Update - Brazilian Ni Project

Horizonte Minerals PLC
11 February 2008


        Horizonte Minerals plc / Index: AIM / Epic: HMZ / Sector: Mining

11 February 2008


             Horizonte Minerals plc ('Horizonte' or 'the Company')

                Advances Lontra Nickel Laterite Project, Brazil

Horizonte Minerals plc, the AIM listed exploration and development company
focused on Brazil and Peru, has received encouraging nickel ('Ni') and cobalt
('Co') values from its ongoing exploration programme on the highly prospective
Lontra Nickel Laterite project in the Carajas Mineral Province of Northern
Brazil.

Overview

   •Ongoing drilling programmes at two key targets, the Southern Anomaly and
    Raimundo Target.
   •New drilling results from Southern Anomaly returns 4m at 1% Ni
   •Follow-up 2000m auger drilling programme underway utilising three auger
    drill rigs on the Raimundo Target
   •Drilling and mapping at Raimundo defined ultramafic rocks with Ni
    mineralisation over a 2 kilometre strike
   •Two further new Ni targets to drill test

Horizonte CEO Jeremy Martin said, 'The results from the Southern Anomaly are
exciting with the initial test drill holes demonstrating that there are
consistent nickel grades in the top 10m of the laterite. We suspect that the
intensity of near surface weathering is stronger in the south so the surface
nickel grades as expected are lower than at the Raimundo Target. The mapped area
of prospective ultramafic rocks corresponding with the nickel soil anomaly in
the Southern Target is approximately 2km by 800m wide, which gives sufficient
area for a significant deposit.

'Work at the Raimundo Target is also progressing extremely well, with three
auger rigs at work and plans underway to commence an RC drilling programme in
the second quarter to test the nickel mineralisation down to 50m depth.
Following this we will be in a position to determine the resource potential of
the target.'

Southern Anomaly

An auger* drilling programme undertaken during December 2007 on the Southern
anomaly was designed to test the surface Ni anomaly. The results for the first
four holes drilled are summarised below. The majority of the holes ended in Ni
mineralisation with a maximum drill depth of 12.5m. The results are extremely
encouraging with consistent Ni values throughout the length of the holes. The
higher degree of weathering and surface leaching of Ni indicates that the target
depth for economic mineralisation is greater than at the Raimundo Target 11km to
the north. The Southern target area has a strike length with mapped ultramafic
rocks of 2km by 800 wide.

 Hole  From    To     Interval        Ni*         Co            Including
 412     2m   EOH          +5.8m       0.25%       0.02%
 413     6m   EOH          +6.5m       0.86%       0.04%        4m @ +1%Ni
 415     6m   EOH            +1m       0.36%       0.03%
 416     2m   EOH         +10.5m       0.35%       0.02%      10.5m @ 0.1%Cu


*Auger drilling is a small portable motorised drill rig with a maximum depth of
approximately 20m.

Raimundo Target

The Raimundo Target in the centre of the project area is the focus of the 2,000m
auger drilling programme. The drilling is designed to extend the depth of the
mineralised zone discovered late in 2007, (results summarised in the table
below) and test new mineralised zones to the north and south. Based on the
shallow auger drilling carried out on 400m by 80m spaced grids and surface
mapping, the known extent of the Ni bearing ultramafic rock unit is
approximately 2km long by 500m wide with the vertical extent as yet unknown.
Mineralisation at the Serra do Tapa Ni deposit operated by Xstrata located to
the north of the Lontra project extends for up to 90m in depth.

  Hole     From       To       Interval       Ni*         Co        Including
 -------  -------    -------     -------     -------     -------     ----------
   209        4m      EOH           +12m       0.83%       0.05%    2m @ +1%Ni
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------   ----------
   211        8m      EOH            +8m       0.86%       0.08%    2m @ +1%Ni
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------   ----------
   214        4m      EOH            +8m       0.90%       0.04%    2m @ +1%Ni
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------   ----------
   220        4m       6m             2m       0.59%       0.12%
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------     ----------
   220        6m      EOH            +5m       1.00%       0.10%    5m @ +1%Ni
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------   ----------
   223        4m      EOH            +4m       0.59%       0.09%
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------     ----------
   224        8m      EOH            +2m       0.60%       0.07%
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------     ----------
   226        6m      EOH            +6m       0.55%       0.03%
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------     ----------
   227        6m      EOH            +5m       0.76%       0.03%
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------     ----------
   228        4m      EOH            +7m       0.87%       0.03%
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------     ----------
   231        8m      EOH            +4m       0.82%       0.06%
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------     ----------
   232        6m      EOH            +6m       1.00%       0.05%      6m @ +1%Ni
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------     ----------
   247        8m      EOH          +1.8m       0.51%       0.01%
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------     ----------
   257        7m      EOH            +9m       0.54%       0.02%
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------     ----------
   273        6m       8m            2m       0.54%       0.08%
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------     ----------
   273        8m      EOH            +4m       1.00%       0.06%      4m @ +1%Ni
 -------  -------   -------       -------     -------     -------     ----------
  * Ni values with 1% upper limit due to analysis method. Results of automatic
                          over limit re-runs awaited.


Background to the Project


The Lontra Project is situated in the Araguaia mobile belt, which flanks the
eastern margin of the Carajas Mineral Province of northern Brazil. This is just
80km south of the major lateritic Ni project operated by Xstrata at Serra da
Tapa (inferred resource of 60Mt at 1.63% Ni and 0.06%) and 7km northwest of the
adjoining Vila Oito project, where Teck Cominco currently has a drilling
programme underway. Recent results released for the Teck-Cominco drilling at
Vila Oito indicate the top of high-grade mineralisation is often intersected at
depths of in excess of 10m and in cases over 20m.


Horizonte initially identified a number of priority Ni targets at the Lontra
Project following a regional stream sediment sampling programme in the last
quarter of 2006. This was followed by regional soil sample programmes over the
seven target areas, which identified the drill targets.


Sampling, assaying, and QA/QC


Procedures adopted by Horizonte in the collection, preparation and storage of
samples from the auger drilling programme, conform to industry-wide best
practice and with chain of custody being observed for all samples. Analysis is
undertaken by ACME Labs at its laboratories in Vancouver, Canada, and the
Company maintains QA/QC on all analytical work via the inclusion of certified
reference materials and field duplicates and blanks, in addition to monitoring
of the laboratory's own internal check-analyses.


The above information has been reviewed and verified by Mr. Jeremy Martin, a
Director and Chief Executive of Horizonte, for the purposes of the Guidance Note
for Mining, Oil and Gas Companies issued by the London Stock Exchange in March
2006. Mr. Martin, with seven years of mining and management experience,
graduated with a degree in geology from the Camborne School of Mines, and an MSc
in mineral exploration from the University of Leicester and is a member in good
standing with the Society of Economic Geologists and the Institute of Mining
Analysts.


                                  * * ENDS * *


For further information visit www.horizonteminerals.com or contact:


Jeremy Martin/David Hall Horizonte Minerals plc Tel: [phone]

David Paxton Hichens Harrison Tel: [phone]

Hugo de Salis St Brides Media & Finance Ltd Tel: [phone]

John Frain/Fergal Meegan Davy Tel: [phone]


Notes to Editors:


Horizonte Minerals Plc is an AIM listed mineral resources exploration group
focused on the discovery, appraisal and development of gold and base metal
deposits in Brazil and Peru. The Company has two gold exploration projects in
Brazil, and one silver-zinc-lead project in Peru. The two Brazilian gold
projects, Tangara and Falcao, are located to the south of the highly prospective
Carajas Mineral Province. Both projects cover an area of approximately 300 sq km
and are centred over greenstone belts, with known gold mineralisation. The scale
of these project areas, the overall aerial extent of the mineralised system and
the high density and magnitude of related gold anomalies (identified in river
sediments, surface soils and rocks), indicate the potential for multiple deposit
discoveries.


The silver-zinc-lead project is located in the historic mining district of Cerro
de Pasco in Central Peru. Sampling and limited historic drilling on this project
has demonstrated the high grade potential of this project.



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