FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2001

TRI ORIGIN EXPLORES THE KAZAN COPPER/GOLD PROJECT

Tri Origin Exploration Ltd. (TOE:CDNX) will commence exploration this week at its 100%-owned, 680 square kilometre Kazan copper/gold project in Nunavut. The project is located 70 kilometres south of the community of Baker Lake and 300 kilometres northwest of Hudson Bay. Management deems the property to have excellent potential for “Olympic Dam” style Fe-oxide copper/gold deposits.  The Olympic Dam deposit, discovered in Australia in 1975, is a significant copper-gold mine of distinctive geological type to which Kazan has many similarities.

Tri Origin’s program will consist of an airborne gravity and magnetic survey as well as surface exploration work to evaluate known copper/gold occurrences and gravity anomalies detected by the survey. Tri Origin selected the airborne technology for the Kazan program, as it is particularly suitable in searching for “Olympic Dam” deposits.   Gravity measurements directly detect the increased rock density associated with this type of mineral deposit. 

Airborne gravity surveying is a new, leading edge technology in its application for mineral exploration.  It is an economic exploration tool that allows rapid, detailed surveying of large areas of prospective terrain at a resolution suitable to detect drill target scale anomalies. The “AIRGrav” system recently developed by Sander Geophysics of Ottawa, Ontario has been successfully employed in oil and gas exploration.   Recent improvements to Sander’s gravity system are designed to provide the resolution required for use in exploration for  “Olympic Dam” type deposits.

Tri Origin is pleased to have contracted Sander Geophysics to conduct a combined airborne gravimetric and magnetic survey, using AIRGrav, at its Kazan copper-gold project in Nunavut.  Management is excited about its prospects at Kazan and by employing this new technology we continue with our strategy of enhancing the Company’s competitive edge in the search for concealed orebodies.

Tri Origin and Billiton Plc. have entered into an option agreement regarding the Kazan property (Tri Origin’s New Release - June 13, 2001). After Tri Origin has completed the first phase of exploration and drilling at Kazan, it will submit the results of this program to Billiton. Billiton will then have the option to earn an initial 50% interest in the property through incurring additional work expenditures of $1.6 million. Billiton also has the option of earning a further 20% interest in the property, for an aggregate 70% working interest, by funding the project to commercial production.

For further information, contact:

Catherine Hill, Investor Relations

Tri Origin Exploration Ltd.
Tel: (905) 294-9942

E-mail: explore@triorigin.com
Visit our website at: www.triorigin.com

Tri Origin Exploration Ltd. is publicly listed on the Canadian Venture Exchange under the trading symbol TOE.