Das unentdeckte Juwel Desert Sun Mining

Eine immer noch sehr attraktive Goldminenaktie!!!

www.desertsunmining.com/downloads/german/germanarticle2.pdf

Es gibt noch einen weiteren Bericht zu dieser Firma

www.desertsunmining.com/downloads/german/germanarticle1.pdf

Wer hat sonst noch einen guten "Goldminen Tipp?".

Morro do Vento is a major potential open pittable target zone in the Intermediate reefs. To date 32 holes totaling 4,802m have been completed of which results have been received for 27 of these holes. Four drills are currently working at this target. The target Intermediate reef package is consistently about 60-70m wide and extends along the full 2km strike length with extensive garimpos (free miners workings). Because of the geometry of the zone, and its location on the east flank of a hill, the zone could be open pit mined with minimal waste rock removal.

Table 1 below summarizes new drilling results at Morro do Vento and the attached longitudinal section in Figure 1 shows the location of the pierce points.

Highlights include:

- MVT-310 which intersected 0.96 grams gold per tonne (g Au/t) over a true width of 50.8m including 3.00 g Au/t over a true width of 10.9m (2.65 g Au/t cut to 30g);

- MVT-312 which returned 0.79 g Au/t over 61.1m including higher grade zones of 5.54 g Au/t over 2.9m and 1.36 g Au/t over 12.1m true width; and

- MVT-313, 50m vertically below MVT-291, which intersected 0.94 g Au/t over a true width 41.3m

As previously announced, SRK Consulting is carrying out a preliminary assessment of the potential for open pit mining at Morro do Vento. This study is expected to be completed by year end. Drilling is continuing with four rigs.

Table 1: Significant Drilling Results, Morro do Vento
--------------------------------------------------
Hole No.(1)  From     To (m)   Gold     Interval     True    Depth Below
            (m)               (g/t)    (m)          Width   Surface (2)
                                                    (m)     (m)
--------------------------------------------------
MORRO DO VENTO
MVT-307
Dip -55     66.57     70.08    0.78         3.51       3.2            62
         Faulted
MVT-308
Dip -57     59.55     66.19    1.00         6.64       6.2            70
         Faulted
MVT-310
Dip -58      3.60     58.82    0.96        55.22      50.8            45
    Incl.  25.96      27.5    4.88         1.54       1.4            30
    Incl.  47.00     58.82    3.00        11.82      10.9            60
                             (2.65 cut to 30 g/t)
MVT-311
Dip -54     50.53     55.31    1.09         4.78       4.6            55
           72.12     78.61    1.35         6.49       6.2            80

MVT-312
Dip -80     34.85    191.62    0.79       156.77      61.1           100
          105.74    136.74    1.36        31.00      12.1           108
    Incl.  170.1    177.63    5.54         7.53       2.9           150

MVT-313
Dip -90     37.87    105.54    0.94        67.67      41.3            72
           37.87     44.49    1.78         6.62       4.0            41
           65.57     72.55    3.24         6.98       4.3            69
           93.06    105.54    1.33        12.48       7.6            99
--------------------------------------------------
(1) all holes are NQ diamond drill core size
(2) depth calculated based on midpoint of intersection


Major Extension of Serra do Corrego Formation Conglomerates

Work by DSM geological staff in the northern part of the Bahia Gold Belt has confirmed that the Serra do Corrego conglomerates which were previously thought to terminate just north of the town of Jacobina extend for a further 45km along strike to the north. The total strike length of this prolific formation is thus at least 75km. Figure 2 is a generalized geological map of the Bahia Gold Belt showing the extent of the Serra do Corrego Formation. Preparation of this map was greatly helped by recently released 1:50,000 scale geological maps prepared by the Brazilian Geological Survey (Companhia de Pesquisas de Recursos Minerals (CPRM)) and airborne geophysical surveys by Fugro Inc. under contract to the Bahian Geological Survey (Companhis de Bahiana Pesquisas Minerais (CBPM)).

Garimpos have been identified at a number of locations along the new strike extent. Fuchsite (green mica) is widespread and many areas with iron oxides likely resulting from weathering of pyrite have been identified. Stream geochemical sampling data from surveys completed by CPRM indicate that the gold geochemical signature of the northern extension of the Serra do Corrego Formation is very similar to the southern area where the former mines are located.

New Target Belt in Serra de Pindobacu Outlier

DSM has been carrying out a systematic geological mapping, sampling and prospecting program to assess the potential of the Bahia Gold Belt. In addition to the major extension of the Serra do Corrego Formation, DSM geological staff have outlined a second major target area known as the "Serra de Pindobacu Outlier". This area, which is shown on the inset box in Figure 2, is a 16km long, up to 1 km wide outlier of Jacobina group sedimentary rocks surrounded by a complex of metamorphic rocks. Numerous gold garimpos occur across the entire strike length. Gold mineralization occurs as fine native gold and with pyrite and fuchsite (green mica) associated with silicification, quartz veins and breccia zones within quartzites, conglomerates, andalusite schists and mafic intrusives in a series of major shear zones within the outlier. The mineralized conglomerates are younger than those of the Serra do Corrego Formation but the mineralogy and chemistry of the gold mineralization in the ou
tlier is very similar to that of the main conglomerate belt.

At Sambura, located 50km north of the town of Jacobina (see Figure 2), gold mineralization occurs within narrow quartz veins cutting andalusite schist and within pyritic zones in ultramafic intrusives. Sampling of the quartz veins by DSM that typically contain visible gold, have returned a range of values from 0.06 g Au/t to 60.1 g Au/t over narrow widths (0.1 to 0.2m). An Insight induced polarization survey of the area outlined a zone of high chargeability with an apparent thickness of 70m and a down dip extent of 400m in the vicinity of these garimpeiro workings. This target will be drill tested in early 2004.

At Cercadinho, 5km north of Sambura, as previously reported, DSM identified a north-south trending zone approximately 300 metres wide, and extending at least 1 kilometre along strike, in which several coarse conglomerate units are interbedded with quartzites of the Rio do Ouro Formation. The conglomerate beds, which are up to 30 metres wide, host extensive mineralized shear zones that have had major garimpeiro activity. The most extensive garimpo (free miner working) extends for 300 metres along strike, is 1.5 to 2.0 metres wide and goes down to 9 metres in depth. An analysis of mill tailings from the garimpeiro operation returned 8 grams of gold per tonne. An induced polarization survey is in progress in the area.

DSM Moves Forward at Jacobina Mine

As previously reported (see press release August 26, 2003) Micon International reviewed and confirmed measured and indicated mineral resources of 14,802,000 tonnes grading 2.86 g Au/t containing 1,362,000 ounces gold and inferred mineral resources of 29,487,000 tonnes grading 2.62 g Au/t containing 2,479,500 ounces of gold in the Jacobina mine area.

The SNC Lavalin Feasibility study (see press release September 12, 2003) confirmed the economics of bringing the Jacobina mine back into production and outlined a mineral reserve of 10,746,000 tonnes grading 2.20 g Au/t containing 758,600 ounces of gold. SRK Consulting extended the SNC Lavalin Feasibility Study mine plan (2004 to 2011) an additional 11 years to early 2023 by scheduling the potentially "mineable tonnes" resulting from the conversion of inferred resources based on historical data. SRK considered that Jacobina has the potential to deliver "economically mineable tonnes" containing 2 million recoverable ounces of gold. A key objective of the expanded exploration program is to upgrade the present inferred mineral resources to the indicated category to achieve these potential recoverable ounces. It must be cautioned that the SRK study is not adequate to definitely confirm the economics of the inferred mineral resources and that there is no guarantee that further dri
lling will upgrade the inferred resources. Based on the SNC Feasibility, the mine can be in full production by 2005, producing at about 102,000 ounces per year at an average cash cost of US $189 per ounce.

For Morro do Vento, John Reddick, P.Geo. of Reddick Consulting is preparing a preliminary resource block model to provide the basis for a preliminary pit design and scoping study to be carried out by Ken Reipas, P.Eng of SRK Consulting. Results of this work will be used to guide further definition drilling to define an indicated open pittable mineral resource upon which a feasibility study can be based. SRK has also been retained to review the potential of an expanded production rate scenario based on the potential "mineable tonnes" in their original preliminary evaluation.

On site, work is progressing on cleanup and rehabilitation of the processing plant. A contractor will shortly commence mechanical and structural work at the plant. Installation of power and pipes is in progress at the Joao Belo and Itapicuru mines with dewatering expected to commence before Christmas. As noted above, dewatering of the Canavieiras mine has already been completed and underground services are being installed.

Assaying for the program was carried out by Lakefield Geosol, an ISO 9002 laboratory based in Brazil, using fire assay on 50 gram pulps. Check assaying is routinely carried out, by ALS Chemex in Vancouver, on 10% of sample pulps and 5% of sample rejects. Security is maintained at the core logging and sampling facility. Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo. is the Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the scientific and technical work on the program.

About Desert Sun:

Desert Sun Mining is a Canadian gold exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (www.desertsunmining.com).

The Company owns 100% of one of the largest gold belts in Brazil, the Bahia Gold Belt, which extends for over 100 km. The Belt hosts three past producers (Joao Belo, Itapicuru and Canavieiras - collectively called the Jacobina Operations) that produced over 700,000 ounces of gold between 1981 and 1998. The three mines and the surrounding area host 1.4 million ounces of gold (14.8 million tonnes at 2.86g Au/t) in the measured and indicated catergory (M&I) and an additional 2.5 million ounces (29.5 million tonnes at 2.62g Au/t) in the inferred category on less than 10% of the total Bahia Gold Belt. Much of the Belt remains unexplored where DSM has spent US $2 million in exploration over the past 12 months and has a US $5 million exploration budget for 2004. To date two major new targets have been identified, - the Morro do Vento and Joao Belo Sul. DSM has four drills working on Morro do Vento and results to date indicate that Morro do Vento could host over one million ounces of
potentially open pittable material. Drilling at Joao Belo Sul has recently started.

Following completion of a positive feasibility study by SNC Lavalin on the measured and indicated resource of 1.4 million ounces, DSM is now reopening the existing mines and reactivating the processing plant and expects to be at full production by 2005 at 102,000 ounces per year at a cash cost of US $189 per ounce. The reactivation is expected to take approximately 12 months to complete at a capital cost of US $30 million

Statements in this release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual developments or results may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking statements".

NOTE: There is a Map available on CCNMatthews' website:

Desert Sun Map: www2.cdn-news.com/database/fax/2000/suna1202.pdf

Was sind eure Sektorfavoriten???

the current resource, in an area close to existing underground
development. A drillhole map is available on the Tournigan website at
www.tournigan.com.

Regional prospecting results on the recently discovered vein in an area
called Alwories are as follows:


--------------------------------------------------
Sample Width Grams per
(metres) tonne gold Vein
--------------------------------------------------
Grab (initial) n/a 16.64 Skookum
--------------------------------------------------
Channel 0.12 - 0.15 20.96 Skookum
--------------------------------------------------
Channel 0.40 17.89 Skookum
--------------------------------------------------
Channel 0.60 15.31 Skookum
--------------------------------------------------
Channel 0.53 32.08 Skookum
--------------------------------------------------
Note: Samples represent true widths over an exposure of approximately
2 metres


Alwories is approximately 2.5 kilometres east-southeast of
Curraghinalt, along strike with the current veins that make up the
known resource. Tournigan`s successful extension drilling has already
extended the Curraghinalt veins 400 metres closer to this discovery -
see Tournigan`s press release dated November 5, 2003. The discovery
vein, called Skookum, was made at surface in an old quarry and a
trenching program has begun in order to delineate this vein and sample
it over a greater strike length.

A soil geochemical survey has been recently completed that covers an 8
kilometre by 2 kilometre area both along and across the projected
strike of the veins that make up the Curraghinalt gold deposit. The
results illustrate numerous locations containing strongly anomalous
gold values, potentially reflecting undiscovered and unexplored veins.
A particularly large and encouraging anomaly has been discovered
immediately north and northeast of the known Curraghinalt veins and
resource block. Gold values, especially those north of Curraghinalt,
are similar in tenor to those over the known high-grade veins within
the Curraghinalt resource block, suggesting the presence of
undiscovered veins similar in size and grade to those of the
Curraghinalt resource. This area will now be subject to close-spaced
deep overburden soil sampling which should generate drill-targets that
will be drilled at the completion of the current infill feasibility
drilling program. A map of this geochemical program will be posted at
www.tournigan.com shortly.


US Securities Registration

Tournigan has filed its initial Form 20-F registration statement with
the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Once approved,
the Company`s shares will be available to US investors with less
onerous restrictions. The initial statement as well as all future
material information is available at www.sec.gov.


TOURNIGAN GOLD CORPORATION

" Damien Reynolds"
Damien Reynolds, President and Chief Executive Officer


The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Statements
in this press release other than purely historical information,
including statements relating to the Company`s future plans and
objectives or expected results, constitute forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are
subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company`s
business, including risks inherent in mineral exploration and
development. As a result, actual results may vary materially from
those described in the forward-looking statements.

Tournigan`s Quality Assurance/Quality Control Program
The Qualified Person at Curraghinalt continues to be Dr. Kent Ausburn -
see Tournigan`s press releases dated October 1 and November 5, 2003 for
further details on this and Tournigan`s Quality Assurance/Quality
Control (QA/QC) program.

A drill location map for Curraghinalt is available at
http://www.tournigan.com

For further information please contact:
Damien Reynolds, President
Tel: (604) 683-8320

Garry Stock, Executive VP
Tel: (604) 683-8320

Associated Image:
http://www.tournigan.com/i/maps/IrishDrillmapDec03.jpg
110 KB in size, approx. 56 seconds to download at 28.8Kbps

==================================================
Copyright (c) 2003 TOURNIGAN GOLD CORPORATION (TSXV-TVC) All rights
reserved. For more information visit our website at
http://www.tournigan.com/ or send mailto:info@tournigan.com
Message sent on Wed Dec 17, 2003 at 5:19:48 PM Pacific Time
==================================================

Table 1 below summarizes the new drilling results at Morro do Vento, and the attached longitudinal section in Figure 1 shows the location of the pierce points.

Table 1: Significant Drilling Results, Morro do Vento

--------------------------------------------------
                                                             Depth
                                                             Below
                                                     True  Surface
              From       To      Gold   Interval    Width      (ii)
Hole No.(1)      (m)      (m)     (g/t)       (m)       (m)      (m)
--------------------------------------------------
MORRO DO VENTO
MVT-314
Dip -73      63.72   157.25      0.92     93.53      75.8      120
 Incl.       82.29    90.80      4.16      8.51       6.9       90
 Incl.      113.19   123.85      2.95     10.66       8.6      122
MVT-315
Dip -85       46.4   172.38      0.65    125.98      63.0      109
 Incl.      119.88   132.29      1.46     12.41       6.2      125
 Incl.      154.82   172.38      2.13     17.56       8.8      163
MVT-317
Dip -89      77.96   167.39      0.42     89.43      52.8      122
 Incl.      127.09   141.50      2.09     14.41       8.5      134
MVT-319
Dip -84      69.97   150.84      0.72     80.87      52.6      110
 Incl.       78.50    90.11      1.77     11.61       7.5       84
 Incl.      104.43   117.55      1.67     13.12       8.5      110
 Incl.      144.24   150.84      1.20      6.60       4.3      148
MVT-320
Dip -47      25.59    78.15      0.65     52.56      51.5       36
 Incl.       25.59    30.94      2.34      5.35       5.2       16
 Incl.       40.73    46.98      1.64      6.25       6.1       28
MVT-321
Dip -72      46.21   219.54      0.52    173.33      50.3      110
 Incl.       61.30    74.30      1.37     13.00       3.8       50
 Incl.      108.92   119.10      3.67     10.18       3.0       90
--------------------------------------------------
(i)  all holes are NQ diamond drill core size
(ii) depth calculated based on midpoint of intersection


DSM Continues to Move Forward at Jacobina Mine

As previously reported (see press release August 26, 2003) Micon International reviewed and confirmed measured and indicated mineral resources of 14,802,000 tonnes grading 2.86 g Au/t containing 1,362,000 ounces gold and inferred mineral resources of 29,487,000 tonnes grading 2.62 g Au/t containing 2,479,500 ounces of gold in the Jacobina mine area.

The SNC Lavalin Feasibility study (see press release September 12, 2003) confirmed the economics of bringing the Jacobina mine back into production and outlined a mineral reserve of 10,746,000 tonnes grading 2.20 g Au/t containing 758,600 ounces of gold. SRK Consulting extended the SNC Lavalin Feasibility Study mine plan (2004 to 2011) an additional 11 years to early 2023 by scheduling the potentially "mineable tonnes" resulting from the conversion of inferred resources based on historical data. SRK considered that Jacobina has the potential to deliver "economically mineable tonnes" containing 2 million recoverable ounces of gold. A key objective of the expanded exploration program is to upgrade the present inferred mineral resources to the indicated category to achieve these potential recoverable ounces. It must be cautioned that the SRK study is not adequate to definitely confirm the economics of the inferred mineral resources and that there is no guarantee that further dri
lling will upgrade the inferred resources. Based on the SNC Feasibility, the mine can be in full production by 2005, producing at about 102,000 ounces per year at an average cash cost of US $189 per ounce.

For Morro do Vento, John Reddick, P.Geo. of Reddick Consulting is preparing a preliminary resource block model to provide the basis for a preliminary pit design and scoping study to be carried out by Ken Reipas, P.Eng of SRK Consulting. Results of this work will be used to guide further definition drilling to define an indicated open pittable mineral resource upon which a feasibility study can be based. SRK has also been retained to review the potential of an expanded production rate scenario based on the potential "mineable tonnes" in their original preliminary evaluation.

On site, work is progressing on cleanup and rehabilitation of the processing plant. A contractor has commenced mechanical and structural work at the plant. Installation of power and pipes has been completed at the Itapicuru mine with dewatering to commence before Christmas. Drilling is in progress at Canavieiras and Joao Belo Sul.

Assaying for the program was carried out by Lakefield Geosol, an ISO 9002 laboratory based in Brazil, using fire assay on 50 gram pulps. Check assaying is routinely carried out, by ALS Chemex in Vancouver, on 10% of sample pulps and 5% of sample rejects. Security is maintained at the core logging and sampling facility. Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo. is the Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the scientific and technical work on the program.

Statements in this release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual developments or results may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking statements".

Desert Sun Mining is a Canadian gold exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. (www.desertsunmining.com).

Please click on the following link to view Figure 1: Vertical Longitudinal Section, Morro do Vento: http://www2.cdn-news.com/database/fax/2000/DSM.gif.


--------------------------------------------------
Contact:

Desert Sun Mining Corp.
John Carlesso
Phone: (416) 861-5881 or 1-866-477-0077
or
Desert Sun Mining Corp.
Kam Gill
Phone: (416) 861-0341 or 1-866-477-0077
Fax: (416) 861-8165
www.desertsunmining.com



--------------------------------------------------
Source: Desert Sun Mining Corp.

Obtain a listing on a US stock exchange
Operations

At the Canavieiras mine, dewatering has been completed and services are being installed. Dewatering of the Itapicuru and Joao Belo mines has commenced. Cleanup of the plant has been completed and rehabilitation and upgrading of plant equipment is now in progress. DSM's Engineering, Construction Procurement and Management (ECPM) team has been assembled and is on site. Under the leadership of Peter Tagliamonte, who recently joined Desert Sun as Chief Operating Officer after successfully managing Eldorado Corp.'s Sao Bento mine in Brazil, the Company is working toward mine construction being completed for full production starting in January 2005.

Exploration

The Company has committed US$5 million to exploration for 2004. Currently there are six drills operating, with a plan in place to increase to ten drills in the coming weeks. Underground drilling, which began at Canavieiras in December 2003, is ongoing. Drilling is continuing at Joao Belo Sul and Morro do Vento and is planned for a number of other target zones. Further exploration will take place at the recently discovered Pindobacu Outlier, 45 km to the north of Jacobina, and initial drilling is expected to commence in the coming months.

A preliminary assessment of the open pit potential Morro do Vento is expected to be completed in the coming weeks and SRK Consulting has been retained to carry out a scoping study on Morro do Vento.

Financial

The Company continues to have a strong balance sheet with $32 million in cash and no debt. Desert Sun also announced the appointment of Mr. Tony Wonnacott as Corporate Secretary of the Company.

"With a very active program on several fronts, we continue to work very diligently at achieving recognition for the unique combination of assets owned by Desert Sun. We continue to proceed toward low-cost production slated to begin in 2005. We are very focused on significantly increasing our mineral reserves and total mineral resource, and our blue sky exploration program will demonstrate the tremendous scale and opportunity of the Bahia Gold Belt" concluded Stan Bharti.

Statements in this release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual developments or results may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking statements".

Desert Sun Mining is a Canadian gold exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. (www.desertsunmining.com).

"Obtain a listing on a US stock exchange"

Das wird diesem Titel in diesem Jahr sicher beflügeln. Ich habe auf jedemfall weitere Aktien dazugekauft.

Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration commented: "The results from this initial hole are very encouraging and combined with historical data indicates excellent potential for outlining a significant mineral resource at Canavieiras."

The Hollandez reef is typically 15 to 20m thick with significant gold mineralization occurring in the lower part of the reef. The reef extends along a north-south strike for at least 1km of which 500m of this strike length would be readily accessible from existing mine workings in the Canavieiras Mine.

Significant results from new and wide spaced historical holes are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Summary of Significant New and Historic Drilling Results.

Hole No.(1)            From    To (m)  Gold  Interva    True    Depth
                       (m)            (g/t)  1 (m)    Width    Below
                                                       (m)   Surface(2)
                                                                (m)
CANAVIEIRAS - HOLLANDEZ REEF

NEW DRILL HOLE
CAN-18               N8758458
Dip +40                0.00     8.02    3.34    8.02    7.2       82
           Incl.      0.00     5.53    3.96    5.53    5.0       79

HISTORIC DRILL HOLES
MC36                N 8758528
Dip 0 deg.            64.25    80.42    9.81   16.17   11.3      155
                                       6.75 cut to 30g/t
AC14                N 8758456
Dip +65 deg.           0.00    12.63    2.08   12.63   12.4       71

AC 24               N 8758445
Dip +50 deg.          39.46    47.25    2.14    7.79   7.80       42

MC4                 N 8758272
Dip +60 deg.          30.57    38.55    3.29    7.98    8.0       68

MC 37               N 8757972
Dip 0 deg.             5.65    14.93    2.12    9.28    5.9       90

MC 32               N 8757962
Dip -71 deg.          25.40    36.50    4.61   11.10    5.2       83
                                       1.74 cut to 30g/t

MC 38               N 8757947
Dip 0 deg.            10.59    40.97    2.02   30.38   14.9       72
           Incl.     31.75    40.97    6.05    9.22    4.5       72

CAN5                N 8757857
Dip -90 deg.         127.51   131.56    2.43    4.05    2.5      240

CAN 8                N 757800
Dip -60 deg.          70.78    77.21    2.12    6.43    3.2       60


(1) New holes are NQ diamond drill core size; Historic holes are BQ or AQ diamond drill core size

(2) depth calculated based on midpoint of intersection

Drilling is continuing at the Joao Belo Sul-Joao Belo Mine area and Morro do Vento. A large backlog of samples at the laboratory due to the holidays is expected to be cleared in the next 2-3 weeks and results will be released when available. Regional exploration is in progress on the major extension to the Serra do Corrego Formation and on the Pindobacu Outlier area. Drilling is planned in these areas in the latter part of Q1 after the rainy season has ended.

DSM has contracted Boart Longyear Geoserv to provide three underground drilling machines for Canavieiras and three hydraulic surface drilling rigs for the Joao Belo Sul-Joao Belo Norte and Itapicuru (Basal Reef) areas which will significantly expand the meterage of drilling completed per month at Jacobina. In addition Boart Longyear will provide a compact tracked surface drill capable of drilling 200m long NQ sized drill holes to complete shallow drill holes and definition drilling on several targets.

Assaying for the program was carried out by Lakefield Geosol, an ISO 9002 laboratory based in Brazil, using fire assay on 50 gram pulps. Check assaying is routinely carried out, by ALS Chemex in Vancouver, on 10% of sample pulps and 5% of sample rejects. Security is maintained at the core logging and sampling facility. Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo. is the Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the scientific and technical work on the program.

Statements in this release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual developments or results may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking statements".

Desert Sun Mining is a Canadian gold exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. (www.desertsunmining.com).

- The recently completed Scoping Study was commissioned to optimize the mine production rate using all categories of mineral resources. The Scoping Study concludes that the optimum production rate at Jacobina is 5200 tonnes per day from existing mines. At this rate, Jacobina can produce an average of 154,100 ounces annually at a cash cost of US $165 per ounce. The additional capital required to reach this production rate is US $31.7 million and the mines could reach their increased production rate by 2007. Mr. Ken Reipas, P.Eng., the independent Qualified Person for the SRK study visited the site during the project.

The new SRK study is based on all categories of mineral resources at Jacobina; measured, indicated and inferred. Previously-established reserves from The Feasibility Study are included, while the additional mineral resources have been converted to potentially "mineable tonnes". SRK has relied on Micon International Ltd.'s report, "A Mineral Resource Estimate for the Jacobina Property, Bahia State, Brazil", (August, 2003) that describes a method of converting resources to potentially "mineable tonnes" based on historical data at Jacobina. Micon cautions, however, that there is no guarantee that inferred mineral resources will be upgraded to mineral reserves.

In addition to The Feasibility Study reserves of 10,746,000 at 2.20 g/t Au, the Mineral resources in Table 1 were used in the study.

            Table 1: Mineral Resources Input to SRK Study
--------------------------------------------------
Measured + Indicated Resource              Inferred Resource
--------------------------------------------------
Tonnes             Au (g/t)              Tonnes           Au (g/t)
--------------------------------------------------
2,645,000            4.39             16,566,529            3.03
--------------------------------------------------


These resources were converted to 11,869,000 potentially "mineable tonnes" at 2.79 g/t Au. Thus, the total tonnage considered by SRK was a combination of reserves and "mineable tonnes" totaling 22.6 million tonnes at 2.51 g/t Au.

SRK prepared life-of-mine production schedules for different mining rates and concluded that a production rate of 5,200 tonnes per day was achievable. These production schedules were evaluated using a simple pre-tax cash flow analysis that assumed a base case gold price of US$375/ounce. The results, which demonstrate improved Cash Flow and Net Present Value calculations, and maintain a robust Internal Rate of Return at the higher production rate, are shown in Table 2:

                    Table 2: Comparative Economic Results
                         (TPD - Tonnes Per Day)

--------------------------------------------------
                                             Feb 2004     Sept. 2003
                                             Scoping      Feasibility
                                             Study by      Study by
                                              SRK(a)     SNC Lavalin(b)
--------------------------------------------------
Jacobina Cash Flow Model Results              5200TPD       4200TPD
--------------------------------------------------
Total Mine Life                   Years         13.1        7.1 years
Total Mined Ounces             Au ounce      1,822,900        758,200
--------------------------------------------------
Gold Price                      US$ounce        $375            $350
Gross Revenue               US$ millions        $659            $256
Operating Costs             US$ millions        $291            $138
Pre-Production Capital      US$ millions       $61.7           $30.7
Total Capital Cost          US$ millions         $97             $38
Cumulative Cash Flow        US$ millions        $265             $78
--------------------------------------------------
NPV (5%)(2)                 US$ millions        $169             $55
IRR                                   %          52%           39.2%
--------------------------------------------------
Average Mined Ounces/Year                    154,100         106,400
Metallurgical Recovery                %        96.5%           96.5%
Cash Cost/Recovered Ounce      US$/ounce        $165            $189
--------------------------------------------------
           (1) Includes pre-production and sustaining capital, plus
               closure and equipment salvage
           (2) Pre-tax NPV and IRR values
--------------------------------------------------

(a) Inferred Resources were used in the 5200 TPD extended plan.

(a) Scoping Study by SRK assumes that the potentially "mineable tonnes"
   can be increased 11.9 million tonnes at 2.79 grams per tonne, thus
   using a total of 22.6 million tones at 2.51 g/t Au. All numbers
   pre-tax.

(b) The Feasiblity Study only uses proven and probable reserves of 10.7
   million tonnes @ 2.20 g/t Au. All numbers after-tax.


Mr. Stan Bharti, Chief Executive Officer, commented: "While we recognize that the economics of scoping studies cannot be used for production decisions, the SRK Study is encouraging because it demonstrates the upside potential to be gained at Jacobina through the successful conversion of a significant portion of the inferred resource into proven and probable reserves. Desert Sun is currently executing a US $5 million exploration program for 2004, a large portion of which is dedicated to infill drilling at the mines, and is therefore intended to increase the reserve base. The SRK Study does demonstrate that Jacobina can be a world class gold producer, with production rates of over 150,000 ounces annually at a cash cost of US $165 per ounce."

The Scoping Study uses existing resources only and does not take into consideration the recently announced drill results at Morro do Vento or the exploration potential of the 110 km long Bahia Gold Belt, of which Desert Sun controls 100% . The existing resources are located on less than 10% of the total property position. Desert Sun recently announced that the gold bearing Serra do Corrego formation extends for at least 75km on strike and that it is exploring the active belt.

CAUTION

This study by SRK is not adequate to definitively confirm the economics of the Jacobina property extended life-of-mine production scenarios presented in this press release. SRK cautions that the results presented in this study are preliminary in nature, based on inferred mineral resources, and cannot be converted to mineral reserves due to their uncertainty. There is no guarantee that further exploration will upgrade any of these resources.

Statements in this release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual developments or results may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking statements".

Desert Sun Mining is a Canadian gold exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. (www.desertsunmining.com).

Brazil may get $2 bln foreign mining investment-Min
Monday March 8, 9:32 am ET


RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, March 8 (Reuters) - Foreign firms expressed interest in investing $2 billion in Brazilian mining in coming years, mainly for gold, nickel, copper and diamonds, Mining and Energy Minister Dilma Rousseff said.
Rousseff, who is visiting a world mining exhibition in Toronto, Canada, said in a statement released in Brazil late on Sunday that foreign mining investment was set to rise to between $150 and $200 million in 2004, from $70 million in 2003.

"Investments cover exploration, development and modernisation of processing plants," Rousseff said.

Canada's Verena Minerals Corp, Desert Sun Mining Corp, Jaguar Mining Inc and Canico Resources Corp. (Toronto:CNI.TO - News) are among companies that have shown interest in investing in Brazilian mining, the statement said.

2. Significant exploration work is also in progress at several other targets, notably the Joao Belo Sul-Joao Belo Norte, Canavieras and Basal Reef (Itapicuru). Results of holes in these areas will be released as they are available. The Company now has 10 drills on site and is accelerating the previously announced US$5 million program, comprising over 40,000+ metres of drilling. The objective of Desert Sun's drill program is to increase its mineral reserves to 2 million ounces, at a comparable tonnage and grade to the current estimated mineral reserves of 10,746,000 tonnes at 2.20 g/t containing 758,600 ounces of gold (see press release Sept. 12, 2003), by the end of 2004. Desert Sun cautions that this objective is preliminary in nature and there is no guarantee that further drilling will achieve these tonnage and grade objectives.

Desert Sun is also conducting a major exploration program along the wholly-owned 110+ Km long Bahia Gold Belt. This belt includes a 75+km strike length of the Serra do Corrego Formation conglomerates, which hosts the existing mines and the already-identified 1.36 million ounces measured and indicated resource and 2.47 million ounces inferred mineral resource on less that 10% of the property (see press release August 26, 2004).

3. Major improvements in drill productivity have been attained since the beginning of the year and the rate of drilling is now at 3,500 to 4,000m per month. The logging process is fully automated with direct entry on laptop computers at the core bench with all data entered into GEMCOM. The previously reported backlog at the laboratory is in the process of being cleared, and the company anticipates having a series of new drill results from several target areas to release in the coming weeks.

4. The Company recently announced the hiring of Peter Tagliamonte, P.Eng. as COO. Mr. Tagliamonte officially joined the firm on March 1, 2004 and is based at Jacobina. His primary task is to reactivate the existing Joao Belo and Itapicuru mines. The pre-production work has already started and Desert Sun expects the mine to be in production by the first quarter of 2005 and reach steady state production by the second quarter of 2005

Additional Drill Results from Morro do Vento

Morro do Vento is a major potential open pittable target zone in the Intermediate reefs. To date 44 holes totaling 6844 m have been completed of which results have been received for 40 of these holes. Four drills including the Longyear LG-30 track drill are currently working at this target. The target Intermediate reef package is consistently about 60-70m wide and extends along the full 2km strike length with extensive garimpos (free miners workings). Because of the geometry of the zone, and its location on the east flank of a hill, the zone could be open pit mined with minimal waste rock removal.

Table 1 below summarizes new drilling results at Morro do Vento which are from holes across most of the strike length of the target zone. The attached longitudinal section in Figure 1 shows the location of the pierce points.

Highlights include:

- MVT-335 which intersected 1.01 grams gold per tonne (g Au/t) over a true width of 54.3m including higher grade intersections of 3.10 g Au/t over a true width of 6.3m and 2.17 g Au/t over a true width of 4.17m; and

- MVT-324 which returned 0.79 g Au/t over a true width of 40.5m including 2.42 over a true width of 8.1m g Au/t. Results from MVT-322 to MVT-324 fill in a major gap in previously drilling in the northern part of the target zone and indicate that the mineralized zones are continuous through that area.

- MVT-316 which intersected 0.76 g Au/t over a true width of 73.5m including higher grade intersections of 2.87 g Au/t over 7.4m true width and 2.33 g Au/t over 6.8m true width; and

- MVT-336 which returned 0.71 g Au/t over a true width of 67.2m including higher grade intersections of 3.41 g Au/t over a true width of 4.2m and 4.06 g Au/t over a true width of 1.5m.

SRK Consulting is carrying out a preliminary assessment of the potential for open pit mining at Morro do Vento. Results of this study will be used to guide further exploration drilling to outline a mineral resource that meets CIM standards for a pre-feasibility study. Metallurgical test work is also in progress at SGS Lakefield in Lakefield, Ontario.

        Table 1: Significant Drilling Results, Morro do Vento

--------------------------------------------------
Hole          From      To       Gold   Interval    True     Depth Below
No.(i)        (m)       (m)      (g/t)    (m)      Width     Surface(ii)
                                                   (m)           (m)
--------------------------------------------------
MORRO DO VENTO
MVT316      N8754098
dip - 65    52.05     138.54     0.76    86.49     73.5          110
    incl    65.28      69.86     1.73     4.58      3.9           80
    incl    98.20     106.15     2.33     7.95      6.8          120
    incl   126.12     134.88     2.87     8.76      7.4          160

MVT-322     N8754375
dip - 83    67.99     171.33     0.40   103.34     72.3          110
    incl    78.80      84.62     2.39     5.82      4.1           74
    incl   161.09     163.30     4.55     2.21      1.5          144
    incl   197.39     205.05     2.75     7.66      5.4          174

MVT-323     N8754407
dip - 75    57.97     156.57     0.56    98.60     54.2           92
    incl    57.97      61.06     1.39     3.09      1.7           50
    incl    67.32      77.25     1.68     9.93      5.5           60
    incl   120.10     130.61     1.40    10.51      5.8          108

MVT-324     N8754535
dip - 38    99.91     215.76     0.79   115.85     40.5           45
    incl    99.91     107.55     2.12     7.64      2.7           34
    incl   123.94     129.28     1.92     5.34      1.9           32
    incl   160.59     183.64     2.42    23.05      8.1           40

MVT-325     N8754623   Faulted
dip +8
degrees     60.18      69.43     1.14     9.25      6.7           45

MVT-330     N8753259
dip - 86
degrees    157.69     272.41     0.40   114.72     72.3          214
    incl   187.67      191.7     1.22     4.03      2.5          193
    incl   224.89     240.13     1.41    15.24      9.6          232

MVT-333     N8753950
dip - 55
degrees      5.81      74.95     0.58    69.14     69.1           36
    incl    46.93      48.40     5.48     1.47      1.5           40

MVT-335     N8753634
dip - 82
degrees     35.23     122.85     1.01    87.62     54.3           78
    incl    35.23      38.63     2.17     3.40      2.1           40
    incl    50.72      55.80     2.11     5.08      3.1           47
    incl    83.43      93.67     3.10    10.24      6.3           88
    incl   115.22     122.85     2.17     7.63      4.7          118

MVT336       N875363
dip - 55
degrees     26.78     101.44     0.71    74.66     67.2           60
     incl   26.78      31.43     3.41     4.65      4.2           30
     incl   41.67      46.38     1.45     4.71      4.2           42
     incl   60.45      66.00     1.05     5.55      5.0           60
     incl   97.72      99.38     4.06     1.66      1.5           86
--------------------------------------------------


(i) all holes are NQ diamond drill core size; results for MVT-317, -319, -320 and -321 were released December 18, 2004; results for MVT-318 are pending.

(ii) depth calculated based on midpoint of intersection

Pre-Production Work in Full Progress at Mine Site

Preproduction development work is proceeding at an accelerated rate on site. Work completed or in progress is as follows

- Dewatering of the Joao Belo Mine is on the 620m elevation with only 15m remaining to reach the bottom level 605m.

- Dewatering of the Itapicuru Mine continues with the use of two pumps in series with the water level now 40m below adit level. All the pumped water is being diverted to the tailings pond.

- At the plant site, work is in progress with a full Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPCM) Team on site from GEST Engenharia, a Brazilian-based engineering firm who worked under SNC Lavalin's direction on the feasibility study.

- The main activities in progress at the plant site are on the leach area where four major new pachucas will be erected. The area where these tanks will be located has been fully cleaned and all redundant steel structure removed.

- Detailed engineering is in progress and by month end major procurement activities will take place.

The Board of Directors is also pleased that Peter Tagliamonte has officially joined Desert Sun as Vice President Operations and Chief Operating Officer, effective March 1st, 2004. He will be based at Jacobina for the first year, where he will head up the entire pre- production team and mine construction and reactivation. Mr. Tagliamonte stated: "The work at the site is going well and we expect to be in production by the first quarter of 2005, and reach a steady-state rate by Q2. The mining equipment is being ordered and the plant rehabilitation is progressing on schedule. I am excited to be at the site. There is no technical reason that I can see why this mine should not produce at the rate of over 102,000 ounces per year at a cash cost of US$189, as outlined in the SNC Lavalin feasibility study."

Kurt Menchen, Vice President Operations, Brazil added: "We are very fortunate to have the addition of Peter's experience and expertise on board here in Jacobina. Peter's track record over his career and particularly in Brazil, is one of productivity and efficiency. Everyone at the mine site and production facility is committed to meeting our reactivation and production objectives, and welcomes Peter to the team."

As previously reported (see press release August 26, 2003) Micon International reviewed and confirmed measured and indicated mineral resources of 14,802,000 tonnes grading 2.86 g Au/t containing 1,362,000 ounces gold and inferred mineral resources of 29,487,000 tonnes grading 2.62 g Au/t containing 2,479,500 ounces of gold in the Jacobina mine area.

The SNC Lavalin Feasibility study (see press release September 12, 2003) confirmed the economics of bringing the Jacobina mine back into production and outlined a mineral reserve of 10,746,000 tonnes grading 2.20 g Au/t containing 758,600 ounces of gold. SRK Consulting extended the SNC Lavalin Feasibility Study mine plan (2004 to 2011) an additional 11 years to early 2023 by scheduling the potentially "mineable tonnes" resulting from the conversion of inferred resources based on historical data. SRK considered that Jacobina has the potential to deliver "economically mineable tonnes" containing 2 million recoverable ounces of gold. A key objective of the expanded exploration program is to upgrade the present inferred mineral resources to the indicated category to achieve these potential recoverable ounces. It must be cautioned that the SRK study is not adequate to definitely confirm the economics of the inferred mineral resources and that there is no guarantee that further dri
lling will upgrade the inferred resources. Based on the SNC Feasibility, which used a gold price of US$350 per ounce and a Real to $US exchange rate of 3:1, the mine can be in full production by 2005, producing at a rate of 102,000 ounces per year at an average cash cost of US $189per ounce.

Assaying for the program was carried out by Lakefield Geosol, an ISO 9002 laboratory based in Brazil, using fire assay on 50 gram pulps. Check assaying is routinely carried out, by ALS Chemex in Vancouver, on 10% of sample pulps and 5% of sample rejects. Security is maintained at the core logging and sampling facility. Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo. is the Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the scientific and technical work on the program.

Statements in this release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual developments or results may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking statements".

Desert Sun Mining is a Canadian gold exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. (www.desertsunmining.com).

NOTE: There is a Map available on CCNMatthews' website at: www2.cdn-news.com/database/fax/2000/DMAP324.doc


--------------------------------------------------

With a head office in Belo Horizonte and an affiliate laboratory in Parauapebas, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Lakefield Geosol provides gold determinations via fire assay and aqua regia leach, analysis of trace elements by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), Atomic Absorption Spectophotometry (AAS), X-Ray Florescence (XRF), ore/industrial rock assays and whole rock analysis. Heavy metal determinations, physical/chemical parameters and bacteriological tests, classification of residues, and sampling campaigns for waters, effluents and residues are also available to the environmental sector. Quality is continually monitored via regular proficiency and interlaboratory tests.

Peter Tagliamonte, P.Eng., Vice President, Operations and Chief Operating Officer of Desert Sun said: "We are very pleased to enter into this agreement with Lakefield Geosol which will ensure that we will have a high quality and independent laboratory at the mine. This is another important operational step in bringing the mine to full production in 2005 and reflects the commitment of our management team to maintain the highest standards of transparent reporting."

Statements in this release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual developments or results may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking statements".

Desert Sun Mining is a Canadian gold exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. (www.desertsunmining.com).


--------------------------------------------------

- Holes CAN-21 and CAN-22, as shown in Figure 1, were drilled on the same section 160m south of CAN-18/19 and 90m south of CAN-23. Hole CAN-21 intersected 8.47 g Au/t over a core length of 13.02m (8.07g Au/t with highs cut to 30 g/t; true width 5m - 10m) in a strongly silicified zone near the base of the Hollandez reef adjacent a steeply dipping fault zone filled with a mafic dyke. Hole CAN-22 intersected 2.17 g Au/t over 15.8m true width in the upper part of Liberino and the Hollandez reefs.

Dr. Bill Pearson, Ph.D., P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration commented: "These new results continue to confirm the excellent potential for outlining a significant mineral resource at Canavieiras that could be readily accessed from the existing workings. Additionally, the fact that we are seeing a different form of mineralization than that from the main conglomerate trend is potentially significant from a geological perspective. Further drilling will continue to focus on outlining higher grade zones within the more extensive lower grade mineralization."

Desert Sun's work at Canavieiras is focused on evaluating the full stratigraphic package hosting the favourable conglomerate beds. The package is estimated to be over 300m thick. Major targets include:

- Hollandez-Maneira reefs covering a target area of 500m by 200m about 20m above the mine workings;

- Middle Unit (MU) and Lower Unit (LU) reefs covering a target area of 160m by 220m about 50m below the Canavieiras mine workings; and

- A potential high grade extension zone in a target area 130m by 120m in the Piritoso reef adjacent to the old stope in the southern end of the mine.

The Hollandez reef is typically 15 to 20m thick, although in places is up to 40m thick, with significant gold mineralization occurring in the lower part of the reef. The reef extends along a north-south strike for at least 1km of which 500m of this strike length would be readily accessible from existing mine workings in the Canavieiras Mine. The Maneira Reef, which is 30m stratigraphically above the Hollandez reef, comprises the upper sequence of conglomerates in the Serra do Corrego Formation. It is typically 70 metres thick dipping 55 degrees to the east, and comprises a very large quartz pebble conglomerate at the base which grades to a medium-sized quartz pebble conglomerate at the top. The conglomerates typically have a fuchsite-rich matrix, sometimes oxidized. Gold mineralization is presented at both the base and top.

Significant results from new drill holes are shown in Table 1.

 Table 1: Summary of Significant New Drilling Results, Canavieiras

--------------------------------------------------
                                          True           Depth Below
Hole No.(i)    From    To   Gold Interval Width     Reef  Surface(ii)
               (m)    (m)  (g/t)    (m)    (m)                 (m)
--------------------------------------------------
CANAVIERAS
SECTION N8758458
CAN-18     (released January 21, 2004)
Dip +40 deg.   0.00  11.61  2.57   11.61   10.4   Hollandez      78
      Incl.   0.00   8.02  3.34    8.02    7.2   Hollandez      82
             77.46  78.78  3.87    1.32    1.2    Maneira       67

CAN-19
Dip +0 deg.   12.38  15.59  2.02    3.21    2.7   Hollandez      80
             90.98  97.39  1.03    6.41    5.4 Maneira base    140

SECTION N8758419
CAN-20
Dip +46 deg.   0.48   1.04  1.55    0.56    0.6      n/a         75
             15.63  18.23  1.47    2.60    2.6   Hollandez      68
             27.46  28.95  2.71    1.49    1.5   Hollandez      65
             92.21  93.51  2.10    1.30    1.3    Maneira       50
            102.08 107.94  1.38    5.86    5.9    Maneira       45

SECTION N8758300
CAN-21
Dip +0 deg.    0.00  13.02  8.47   13.02 5m-10m   Near base      95
                           8.07   Cut to 30g/t   Hollandez
             28.86  34.59  1.10    5.73    4.4 Maneira base    110
     Incl.   33.61  34.59  6.22    0.98    0.8 Maneira base    110
             65.33  68.26  0.82    2.93    2.3 Maneira top     125
CAN-22
Dip +37 deg.   0.00  17.50  2.17   17.50   15.8   Liberino/      62
                                                 Hollandez
             63.16  70.50  1.05    7.34    6.6    Maneira       55

SECTION N8758390
CAN-23
Dip +33 deg.  30.86  40.73  3.32    9.87    6.9   Hollandez      68
             86.55  89.15  3.45     2.6    1.8    Maneira       72

(i) All holes are NQ diamond drill core size with azimuth at 80 degrees
(ii) Depth calculated from mid-point of intersection


Surface drilling is continuing at the Joao Belo Sul-Joao Belo Norte Mine, Basal Reef-Cuscuz and Morro do Vento areas, in addition to the underground drilling Canavieiras. More results from drilling at these other targets will be released in the coming weeks.

Assaying for the program was carried out by Lakefield Geosol, an ISO 9001:2000 certified laboratory based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, using fire assay on 50 gram pulps. Check assaying is routinely carried out by ALS Chemex in Vancouver, Canada on 10% of sample pulps and 5% of sample rejects. Security is maintained at the core logging and sampling facility. Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo. is the Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the scientific and technical work on the program.

ABOUT DESERT SUN:

SNC Lavalin completed a Feasibility study for Desert Sun (see press release September 12, 2003) which confirmed the economics of bringing the Jacobina mine back into production and outlined a mineral reserve of 10,746,000 tonnes grading 2.20 g Au/t containing 758,600 ounces of gold. SRK Consulting extended the SNC Lavalin Feasibility Study mine plan (2004 to 2011) an additional 11 years to early 2023 by scheduling the potentially "mineable tonnes" resulting from the conversion of inferred resources based on historical data. SRK considered that Jacobina has the potential to deliver "economically mineable tonnes" containing 2 million recoverable ounces of gold. A key objective of the expanded exploration program is to upgrade the present inferred mineral resources to the indicated category to achieve these potential recoverable ounces. It must be cautioned that the SRK study is not adequate to definitely confirm the economics of the inferred mineral resources and that there is
no guarantee that further drilling will upgrade the inferred resources. Based on the SNC Feasibility, which used a gold price of US$350 per ounce and a Real to $US exchange rate of 3:1, the mine can be in full production by 2005, producing at a rate of 102,000 ounces per year at an average cash cost of US $189 per ounce.

Statements in this release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual developments or results may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking statements".

Desert Sun Mining is a Canadian gold exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. (www.desertsunmining.com).

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(CCNMatthews - May 13, 2004) - DESERT SUN MINING CORP. (TSX: DSM - News) remains on target and expects to be in production by early 2005, and producing at a steady state rate of at least 100,000 ounces per year in the second quarter of 2005.
Today the Company released operating results for the period ending March 31, 2004. Desert Sun has changed its financial year-end from August 31 to December 31, with a transition year of 16 months ending December 31, 2004 and a second interim period covering four and seven months ending March 31, 2004.

The company has scheduled a conference call on Friday May 14, 2004 to discuss the results and to update shareholders on its preproduction activities and exploration program at Jacobina in Brazil.

CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS
Date: Friday May 14, 2004
Time: 10:00 am EDT

Local callers:          416-405-8532
North American callers: 1-877-295-2825
International callers:  +1-416-405-8532


An archive recording of the call will be available following completion of the call on the Desert Sun website at www.desertsunmining.com.

As at March 31, 2004 Desert Sun had cash and equivalents totaling $29.4 million and no debt. On a consolidated basis, the Company recorded a net loss from operations of $5,116,000 in the four months ended March 31, 2004, or 9 cents per share, compared with a net loss in the first quarter of $835,000, or 2 cents per share. Included in the loss from operations in the second quarter is a non-cash compensation expense of $4,478,000, attributable to options issued to directors, officers, employees and consultants during the seven months (and which vested during the second quarter) as valued in terms of the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The net loss from operations in the four months, excluding this expense was $638,000, comprising general and administration expenses of $857,000 and interest received on cash invested of $219,000.

In the four months ended March 31, 2004, Desert Sun invested $1.8 million in the exploration and development of the Jacobina property, compared with $6 million in the three months ended November 30, 2003 which included $5 million to acquire the remaining 49% interest in the Jacobina property from Valencia Ventures Inc. The principal component of the exploration program is a 40,000 metre diamond drilling program, which cost $1.4 million during the four months.

Mine Update

The dewatering of the Joao Belo Mine, from which the bulk of planned production will come, has been completed. Underground services are being installed to accommodate the mechanized equipment, and some minor slashing of access areas will soon be taking place. The main haulage drifts to the Joao Belo mine are being rehabilitated, with crews removing track and ties from the previous haulage system in preparation for the new truck haulage system. The Mine Complex repair and upgrading is advancing well in preparation for the start of operations, including the installation of telephone and internet service and the rehabilitation of the main mine transformer sub-station. Technical inspections of the production facility and mill have been completed, and orders for the mechanized equipment are expected to be confirmed with major equipment suppliers during the third fiscal quarter; potentially including finance terms which are the subject of ongoing negotiations. Engineering and Plann
ing has commenced for the initial mining stopes.

Exploration Update

The exploration program is focused on substantially increasing the mineral reserves in the main production areas (Joao Belo Norte and Basal Reef-Cuscuz) and exploring several new targets identified in the 2003 drill program, most notably the Morro do Vento, Canavieiras, and Joao Belo Sul areas. Drilling at Morro do Vento continues to confirm the potential to outline a large open pittable mineral resource. The target Intermediate reef package at Morro do Vento is consistently about 60 to 70 metres wide and extends along the full 2km strike length with extensive garimpos (free miner workings). Because of the geometry of the zone, and its location on the east flank of a hill, the zone could be open pit mined with minimal waste rock removal. At Canavieiras, recent drill results continue to confirm the excellent potential for outlining a significant mineral resource that could be readily accessed from the existing workings. The Company is also conducting exploration along the whol
ly-owned 110+ kilometre long Bahia Gold Belt. This belt includes a 75+ kilometre strike length of the Serra do Corrego Formation conglomerates, which hosts the existing mines and the already-identified 14,802,000 tonnes at 2.86 g Au/t containing 1.36 million ounces measured and indicated mineral resource and 29,487,000 tonnes at 2.62 g Au/t containing 2.47 million ounces inferred mineral resource on less than 10% of the property.

About Desert Sun Mining Corp

SNC Lavalin completed a Feasibility Study for Desert Sun (see press release September 12, 2003) which confirmed the economics of bringing the Jacobina Mine, on the Bahia Gold Belt in Brazil, back into production and outlined a mineral reserve of 10,746,000 tonnes grading 2.20 g Au/t containing 758,600 ounces of gold. SRK Consulting extended the SNC Lavalin Feasibility Study mine plan (2004 to 2011) an additional 11 years to early 2023 by scheduling the potentially "mineable tonnes" resulting from the conversion of inferred resources based on historical data. SRK considered that Jacobina has the potential to deliver "economically mineable tonnes" containing 2 million recoverable ounces of gold. A key objective of the expanded exploration program is to upgrade the present inferred mineral resources to the indicated category to achieve these potential recoverable ounces. It must be cautioned that the SRK study is not adequate to definitely confirm the economics of the inferred m
ineral resources and that there is no guarantee that further drilling will upgrade the inferred resources. Based on the SNC Feasibility Study, which used a gold price of US$350 per ounce and a Real to $US exchange rate of 3:1, the mine can be in production by 2005, producing at a rate of 102,000 ounces per year at an average cash cost of US $189 per ounce.

The Company is presently reactivating the Jacobina Mine (on standby since 1998) according to the feasibility plan.

Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo., is the Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the scientific and technical work on the program.

Statements in this release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual developments or results may vary materially from those in these "forward-looking statements".

Desert Sun Mining is a Canadian gold exploration and development company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. (www.desertsunmining.com).