Avrupa's Geochemical and Geophysical Results Upgrade Covas Tungsten Project

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - March 7, 2011) - Avrupa Minerals Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:AVU) -

• Positive soil survey results enhance Covas Dome targets
• Re-processing of magnetic data leads to new targets in District
• High potential for discovery of new high grade tungsten mineralization
• District geochemistry indicates possibility of gold mineralization
• Property available for JV

Avrupa Minerals Ltd. is pleased to announce results from recent work at the Covas tungsten project in northern Portugal. In order to assess the potential for a large, bulk-tonnage tungsten deposit in the area of the Covas Dome, the Company completed a 300-sample, 25 line-kilometer soil sample program, completely covering the Dome area, and partially covering the known Skarn Ring zone of tungsten mineralization. Avrupa also re-processed old magnetic data that covered the entire district to test for additional skarn mineralization potential.

Previous operators in the Covas District mined more than 365,000 metric tonnes of 0.61% WO₃ material from tungsten-bearing pyrhhotite skarns. After various entities drilled 327 holes and approximately 26,000 meters into parts of the Skarn Ring, Union Carbide, in the early 1980's, calculated a resource (non NI 43-101 compliant) of approximately 1 million metric tonnes of 0.7% WO₃ for the District. The new information generated by Avrupa Minerals enhances the potential at Covas by demonstrating the possibility of significant new high grade tungsten mineralization in the Skarn Ring, as well as the potential for discovering intrusion-related tungsten mineralization in the Covas Dome.

Results from the soil sampling for multi-element analyses, performed by ALS Chemex in Vancouver, suggest further potential for tungsten mineralization in a number of places around the 3 kilometer by 2 kilometer Dome, particularly in the southeastern third of the presumed multiple intrusion complex. As shown by the figure below, areas of gold anomalies coincide with tungsten anomalies in the southeast part of the Dome, as well as around several known and possible skarn showings on the west and northwest sides of the Skarn Ring. Values for tungsten reach 2300 ppm (with background results less than 10 ppm), and values for gold in the soil samples reach 129 ppb (background values are less than 10 ppb Au). Previously completed stream sediment sampling over the entire original Covas exploration license showed a strong gold anomaly draining the Fervenca, Valdarcas, and Lapa Grande skarn bodies on the north and northeast side of the Skarn Ring.

Coincident or partially coincident tin, lead, zinc, copper, arsenic, bismuth, silver, and weak molybdenum soil anomalies enhance the main Dome area tungsten target zone. This suite of anomalous elements suggests the possibility of an intrusive-related tungsten deposit inside the Skarn Ring. Statistical and factor analysis of the geochemical data suggests that the Covas District should be further tested for the possibility of gold/tin skarns, as well as for intrusion-related gold deposits.

To view Figure 1. Gold and tungsten anomalies in the Covas Dome, please click here: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/AVUfigure1.pdf.

The results from re-processing the raw data from a ground magnetic grid survey performed by a previous operator in 2007-09 further enhance targeting at Covas, both in the Dome area, and around the Skarn Ring. Gradient Geophysics, of Missoula, Montana, produced a number of images using residual magnetics reduced to pole, total field magnetics reduced to pole, first vertical derivative, and analytic signal processes. Together, these maps also demonstrate the potential for untested tungsten-bearing skarn bodies, both in the Skarn Ring and in the Dome area at Covas. Elements of structural relationship and control between locations of already-known mineralization and potential new areas of mineralization are clearly demonstrated in the re-process work.

Most importantly, the new geochemical and geophysical work, coupled with previous mapping and sampling around the entire District, as well as with recent prospecting and first-pass geological mapping in the Dome area, shows at least half a dozen coincident, geochemical, geophysical, and geological anomalies that can be upgraded into drill targets and will require drill testing. The goal for this work will be to double the resource of high grade skarn-related mineralization in the Skarn Ring zone, and to unlock the potential of intrusion-related mineralization in the Dome complex.

To view Figure 2. New magnetic anomalies at Covas, please click here: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/AVUfigure2.pdf.

Avrupa is actively searching for a JV partner to move the Covas program to the next level of exploration to potentially develop a new tungsten resource in Europe. There is potential to increase the size of the higher grade skarn resource, by targeting a number of anomalies around the Skarn Ring, as well as potential to discover new intrusive-related skarn mineralization within the mostly unexplored Covas Dome area. There are also attractive geochemical and geological reasons to explore for gold mineralization in the district.

Avrupa Minerals Ltd. is a growth-oriented junior exploration and development company focused on aggressive exploration, using a prospect generator model, for valuable mineral deposits in politically stable and prospective regions of Europe, including Portugal and Kosovo.

Avrupa has an exciting portfolio of exploration projects consisting of:

• Copper and Zinc in Portugal at Marateca, Alvalade, Canal Caveira, and Ferreira do Alentejo in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, where Europe's richest active copper mine is located;
• Tungsten in Portugal at the Covas prospect;
• Silver, Lead and Zinc in Kosovo at the Glavej, Kamenica, and Bajgora properties in the Trepça Mineral Belt of the Vardar Zone, historically, Europe's most productive district for lead and zinc;
• Copper in Kosovo at the Rezhanc property in the Macedonian porphyry belt.

For additional information, contact Avrupa Minerals Ltd. at 1-604-687-3520 or visit our website at www.avrupaminerals.com.

On behalf of the Board,

Paul W. Kuhn, President & Director

Information about the historic Covas tungsten resource comes from NI 43-101 technical report entitled "Covas Tungsten Deposit", written for Wega Mining ASA by B.J. Price, P. Geo., in 2007. Avrupa Minerals has not completed sufficient work to validate the information, although it is considered to be reliable and relevant.

This news release was prepared by Company management, who take full responsibility for its content. Paul W. Kuhn, President and CEO of Avrupa Minerals, a Licensed Professional Geologist in the State of Washington, USA, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators. He has reviewed the technical disclosure in this release.