Mr. Michael McPhie reports

CURIS REPORTS UPDATED COPPER RECOVERY RESULTS AT FLORENCE COPPER

Curis Resources Ltd. has released updated results for laboratory testwork performed on metallurgical samples from the Florence copper property in Arizona.

Highlights of these in situ recovery (ISR) tests include the following:

• Sixteen ISR tests have been completed, with copper extraction ranging from 33 per cent to 89 per cent and an average copper extraction of over 61 per cent.
• Optimal copper test extractions of over 70 per cent were achieved by using mid-range (10 grams per litre) sulphuric acid (H2SO4) concentrations, consistent with earlier testwork by both Curis and BHP Copper.

The economic model presented in the September, 2010, preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for the Florence copper project used average total copper recoveries of 49 per cent.

"We are very pleased with the outcome of this next phase of critically important metallurgical testwork at Florence Copper," stated Dan Johnson, vice-president, technical services and environment, Curis. "These results further confirm that there is tremendous potential to improve on the copper recoveries from historical estimates, and on the overall robust economics indicated in the PEA for this world-class in situ copper recovery project."

The goal of the continuing ISR test program is to represent a cross-section through a typical mineralized block in the deposit, and simulate in situ treatment of the Florence mineralized resource by allowing recovery solutions to flow horizontally through intact pieces of drill core using a specially designed laboratory apparatus. The test program was designed by metallurgical specialist Dr. Terry McNulty.

Dr. McNulty stated, "I remain convinced that the core box approach toward ISR simulation is more realistic than the vertical column method that has been used in the past, and that it will enable a reliable projection of well field performance."

The next step in the metallurgical testing program will be to have these results incorporated into an overall assessment of predicted ultimate copper recoveries.

Background

Metallurgical testing to confirm and improve on historical copper recovery estimates for the Florence copper project began in June, 2011, at Metcon Research of Tucson, Ariz. Bottle-roll test results on 16 initial samples from a 2011 core drilling program, along with laboratory-scale ISR test results for four of these samples, were reported in a Curis press release dated Feb. 23, 2012. The results compared favourably with work completed by BHP Copper in the mid-1990s, as summarized in Curis's September, 2010, PEA. Test results for the remaining 12 ISR tests have now been received and are summarized herein along with the four ISR tests that were reported earlier.

Detailed ISR test results

The accompanying table provides details from the 16 ISR samples tested.

                 ISR LABORATORY TEST RESULTS

               Feed      Leach     Rinse     Calculated    Cumulative
Test No.      H2SO4      cycle     cycle     head assay    extraction
               (g/L)     (days)    (days)         (% Cu)        (% Cu)

Box 1             5        152        43           0.46         47.47
Box 5             5        158        38           1.22         44.76
Box 9             5        186        46           0.77         63.51
Box 13            5        176        37           0.26         32.94
Box 2            10        151        77           1.00         88.72
Box 3            10        152        43           0.58         81.32
Box 6            10        151        77           0.32         71.68
Box 7            10        154        42           0.52         59.79
Box 10           10        134        78           0.36         63.54
Box 11           10        186        46           0.87         84.26
Box 14           10        134        78           0.42         47.79
Box 15           10        219         8           0.44         68.48
Box 4            20        152        78           0.49         34.74
Box 8            20        154        78           0.74         77.01
Box 12           20        176        37           0.45         48.30
Box 16           20        218         8           0.17         66.95

"These results suggest a mid-range sulphuric acid feed of between eight to 10 grams per litre is likely to be optimal for the Florence copper project to achieve maximum possible recoveries," commented Mr. Johnson.

  ISR TEST RESULTS BY H2SO4 CONCENTRATION

Average feed H2SO4       Average extraction
(g/L)                                 (% Cu)

5                                     47.17
10                                    70.70
20                                    56.75 

The metallurgical test program is being supervised by Dr. Terry McNulty, PE, of T.P. McNulty and Associates Inc. of Tucson, Ariz., who is a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed this disclosure.

We seek Safe Harbor.