veins will be posted on Fortuna's website at www.fortunasilver.com.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
--
                                            Est.
                                            true
                                           thick-                      Ag
                               Interval     ness       Au      Ag      eq
Hole No.   From (m)     To (m)       (m)      (m)     g/t     g/t   g/t(2)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
SJO-119     227.00     235.40      8.40      4.9     2.03     229     332
SJO-120     136.25     144.75      8.50      6.0     1.07     121     175
SJO-121     298.60     315.40     16.80     10.3     2.23     304     418
 And        321.00     325.35      4.35              2.53     265     394
 And        358.00     362.85      4.85              1.43     172     245
 And        428.25     448.80     20.55     14.0     8.89     752   1,206
SJO-122     252.00     254.90      2.90      2.0     4.03     315     520
SJO-123     186.40     191.30      4.90      3.4     8.98   1,182   1,640
 And        214.80     219.00      4.20              1.67     238     323
 And        269.80     277.80      8.00      5.6     1.10     219     275
SJO-124     261.90     265.50      3.60      3.5     9.53     292     778
SJO-125     138.10     143.50      5.40      3.5     1.68     189     275
SJO-126     194.60     206.80     12.20      8.1     4.09     427     636
 And        247.55     258.20     10.65      7.2     1.25     219     283
SJO-127     394.50     423.55     29.05     14.2     6.75     933   1,278
 And        427.50     433.50      6.00              1.80     222     314
 And        452.90     461.00      8.10              1.08     111     166
SJO-128     212.90     216.10      3.20      1.8     9.41     603   1,083
 And        234.80     247.60     12.80      6.9     1.54     151     229
 And        252.65     256.15      3.50              3.25     462     628
 And        296.50     311.60     15.10      8.4     5.71   1,022   1,313
SJO-129     247.55     248.70      1.15      1.0     1.98     219     320
SJO-130     277.80     285.00      7.20      6.0     1.94     185     284
SJO-131     188.35     189.35      1.00      0.7     1.07     169     224
SJO-132     151.10     154.10      3.00      2.2     4.37     496     718
SJO-133     250.00     258.75      8.75      6.9     2.31     214     332
SJO-134     179.40     187.15      7.75      5.8     2.11     254     362
SJO-135     174.75     175.75      1.00      0.9     2.37     349     470
SJO-136     155.75     166.00     10.25              3.71     240     429
 And        219.40     222.50      3.10      2.4     2.91     155     303
SJO-138     130.00     131.25      1.25      0.8     2.00     237     339
SJO-140     229.90     238.05      8.15      5.4     2.55     167     297
SJO-141                   No significant mineralized intervals
SJO-142     181.80     192.45     10.65      6.8     2.47     208     334
 And        207.45     216.30      8.85      6.7     0.96     180     229
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) Silver equivalency estimates were derived using a silver-to-gold ratio
    of 51:1. Metallurgical recoveries and net smelter returns are assumed
    to be 100% for purposes of estimating silver equivalency.

The in-fill drill program has been designed following recommendations by AMEC E&C Services Inc. indicating that at Trinidad a drill spacing of 31 meters is required for classification of the resources to the Indicated category.

Background

The San Jose deposit is a low sulfidation epithermal system located within the Taviche Mining District in southern Oaxaca and is characterized by mineralized multiphase quartz-carbonate-sulfide veins, hydrothermal breccias and stockwork veining within a sequence of Tertiary andesitic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks.

The Fortuna-Continuum joint venture controls mining concessions covering approximately 56,000 hectares in the Taviche Mining District. Exploration is being carried out on a number of target areas within the concession area to define new drill targets. Underground development of the access ramp to the Trinidad Zone was initiated in the 4th quarter of 2007 and is projected to reach the sixth level (150m below surface elevation) by December of 2008. The Company is also advancing with engineering studies for the development of the deposit including preliminary mine design work, metallurgical testing, tailings dam design work and hydrological investigations. An Environmental Impact Study has been initiated and the Community Relations Department is engaging local communities through project presentations, site visits and sustainable development and education programs.

Quality Assurance & Quality Control

Following detailed geological and geotechnical logging, drill core samples are split on-site by diamond saw. One half of the core is submitted to the ALS Chemex sample preparation facility in Guadalajara, Mexico. The remaining half core is retained on-site for verification and reference purposes. Following preparation, sample pulps are sent to ALS Chemex in Vancouver where they are assayed for gold and silver by standard fire assay methods using a gravimetric finish. Multi-element analyses are also completed for each sample by ICP methods. The QA-QC program at San Jose includes the blind insertion of certified reference standards for silver and gold at a frequency of approximately 1 per 15 normal samples and the insertion of assay blanks at a frequency of approximately 1 per 15 normal samples. All sample results reported in this news release correspond to HQ- or NQ-diameter core.

Qualified Person

Mr. Gregory Smith, P.Geo., is the Company's Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the accuracy of the technical information in this news release.

Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.

Fortuna is a growth oriented, silver and base metal producer focused on mining opportunities in Latin America. Our primary assets are the Caylloma Silver Mine in southern Peru and the San Jose Silver-Gold Project in Mexico. The Company is aggressively pursuing additional acquisition opportunities. For more information, please visit our website at www.fortunasilver.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Jorge Alberto Ganoza Durant, President, CEO and Director

Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not take responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Contacts: Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. Carlos Baca Investor Relations - Lima Office 511-616-6060 Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. Erin Ostrom Investor Relations - Vancouver Office (604) 484-4085 (604) 484-4029 (FAX) Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website: www.fortunasilver.com

SOURCE: Fortuna Silver Mines Inc.

mailto:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. http://www.fortunasilver.com