New Vein System Discovered at Kiziltepe

17 May 2011
AIM / PLUS Markets: AAU


                    NEW VEIN SYSTEM DISCOVERED AT KIZILTEPE

Ariana  Resources  plc  ("Ariana"  or  "the  Company"), the gold exploration and
development  company focused on Turkey, is  pleased to announce positive results
for  a new surface sampling programme at its Kiziltepe gold deposit in Balikesir
Province,  western Turkey.  This programme has been successful in confirming the
presence  of a further  gold bearing vein  system on the  Company's flagship Red
Rabbit Gold Project.

Highlights:

  * Continuous high-grades (up to 10.7 g/t Au equiv.) encountered over the newly
    discovered "Gamze" Vein.

  * Geophysics suggest that the Gamze and previously discovered Fidan vein
    systems are connected within the same mineralised structure - combined
    strike length of 1,800m.

  * Strong continuity with existing high-grade gold bearing vein systems -
    potential for expansion of current 448,000 oz Au Eq. JORC resource for Red
    Rabbit.

  * Increased resource would further improve economics of planned operation at
    Kiziltepe - production targeted for 2012.

  * Further geophysics targets currently being tested by surface sampling and
    new exploration drilling being planned for the summer.



Dr. Kerim Sener, Managing Director, commented:

"The  recent  confirmation  of  the  Gamze  Vein  reinforces  the  potential for
significant  near surface resource upside at  the Kiziltepe gold prospect, which
is further enhanced by the identification of additional vein systems parallel to
the  trend of known structures.   A drilling programme is  being planned for the
summer  and  it  is  expected  that  these additional veins will provide further
resource  upside for  the planned  mining operation  at Kiziltepe,  which we are
developing  in Joint Venture with our local Turkish partner Proccea Construction
Co."

Details of Programme

The  Company  has  recently  completed  surface  sampling  of several geophysics
targets  at  the  Kiziltepe  deposit.   Ariana  has  previously  highlighted the
potential  of buried or  partially buried vein  systems at Kiziltepe, which were
noted  following geophysics undertaken in  2008 and 2010.  Since then systematic
testing of these areas using various methods including float, rock-chip sampling
and RC drilling has been conducted.

A  field team from Ariana's subsidiary, Galata Madencilik San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti,
recently  completed a follow-up  float and rock-chip  sampling programme over an
area  covering  the  newly  named  Gamze  Vein  (Figure  1).  This programme was
designed  to  confirm  the  distribution  of  near surface mineralisation and to
determine  its relationship to the Fidan Vein, which outcrops to the southeast.
This fieldwork helped confirm the presence and extent of these vein targets.

At  the Gamze Vein,  sampling was undertaken,  to map the  partially buried vein
through  float sampling and  a combination of  soil geochemistry and geophysical
evidence.   Samples  were  taken  every  20m along  strike  and,  at each sample
location,  randomly  selected  float  and  subcrop  samples  were  collected  as
composites from a circular area within 10m radius around the sample point.  This
ensured  that  the  vein  area  was  comprehensively  sampled with minimum bias.
 Further  along strike to the  southeast, at the Fidan  Vein, samples were taken
exclusively  from outcrop, at a sample  interval of roughly 10-15m, depending on
outcrop location.

High grades were obtained on both the Gamze and Fidan veins.  The maximum grades
reported  were 10.71 and 8.01 g/t Au equivalent respectively.  The continuity of
grade  identified along the strike length  of both veins, totalling 1,800m, make
these  important targets for future  exploration drilling.  Field and geophysics
evidence  suggest that the Gamze and Fidan vein systems are connected within the
same mineralised structure.

The  similarity of structural trend and the location of the Gamze Vein, relative
to  Arzu North and  South, enhances the  probability that the  Arzu structure is
itself  continuous beneath a cap rock  unit of rhyodacitic ignimbrite.  The area
between  Arzu North and South is an  important future drilling target, which has
been  partially tested  along the  Derya vein  extension with success.  This and
other targets identified by geophysics will be followed up with further work.

Two  additional  veins  have  been  located  parallel  to  the  Gamze  and  Banu
structures,  and have  recently been  sampled in  a similar  manner; results are
pending.


Figure  1: Map of the surface sampling completed  on the Gamze and Fidan veins.
The locations of the designed pits at Arzu South, Arzu North, Banu and Derya are
also shown.

Sampling and Assaying Procedures

The  Gamze Vein sampling  programme consisted of  the collection of 52 composite
float and rock-chip samples of quartz vein material.  Due to the lack of visible
outcrop,  the samples were a composite  of subcrop and float material.  However,
the linear distribution and density of quartz vein float, combined with the soil
geochemical and geophysical evidence, enable these samples to be attributed to a
single coherent vein system.

Of   the  52 samples  collected  none  returned  grades  less  than  0.1 g/t  Au
equivalent;  21 samples  assayed  between  0.10-1.0 g/t  Au equivalent (40.4% of
total),  20 samples  between  1.0-2.5 g/t  Au  (39.5%  of  total) and 11 samples
between  2.5 and 10.7 g/t Au equivalent  (21.1% of total), with  a peak grade of
10.7 g/t Au equivalent.

Due to the prevalence of good outcrop, the Fidan Vein was sampled exclusively by
rock-chip  sampling.  Of  the 41 rock-chip  samples collected 3 samples returned
grades  less than 0.1 g/t Au equivalent  (7.3% of the total); 21 samples assayed
between 0.10-1.0 g/t Au equivalent (51.2% of total), 12 samples between 1.0-2.5
g/t  Au (29.3%  of total)  and 5 samples  between 2.5 and 8.01 g/t Au equivalent
(12.2% of total), with a peak grade of 8.01 g/t Au equivalent.

All  samples were prepared by  the ALS Chemex preparation  facility in Izmir and
assayed  by 30g fire assay at the ALS Chemex laboratory in Romania.  Routine re-
assaying  of all samples assaying greater than 10 g/t Au has also been completed
by  ALS Chemex.  Regular standard and blank samples are being used in the sample
sequence in line with the Company's quality control procedures.


Contacts:

 Ariana Resources plc                     Tel: [phone]

 Michael Spriggs, Chairman

 Kerim Sener, Managing Director



 Beaumont Cornish Limited                 Tel: [phone]

 Roland Cornish



 Alexander David Securities Limited       Tel: [phone]

 David Scott / Maria Shields



 Loeb Aron & Company Ltd                  Tel: [phone]

 Jonathan Willis-Richards / Frank Lucas



 St Brides Media & Finance Ltd            Tel: [phone]

 Hugo de Salis / Susie Geliher




Editors' note:

Dr  Kerim  Sener,  BSc  (Hons),  MSc,  PhD,  is  the Managing Director of Ariana
Resources  plc.  A graduate of the University of Southampton in Geology, he also
holds  a  Master's  degree  from  the  Royal  School of Mines (Imperial College,
London)  in Mineral Exploration  and a doctorate  from the University of Western
Australia.  He is a Fellow of The Geological Society of London and has worked in
geological  research and mineral  consultancy in Southern  Africa and Australia.
 He   has  read  and  approved  the  technical  disclosure  in  this  regulatory
announcement.

About Ariana Resources

Ariana  is an  exploration and  development company  focused on epithermal gold-
silver and porphyry copper-gold deposits in Turkey.  The Company is developing a
portfolio  of  prospective  licences  selected  on  the  basis  of  its in-house
geological  and remote-sensing  database, on  its own  in western  Turkey and in
Joint  Venture  with  European  Goldfields  Limited  in  north-eastern  Turkey.
European  Goldfields owns  51% of this  joint venture  and, as  the operator, is
fully  funding all  exploration work  on the  JV properties  until delivery of a
feasibility study.

The  Company's flagship assets  are its Sindirgi  and Tavsan gold projects which
form  the Red Rabbit Gold  Project.  Both contain a  series of prospects, within
two  prolific  mineralised  districts  in  the  Western  Anatolian  Volcanic and
Extensional  (WAVE) Province in western Turkey.  This Province hosts the largest
operating  gold mines in Turkey and  remains highly prospective for new porphyry
and epithermal deposits.  These core projects, which are separated by a distance
of  75km, are presently being assessed as to  their economic merits and now form
part  of  a  Joint  Venture  with  Proccea  Construction Co.  The total resource
inventory of the Company stands at 448,000 ounces of gold equivalent.

Ariana   also   has   a   strategic   investment  in  Tigris  Resources  Limited
(www.tigrisresources.com),  a private Jersey-based exploration company, which is
focused  on the exploration of copper and gold deposits in southeastern Turkey.
Ariana retains 15% of Tigris Resources Limited.

Loeb  Aron  &  Company  Ltd.  and  Alexander  David Securities Limited are joint
brokers  to the Company and Beaumont  Cornish Limited is the Company's Nominated
Adviser.

For further information on Ariana you are invited to visit the Company's website
at www.arianaresources.com.

Glossary of Technical Terms

"Au" the chemical symbol for gold;

"Au  equivalent" sum of the  gold grade and the  gold equivalent grade of silver
utilising a price ratio of 1:55, based on historic gold/silver prices;

"float"  loose fragments  of rock  visible on  surface, that  may represent sub-
surface in-situ rock;

"g/t" grammes per tonne;

"m"      Metres;

"outcrop" in-situ rock visible at surface;

"oz" Ounces;

"rock-chip" sample taken from in-situ rock on surface;

"stockwork"  a  mineral  deposit  in  the  form  of a branching network of small
irregular veins;

"subcrop' blocks of rock that are unlikely to have moved far from their original
in-situ position;

"vein" refers in this case to epithermal, gold-silver bearing quartz veins;


Ends







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Source: Ariana Resources plc via Thomson Reuters ONE

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