May 22, 2006

TERTIARY RECOVERS 50 TONNE DRILL SAMPLE OF GHURAYYAH ORE FOR METALLURGICAL TESTWORK

• Drill Data Will Help Upgrade That Part Of Resource Due For Early Production
• Preliminary Feasibility Studies Now Well Underway, Says Chairman
• Work On Scandinavian Projects To Be Stepped Up Over Remainder Of Year

Tertiary Minerals plc (AIM:TYM) says it has just completed a 22-hole drilling programme at its Ghurayyah tantalum-niobium-zircon (plus uranium and yttrium) deposit in Saudi Arabia to collect a 50t sample for follow-up metallurgical testwork.
The drill holes will also provide assay information for upgrading that part of the 400m tonne Inferred Mineral Resource that will be mined in the first years of the project, the company adds in its interim report for the six months ended March 31, 2006.

The drilling programme is part of the preliminary feasibility studies on Ghurayyah says Executive Chairman, Mr Patrick Cheetham. These are now well underway, focusing on metallurgical testing, market studies and process definition, he adds.

The feasibility studies are covered by the US$7m joint venture funding agreement which Tertiary signed in March with a consortium of two Saudi companies – AH Algosaibi & Bros Co and Al Nahla Trading & Contracting Co – both of whom have
acquired significant shareholdings in Tertiary. “We look forward to working with them for the development of Ghurayyah and in the consideration of other mining projects”,
says Mr Cheetham.

Because Tertiary has focused resources and attention on Ghurayyah over the past six months, exploration work on the company’s directly held exploration projects in Scandinavia has been at a “care and maintenance” level. However, work on the various gold and gold-copper projects in Sweden and Finland will be stepped up during the rest of the year as funds permit, the chairman states.

Tertiary continues to support its 24.6p.c. held associate Sunrise Diamonds plc (AIM:SDS), participating in a small placement in February in order to maintain its level of interest. Mr Cheetham says Sunrise has had “an exciting first year as a public company”, building up a very significant diamond exploration portfolio in Finland with seven recent kimberlite discoveries in the Kuusamo area. The company has the benefit of exclusive access to BHP Billiton’s diamond exploration database for Finland which has an estimated replacement cost of US$10m.

The Group loss for the half year was £134,012. This includes a share of the losses of Sunrise Diamonds (£25,269), administrative expenses (£133,470), exploration costs written off (£11,307), a profit of £25,052 arising from the increase in value of the Group’s share of the net assets of Sunrise Diamonds and interest receivable of £10,982.

COPIES OF FULL INTERIM REPORT AVAILABLE ON REQUEST AND WILL AUTOMATICALY BE SENT TO ALL SHAREHOLDERS

Further information:
Patrick Cheetham, Executive Chairman, Tertiary Minerals plc. Tel: +44 (0)162 626203
Ron Marshman/John Greenhalgh, City of London PR Limited. Tel: +44 (0)207 628 5518