Corriente Resources: Precious Metals Zones Indicated at Laurani Project in Bolivia.

VANCOUVER, B.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 3, 1997--Corriente Resources Inc. (TSE:CTQ.) and joint venture partner Ascot Resources Ltd. have completed an initial 15 hole reverse circulation drill program on the Laurani project in Bolivia.

The program, which tested targets throughout the property, indicated an area of elevated silver, gold, antimony, zinc and lead values within a large (500m x 1,000m) quartz alunite alteration zone. The best values were encountered in hole 9 which intersected 20 metres averaging 246.8 g/t silver from 228 to 248 metres depth. This intercept, which also encountered anomalous but sub-economic values in gold and base metals, occurs within a wider interval of 120 metres averaging 56 g/t silver from 174 to 294 metres. Hole 9 was collared to test the Silver Zone discovered in trenching by Corriente in 1996 which encountered values at surface of 130 g/t silver over 20 meters. The significant increase in silver grade with depth is encouraging and further evaluation of the Silver Zone is in progress. A review of all drill holes is underway to determine a metal zoning pattern for the Laurani deposit which will assist in planning for the second phase drill program.

Results from a mine dump sampling program indicate a significant enrichment of gold in an area of the west central part of the property. The Gold Zone has an apparent east-northeast trend, delineated in part by seven mine dumps, each tested by a grab sample of characteristic mineralization. Six of the seven dumps yielded better than 1.5 g/t gold, with four dumps returning values of 4.9, 13.3, 27.5 and 67.9 g/t gold respectively. Also included within the apparent trend of the Gold Zone are encouraging dump sampling and reverse circulation drilling results from a program carried out in 1989 by United Mining. These included a shallow intersection of 20 metres width averaging 2.02 g/t gold in hole 22. The Gold Zone has an estimated strike extent in excess of 750 metres. The unusually high gold values are in an area with only small amounts of previous mining activity and perhaps are a vector to a gold rich part of the Laurani hydrothermal system. Currently field crews are carrying out detailed surface and underground mapping and sampling of accessible areas of the Gold Zone to determine its potential width and significance prior to a planned program of follow-up drilling.

Separately, Corriente will receive from joint-venture partner BHP by mid-September, all available data from the summer drill program on Taca-Taca Lower. A press release and map detailing the results of this work will be available shortly thereafter. Drilling continues on the Taca-Taca Upper project with results expected in late October. -0-

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CONTACT: Corriente Resources Inc.

Mr. Dan Carriere, 604/687-0449

Fax: [phone]

http://www.corriente.com/