Rye Patch Gold

Rye Patch Gold Is Drilling at Garden Gate Pass Project

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Sep 13, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX News Network) --

Rye Patch Gold Corp (TSX VENTURE: RPM)(OTCQX: RPMGF) ("Rye Patch" or the "Company") is pleased to update the status of the Company's 100% owned Garden Gate Pass (GGP) project.

HIGHLIGHTS:

--  A 5,000 metre phase-one, reverse circulation drilling program is in
    progress;
--  The Garden Gate Pass project lies along strike and is within three
    kilometres of Barrick Gold's new Red Hill and Goldrush discoveries; and
--  One drillhole was lost to bad ground conditions, one drillhole was
    competed to target depth, and one drillhole is in progress. All have
    intersected bedrock with similar lithologies as described in Barrick's
    September 7, 2011 announcement.

Drilling started on the Company's 100% owned Garden Gate Pass project in late August. The property covers approximately 13 square kilometres (5 square miles) located immediately south of Barrick Gold's Cortez Hills gold mine and along strike of Barrick's newly discovered Red Hill and Goldrush gold deposits. Rye Patch geologists have identified two main mineral trends that cross the GGP project area, and Barrick Gold is currently drilling within three kilometres of the northern border of the project along the eastern gold trend.

On September 7, 2011, Barrick Gold announced that it had made two significant gold discoveries, known as Red Hill and Goldrush, on its Cortez property in Nevada. An inferred resource of 3.5 million oz/ton gold from 28,756,602 tons grading 0.123 ounces per ton gold has been defined by Barrick at Red Hill and mineralization remains open in all directions (see Barrick's website for details). The Goldrush and Red Hill deposits follow a structural zone along the western margin of the Northern Nevada Rift (NNR). While the NNR is a younger feature, it marks a structural zone with deep plumbing that contains thick, high-grade gold (greater than 50 metres grading 31 g/t Au) as shown on the map accompanying Barrick's news release. This zone can be traced geologically and geophysically on and crossing the GGP project. Rye Patch has drillholes permitted and is currently drilling this structural zone.

On the west side of GGP, Rye Patch has identified the western gold trend that controls gold at Cortez, Cortez Hills, and South Trench. This trend has localized felsic Eocene dikes and sills that have been mapped to the north and south of the pediment covered GGP project. The dikes mark important mineral conduits that control gold in the Cortez district. One drillhole was attempted on the western zone; however, difficult ground conditions forced our geologist to terminate the drillhole in the overlying Ordovician Vinni mudstone. The drillhole encountered an intensely broken zone interpreted as the Roberts Mountain thrust contact between the overlying Ordovician Vinni mudstone and the carbonate target rocks beneath the thrust (calcareous siltstone). GGR-001 was our first drillhole on the property, and as a result of the difficult ground conditions, a new mud system was brought in to ensure drillholes would go to target depth. Further drilling on the western target will be completed before the program is over. Meanwhile, the drilling program is focusing on the eastern mineral trend.

The western and eastern target zones have been identified through geologic mapping and geophysical surveys. The geophysical gravity survey data shows a gravity high - interpreted as lower plate host rock assemblage - crossing the eastern side of the project area. This lower plate anticline has a similar aeromagnetic-low as seen over the top of the Goldrush and Red Hill deposits.

The phase-one drill program will consist of eight to ten drillholes with depths of 600 metres. Target depths are interpreted between 400 metres to 600 metres below surface. The geologic setting and the geophysical anomalies within the Garden Gate Pass claim block look similar to other gold deposits in the region. The phase-one drilling campaign will be completed in October.

"Since 1991, there has been approximately 35 million ounces of gold discovered along the Cortez trend between the Pipeline and Cortez Hills deposits. With Barrick's announcement of two new discoveries and new drilling along the trend, it is easy to see the Cortez trend becoming a significant contributor to Nevada's already impressive gold production. The GGP targets have a geologic basis grounded in past work, knowledge and experience along the Cortez trend. Carlin-type deposits are elephants, and the gold deposits tend to cluster. We are seeing the clustering effect now along the Cortez trend - new discoveries are being drilled adjacent to the project and the mineralized structures have been identified at Garden Gate Pass," stated William C. (Bill) Howald, the Company's President and CEO.

As announced on May 18, 2010, May 11, 2009, and June 2, 2009, in respect of the Lincoln Hill, Wilco, and Jessup projects, Rye Patch Gold's resource inventory along the Oreana trend now totals 1,182,780 ounces of gold and gold equivalent in the measured and indicated category plus 2,727,100 ounces of gold and gold equivalent in the inferred category. Table 2 summarizes Rye Patch Gold's precious metal inventory in Nevada, USA.