Foran Announces Best Hole Drilled to Date in the Bigstone Copper Zone: 2.0% Cu over 105m, including 4.1% Cu over 20m

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - April 17, 2015) - Foran Mining Corporation (TSX VENTURE:FOM) -

• Highlights include 2.03% Cu over 104.94m, including 4.11% Cu over 20.35m and 3.16% Cu over 19.00m in BS-15-239¹
  
  
• Best drill result received to date for the Copper Zone at Bigstone (based on grade times thickness)
  
  
• Drilling is now complete - results from the remaining four drill holes will be released in the coming weeks
  
  

Foran Mining Corporation (TSX VENTURE:FOM) ("Foran" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of the second hole completed in the winter 2015 exploration program at the Bigstone deposit, on its 100% owned Bigstone property. The Bigstone deposit is located 25 km southwest of Foran's McIlvenna Bay deposit ("McIlvenna Bay") in east-central Saskatchewan, where the Company announced the results of a positive preliminary economic assessment in late 2014 (see the Foran news release dated Nov. 12, 2014).

On April 1, 2015 Foran released the results from the first drill hole completed at Bigstone in this program. Drill hole BS-15-240 targeted a zone of high-grade zinc mineralization, with 18.4% Zn over 11.78m, including 27.0% Zn over 7.62m. Individual intervals in BS-15-240 returned up to 41.7% Zn over 0.98m.

The Bigstone deposit has an historic mineral resource with both zinc- and copper-rich zones, including a copper zone with an estimated 3.75Mt grading 2.03% Cu and 0.33 g/t Au (1% Cu cutoff), and an adjacent zinc zone with an estimated 0.53Mt grading 9.62% Zn and 15.9 g/t Ag (5% Zn cutoff)². The historic mineral resources outline a vertically oriented, flattened, cylindrical shaped body, in part drill tested between 100 and 700m below surface.

Program Update & Looking Ahead

Foran's winter 2015 exploration program commenced in January and included drilling of both the Thunder Zone on the Balsam property and the Bigstone deposit. Drilling is now complete in both areas, with 1,914m in five drill holes at the Thunder Zone and 2,545m in six drill holes at the Bigstone deposit.

¹  Cu = copper, m = metres; ² The Bigstone historic resource was estimated in 1990; Foran is not treating the historic estimate as current; a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101 has not completed sufficient work to classify the historic estimate as current; additional work, including re-surveying, re-logging and drill core QA/QC would be required to verify and upgrade the historic estimate to current.

Drill results confirming and expanding the Thunder Zone massive sulphide discovery are summarized in the Foran news release dated March 25, 2015.

The remaining four holes drilled into the Bigstone deposit are currently being logged and sampled; assay results will be released in the coming weeks.

Significant assay intervals for BS-15-239 are summarized in Table 1; true thicknesses are estimated at approximately 60% of downhole distance. Drill hole data for all six holes drilled at Bigstone is presented in Foran's news release dated April 1, 2015, and a drill plan is shown in Figure 1.

Table 1. Bigstone Drill Hole BS-15-239 Result Summary.

¹ downhole distance (true thickness estimated at approximately 60% of downhole distance); ² CuEq = copper equivalent, ZnEq = zinc equivalent, CuEq and ZnEq calculations based on Cu= $2.63/lb., Zn =-$0.90/lb., Au = $1164/oz., Ag = $16/oz.; ³ Cu = copper, Zn = zinc, Au = gold, Ag = silver; ⁴ MS = massive sulphide, SMS = semi-massive sulphide DSS = disseminated and stringer sulphides.

About Foran Mining

Foran is a copper-zinc exploration and development company with projects in the Flin Flon Mining Belt. McIlvenna Bay, Foran's flagship deposit, is located in east-central Saskatchewan, 65 kilometres west of Flin Flon, Manitoba and is one of the largest undeveloped VMS deposits in Canada. On November 12, 2014, Foran announced a positive preliminary economic assessment for McIlvenna Bay.

Dave Fleming, VP Exploration for Foran and a Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information in this release.

As at December 31, 2014, the Company had a treasury of $4.05 million in cash and cash equivalents.

Foran trades on the TSX.V under the symbol "FOM".

Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, Foran's objectives, goals or future plans, statements regarding the estimation of mineral resources, exploration results, potential mineralization, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in Foran's public documents filed on SEDAR. Although Foran believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. Foran disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

To view the map associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Foran-04162015-fig1.pdf