AUGUST 15, 2002

TERTIARY TO DRILL TEST NEW TANTALUM-BEARING PEGMATITE OUTLINED BY TRENCHING AT ROSENDAL

• Channel Sampling Gives Best Value Of 258g/t Tantalum Pentoxide Over 5.6m
• Success Increases Potential For Further Similar Finds

AIM-listed Tertiary Minerals plc says a new discovery of economically significant tantalum grades in a large pegmatite dyke* located 1.8km to the east of the company's Rosendal tantalum deposit in Finland is particularly encouraging. Sampling returned a best value of 258 g/t tantalum pentoxide over 5.6m. Drilling will begin before the end of the month on this and other dykes identified in the immediate vicinity of Rosendal, the company adds.

The trenching and sampling programme tested four areas previously outlined by Tertiary: a series of parallel dykes 50m-150m north of the western end of the main Rosendal pegmatite; two dykes approximately 100m south of the main deposit; a large dyke some 1.8km east of Rosendal; a number of dykes on the Branten claim reservation located several kilometres south-east of Rosendal.

All of the sampled pegmatites contain anomalous tantalum values but those close to Rosendal and the large dyke 1.8km to the east gave the most encouraging results. "Whilst in some cases these dykes at surface are narrow, they warrant drill testing as grades and widths have been found to improve significantly at depth on the main Rosendal dyke", says Tertiary chairman, Mr Patrick Cheetham.

Outcrop in the Rosendal area is very poor and the discovery of significant tantalum values some 2km east of the main deposit indicates that additional pegmatites may be present beneath the thin layer of glacial gravels which covers the area. The potential for the discovery of further tantalum resources is therefore very good, states Tertiary.

The planned drilling programme will test these newly discovered pegmatite dykes at depth. The programme will also include further drill definition of the main Rosendal pegmatite for which the Geological Survey of Finland has estimated a resource of 1.3m tonnes grading 289g/t tantalum pentoxide to a depth of 100m. It remains open along strike and at depth.

Further Information:

Patrick Cheetham, Executive Chairman, Tertiary Minerals plc.
Tel: 01625-626203

Ron Marshman/John Greenhalgh, City of London PR Limited.
Tel: 020-7628-5518

*Pegmatite is a type coarse-grained granite which can contain economic concentrations of tantalum minerals. A dyke is a tabular, usually sub-vertical, intrusive body of rock. Pegmatite frequently occurs as dykes.