Solitaire, Rubicon drill 4.6 m of 3.42 g/t Au

Solitaire Minerals Corp (C:SLT

Wednesday December 19 2007 - News Release

Mr. Charles Desjardins of Solitaire reports

SOLITAIRE MINERALS CORP. ENTERS 123 METERS OF HEAVILY SILICIFIED AND ALTERED ZONE AT THE SIDACE LAKE EXTENSION ON THE RED LAKE NORTH PROPERTY, RED LAKE, ONTARIO

Solitaire Minerals Corp. and Rubicon Minerals Corp. is releasing significant results from the deep drill hole at Sidace, Red Lake North property in Red Lake, Ont. Rubicon Minerals is currently operating a drill rig in the Sidace Lake area financed by Solitaire Minerals. A deep drill hole is currently testing for the down-dip extension of the Main discovery zone (MDZ), a gold zone controlled by Goldcorp and Planet Exploration Inc. Solitaire will earn a 55-per-cent interest in the Red Lake North project, which includes the Sidace area claims, by spending $2.5-million.

Goldcorp and its partner, Planet Exploration, have drilled over 61,000 metres on the adjacent claim to the east of the deep drill hole at Sidace. The MDZ is a gold-bearing sericite plus/minus pyrite schist (heavily deformed mica-rich unit) interpreted by Rubicon to dip westward onto its claims. Rubicon considers the gold system at Sidace to show strong similarities to the Hemlo-type gold deposit which is a bulk-minable disseminated gold system. It should be noted that this type of gold system differs from the classic high-grade Red Lake-type deposit but due to its disseminated style and continuity can represent an attractive economic target.

The deep drill hole is currently 1,956 metres below surface and has intersected 123 metres (core length) of permissive schist units which are characterized by significant alumina- and potassium-rich minerals (white feldspar, sillimanite, garnet, sericite and biotite), variable amounts of pyrite and pyrrhotite (trace to 5 per cent), and local sphalerite and galena (trace to 3 per cent). This is taken to indicate that the MDZ-type sequence found on the Goldcorp/Planet's deposit is present on the Solitaire/Rubicon claims.

Assays have been received for a 50.4-metre section of sericite-bearing schist. These indicate a thick section of elevated gold (0.74 gram per tonne over 36.1 metres) which includes 3.42 g/t gold over 4.6 metres and individual assays up to 7.7 g/t gold over one metre. For further details refer to the company's website. The drill hole is temporarily halted in heavily silicified and altered units and will be continued when drilling resumes in early January.

Based on features observed in the core, the zone in this location is interpreted to dip approximately 65 degrees to the west and Rubicon estimates that a further 200 metres of the zone can be further tested by the current drill hole before the property boundary is reached. Based on current information, approximately 1,200 metres of strike length can be drill tested at this level. The permissive zone is interpreted to enter the Solitaire/Rubicon claims at approximately 800 metres below surface on this section (1,150 metres above the current intercept). Thus there is potential to explore a significant extent of MDZ-type rocks on the Solitaire/Rubicon claims should results warrant following completion of the current drill hole.

"We are excited to see the similarities in geology and grade between this recently intercepted zone, and the zone reported by Goldcorp as a potential stand-alone deposit," said Charles Desjardins, president of Solitaire Minerals. "Rubicon estimated that they would hit the down-dip extension of the zone at this approximate depth. At this point we wait for further assays."

Solitaire Minerals is currently earning into a 55-per-cent interest in the Sidace project by spending $2.5-million, of which approximately $1.4-million has been spent to date. Additional expenditures at Sidace are at the discretion of Solitaire and are evaluated based on the recommendations of Rubicon as manager of the project.

Red Lake North overview

The Red Lake North property is located approximately 22 kilometres northeast of Red Lake, Ont., in the prolific Red Lake mining district. The property consists of 47 staked mining claims totalling 329 units (approximately 5,264 hectares). The property is 30 minutes by logging road from the town of Red Lake, which is the business and government centre for the region. The area has a rich mining history, with two active producing mines (the Campbell complex and Red Lake complex), and has all the facilities and infrastructure required to develop a new mining operation.

The Red Lake North property is separated into two distinct packages of ground. The larger of the two blocks is located on the northwest margin of the Black Bear intrusive. Geologically, the property is dominated by a package of Balmer assemblage mafic and ultramafic volcanic rocks which are overlain by altered intermediate sediments. The stratigraphic units are interpreted to be upright and dipping at 60 to 70 degrees to the northwest. A series of northwest-trending, vertical to subvertical faults crosscut and offset stratigraphy. This property is directly along strike from the recent Planet zone gold discovery, currently being explored by Goldcorp/Planet. Based on historical drilling and geophysical interpretation on this land package, the extension of gold-bearing sericite schist stratigraphy that is observed on the Planet zone continues southwest onto the newly acquired property. The prospective stratigraphy hosting the sericite schist target horizon is interpreted to occur along the 12-kilometre strike length of the property. All seven holes drilled by Rubicon intersected the prospective altered stratigraphy.

The smaller of the two blocks is situated on the up-dip and down-dip extensions of the recent Goldcorp/Planet gold discovery. Geologically, the property is dominated by a package of Balmer assemblage mafic and ultramafic volcanic rocks which are overlain by altered intermediate sediments. The southeastern claim block is on the contact between the overlying Balmer assemblage volcanics and the Cat Island pluton to the southeast. Based on drilling by RMX, the prospective gold-bearing sericite schist horizon continues onto the northwestern claim block, at depth. To date, only two holes have been drilled on this claim block. Further drilling is required to test for the continuity and controls of gold mineralization on the property.

Terry Bursey, PGeo, a qualified person under National instrument 43-101, will advance the Red Lake North project.