Aton Resources Inc. updated investors on the results of initial scoping level metallurgical testwork from its recent Semna drill discovery. Semna is located within the Company's 100% owned Abu Marawat Concession ("Abu Marawat" or the "Concession"). 2 samples were prepared from RC drill samples for metallurgical testing, and were composited to represent the Main Vein zone ("MVZ") mineralisation at the Semna mineral deposit, as drilled to date.

Samples were collected onsite from the bagged reject portion of the 1m sample splits from the phase 1 Semna RC drilling programme. Both composite metallurgical samples weighed slightly less than 40kg. The 2 composite samples were dispatched from Egypt to WAI's Truro laboratory in the United Kingdom, for a scoping level metallurgical testwork programme consisting of head assays, whole ore cyanide leach testing, gravity separation tests and cyanidation leaching of the gravity products.

The 2 metallurgical samples were composited from bulk reject material from the 1m sub-sample splits from the RC drilling programme, which were retained onsite at the Rodruin sample preparation facility. The SMMET-01 sample was composited from 26 separate 1m intervals from 7 different holes which intersected the western portion of the MVZ, each weighing approximately 1.5kg. The individual grades of the 1m sub-samples varied between 0.40 g/t Au and 94.8 g/t Au, with the weighted average estimated grade of the composite sample being 9.75 g/t Au and 5.5 g/t Ag.

The individual 1m samples were taken from downhole depths of between 50-189m, and were composed of fresh sulphide mineralisation, displaying only occasional minor localised oxidation. The SMMET-02 sample was composited from 39 separate 1m intervals from 5 different holes which intersected the eastern portion or extension of the MVZ, each weighing approximately 1kg. The individual grades of the 1m sub-samples varied between 0.34 g/t Au and 51.8 g/t Au, with the weighted average estimated grade of the composite sample being 8.81 g/t Au and 3.8 g/t Ag (Table 1).

The individual 1m samples were taken from downhole depths of between 56-141m, and were composed of fresh sulphide mineralisation, displaying only minor localised oxidation. Head assays for gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, arsenic, sulphur (total and sulphide) and carbon (total) were undertaken in-house by WAI using an aqua regia digest with an atomic absorption spectroscopy ("AAS") finish. Separate sub-samples of the SMMET-01 and SMMET-02 composite samples were sent by WAI for additional head assay analyses by ALS Minerals.

Gold and silver were analysed by metallic screen fire assay (ALS analytical code ME-SCR21). The samples were also analysed for a full multi-element suite of elements, and mercury, using a four acid digest followed by an ICP mass spectrometry finish (ALS analytical codes ME-MS61 and Hg-MS42). The results of the head assays are provided in Table 2. The screen fire assay analyses showed the SMMET-01 composite to grade 9.64 g/t Au and 8 g/t Ag, whilst the SMMET-02 composite was shown to grade 8.51 g/t Au and 6 g/t Ag.

The screen fire gold assay results show good correlation with the original RC drill results, and indicate that the c. 40kg bulk samples submitted for metallurgical testwork are representative of mineralised intervals sampled in the RC drill holes. Separate to the assay results, the screen fire assay data also indicated that less than 10% of the gold and silver in both samples was distributed within the coarse (+100µm) fraction. Base metal analyses showed both samples to be low in copper with 0.20% in the SMMET-01 composite and 0.086% in the SMMET-02 composite, whilst zinc grades were 0.007% and 0.006% respectively.

Lead and arsenic were below the detection limit of 0.001% (Table 2). The multi-element ICP mass spectrometry analyses also indicated that the levels of deleterious elements including bismuth, cadmium, mercury and antimony were all very low, to a maximum of 2.54 ppm Bi in sample SMMET-02. Sulphur levels within the samples were 2.46% S(TOT) for the SMMET-01 composite and 1.50% S(TOT) for the SMMET-02 composite (Table 2), with the data showing that 96-97% of the sulphur was present in the sulphide phase.

This data confirms the relatively low concentrations of sulphide minerals present in the MVZ mineralisation at Semna, and that the mineralisation is predominantly fresh, with only minor oxidation of the drilled mineralisation, as evidenced by the limited amount of iron and copper oxide minerals logged during the drilling. A single whole ore cyanidation leach test was conducted on each of the composite samples at a grind size of 80% passing 75µm. The purpose of these tests was to investigate the amount of gold and silver that can be recovered from each sample by means of cyanide leaching The test results showed that 93.5% of the gold in the SMMET-01 composite was recovered after 24 hours of leaching, increasing to 97.4% when the leach residence time was increased to 48 hours. Gold recovery from the SMMET-02 composite was 100.0% after 24 hours, reducing slightly to 97.9% after 48 hours.

75.2% of the silver in the SMMET-01 composite was recovered after 24 hours of leaching, increasing to 85.2% when the leach residence time was increased to 48 hours. Silver recovery from the SMMET-02 composite was 85.9% after 24 hours, increasing slightly to 87.9% after 48 hours. Each composite was subjected to a programme of bulk gravity separation followed by cyanide leaching of the gravity products.

A 20kg sample of each composite was subjected to two stages of gravity processing using a Knelson KC-MD3 centrifugal gravity concentrator, with the first stage being conducted at a target grind size of 80% passing 212µm, and the second stage being conducted at a target grind size of 80% passing 75µm. The technical information contained in this News Release was prepared by Gary Patrick BSc, MAusIMM, CP (Met), Principal Consultant of Metallurg Pty Ltd.Mr. Patrick is a qualified person (QP) under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.