Access to #700,000 Drill Core

Tertiary Minerals PLC
3 August 2000


                     Tertiary Minerals Plc
                                                                              
               
     TERTIARY REAPS BENEFIT WORTH £700,000 FROM ARCHIVE OF
        DRILL CORE FROM OLD BOLIDEN PROPERTY IN SWEDEN
                               
                               
- New Information Will Significantly Advance Understanding
  Of Windfall Property
  
- Preliminary Evaluation Of Core To Be Completed By End-
  August
  
- New Geochemical Exploration Technique Being Introduced

AIM-listed  Tertiary Minerals Plc, which is  seeking  base  and
precious metals in Sweden, has gained access to over 14,000m of
drill  core  which significantly advances the  exploration  and
evaluation status of its Windfall zinc-silver property  in  the
historic  Bergslagen mining district. The archive of  core  was
assembled  by  former  permit holder Boliden  Mining  from  105
diamond  drill  holes  completed in the  1980s.   The  cost  of
completing  such  a programme today would be  around  £700,000,
says Tertiary chairman Mr Patrick Cheetham.

'This  is  an  important development for Tertiary  as  it  will
enable  the company to advance its understanding of  the  known
mineralisation  as  well  as  its exploration  and  development
potential.   It  will reduce the amount of check drilling  that
the  company  would otherwise need to carry out and  result  in
substantial future cost savings.'

The company expects to complete a preliminary evaluation of the
drill  core  by the end of August and comprehensive  re-logging
and sampling of the core is expected to follow.

Boliden's  Windfall  drilling programmes focused  on  two  main
zones  of  mineralisation - Vindfall and Sortarnan - which  are
approximately 1.5km apart along strike from each other  on  the
same mineralised horizon.  This drilling was, at least in part,
the   basis   for   a   reported  360,000t  of   near   surface
mineralisation  in  the  two deposits averaging  7.3p.c.  zinc,
2.8p.c. lead and 82g/t silver.  Subsequent drilling by Tertiary
has  demonstrated  the potential to extend this  mineralisation
and for higher grade mineralisation.

Meanwhile,  Tertiary  is introducing a proprietary  geochemical
sampling  technique  to 'see through' the  transported  glacial
overburden  which  covers its Windfall  property.   The  Mobile
Metal  Ion  (MMI) technique is being applied over a 4km  strike
length  of  the geological formation hosting the  Vindfall  and
Sortarnan zones of mineralisation.

The   MMI  technique  is  able  to  detect  subtle  geochemical
anomalies  formed relatively recently (in geological terms)  by
water-transported, loosely-bonded metal ions in the  soil.   It
was  developed  in Australia for application in  the  country's
extensive  leached  terrains where earlier 'primary'  anomalies
have  been  leached away.  MMI anomalies are formed in  surface
soils directly overlying bedrock mineralisation.

In  countries  which  are  blanketed by ice-transported  'till'
overburden,  such  as Sweden, the underlying mineralisation  is
effectively  hidden by glacial material deposited in  the  last
ice-age.  Since this glacial material may have been transported
considerable  distances, geochemical 'till'  anomalies  do  not
necessarily  lie  directly above the source of  mineralisation.
Traditional  surface  till sampling techniques  in  such  areas
therefore  rely  on  interpretation of  sometimes  complex  ice
movements  to  trace 'till' anomalies back  to  the  source  of
mineralisation.   Since the MMI anomalies  lie  directly  above
bedrock mineralisation, it is a valuable exploration 'tool'  in
such areas.

The  objective  of  the  MMI  survey  is  to  test  for  strike
extensions  and define further drilling targets.   Results  are
expected  to be available within six weeks.  'By the  time  the
MMI survey results are available we expect to have completed  a
preliminary review of the Boliden drill core archive.  We  then
expect to start the exploration drills turning again', says  Mr
Cheetham.

Further Information:

Patrick Cheetham
Tertiary Minerals plc              01625 626203

Ron Marshman
City of London PR Group       020 7628 5518