Delta Begins to Drill at Manalo Gold Project

KAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA, Apr 17 (MARKET WIRE) --
Delta Exploration Inc. ("Delta") (TSX VENTURE: DEV) is pleased to
provide the following update on its 100%-owned Manalo Gold Project, in
southwestern Mali, West Africa. Following the completion of a very
successful drilling program in late 2007 (see Delta News Release dated
January 15, 2008), Delta recently completed a program of targeted Induced
Polarization (IP) and infill soil geochemistry, and reinterpreted
previous airborne geophysical data as part of a detailed structural
analysis of the Manalo area.

Planned 2008 Drill Program

A program of 6000 meters of RC drilling and 600 meters of core drilling
will begin early next week to follow up on the 2007 drill program. That
program discovered gold mineralization in three new zones at Manalo, now
named Dialafara, Mansaya, and Sirabada; and expanded mineralization on
the Manalo NE zone which was previously drilled in 2006. In addition to
these four prospects, another new zone, MN-3, was identified through
prospecting an airborne EM anomaly in late 2007. Manalo SE was previously
identified in property-scale soil geochemistry but has not yet been drill
tested.

Dialafara Prospect

Infill soil geochemistry (100m x 50m), totalling 2043 samples, covered an
area approximately 12 km2 in size. In addition to the original Dialafara
artisanal area drilled last December, at least four other anomalous zones
are indicated with drill testing planned for each. In addition, eight
line-km of gradient IP were completed across the Dialafara artisanal
area, highlighting two significant chargeability highs that will be
further drill-tested.

The December 2007 drill program at Dialafara consisted of 13 holes
totalling 1,412 metres with seven holes returning significant gold
assays. Drill holes DL-07-01 and DL-07-02, both of which were drilled
under the main artisanal workings, returned high grades associated with
quartz veining (see Table 1). Gold was found to be associated with quartz
veins hosted in clay-altered Birimian metasedimentary rocks (siltstones
and fine-grained sandstones).

Table 1 Dialafara Prospect - 2007 RC Drill Highlights
-----------------------------------------------------
Hole ID From To Length Au (g/t)
-----------------------------------------------------
DL-07-01 71 80 9 9.57
-----------------------------------------------------
incl. 75 78 3 24.74
-----------------------------------------------------
DL-07-02 87 93 6 29.07
-----------------------------------------------------
DL-07-07 85 91 6 2.17
-----------------------------------------------------
DL-07-11 17 35 17 0.64
-----------------------------------------------------
and 53 72 19 1.71
-----------------------------------------------------
DL-07-12 102 112 10 0.45
-----------------------------------------------------

The Dialafara artisanal site sits in the centre of the permit, at the
south end of a large north-trending, anomalous gold-in-soils trend. New
geochemical anomalies extend to the north-northwest and lie to the
northeast. Twenty RC holes are planned during this phase of drilling.

Mansaya Prospect

A total of 1138 infill soil samples were collected in the Mansaya area to
better define an anomalous trend associated with gold mineralization
intersected in two drill holes last December. Two 950m lines of High
Resolution Induced Polarization (HiRIP) were run across the
mineralization to better define the host geology. Resistivity defined
four distinct units, including metasedimentary and intrusive rocks, and
defined four targets based on high chargeabilities and high resistivities.

At Mansaya, several targets based on anomalous gold in soils and airborne
geophysical responses indicative of shear zones, were tested with six
holes totalling 552 metres. Several new zones of vein quartz float were
identified and significant intercepts of gold were associated with
fractured and silicified carbonaceous Birimian metasedimentary rocks in
one such zone (see Table 2).

Table 2 RC Drill Results - 2007 Mansaya Prospect
-----------------------------------------------------
Hole ID From To Length Au (g/t)
-----------------------------------------------------
MS-07-03 15 20 5 1.96
-----------------------------------------------------
MS-07-04 51 82 31 0.69
-----------------------------------------------------
incl. 57 75 18 0.94
-----------------------------------------------------
Incl. 57 69 12 1.01
-----------------------------------------------------

Sirabada Prospect

Sirabada consists of an intensely clay-altered zone, locally exploited by
artisanal mining, in northerly striking, steep-dipping Birimian
metasediments. Two grab samples of quartz vein material in greywacke
collected from "ore" dumps ran 32.76 g/t Au and 3.64 g/t Au,
respectively. Intervals of anomalous gold mineralization were found in
several drill holes but an obvious source of the artisanal gold was not
intersected.

529 infill soil samples were collected from a grid 1450m by 2300m in
size. A strong northwest-trending anomaly lies immediately west of a
strong northwest-trending chargeability high, defined by 12 line-km of
gradient IP. Previous drilling came up just short of the overlapping zone
of anomalous soil geochemistry and the zone of high chargeability. Eight
holes are tentatively planned along this trend.

MN-3 Prospect

At MN-3 (Dialafara Nord), 356 soil geochemical samples were collected
along a trend of quartz veining identified in laterite. The southeast
portion of the grid is strongly anomalous in gold and trends to the
northwest, parallel to the trend of quartz vein fragments in laterite.
Two 950m long sections of HIRIP traversed the structural (and
geochemical) trend, defining five targets with high chargeabilities along
the edge of low resistivity graphitic sedimentary rocks. No previous
drilling was completed on the MN-3 target but 10 RC holes are planned
during the upcoming phase of drilling.

Manalo SE Prospect

At Manalo SE, 396 soil geochemical samples were collected over an area
1250m x 1600m surrounding a small artisanal mining site. A broad, medium
intensity, north-trending anomaly will be tested by 6 to 9 RC drill holes.

Manalo NE Prospect

Drilling along the Manalo NE structure in mid-2006 and late 2007 were
successful in defining a continuous north-northwest mineralized structure
over approximately 500m. The zone remains open to the south and to depth.
Oriented core drilling to better define the lithology and structure are
contemplated during the current phase of drilling. Further work,
including an IP survey, is planned for later in 2008.

The Manalo Project comprises the Manalo and Balandougou permits totalling
225 square kilometres, located 100 kilometres southwest of Bamako, the
capital city of Mali.

Christopher J. Wild, P.Eng, V.P. Exploration for Delta Exploration Inc.,
is Delta's Qualified Person.

On behalf of the Board of Directors Delta Exploration Inc.

James T. Gillis, President & CEO

This press release may be accessed at Delta Exploration's website:
http://www.deltaexploration.com and at www.sedar.com.

If you wish to be placed on Delta Exploration's e-mail press release
list, please contact us at deltaex@telus.net.

TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and
does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news
release.

Contacts:
Delta Exploration Inc.
James Gillis
President & CEO
(250) 828-2878
(250) 828-1005 (FAX)
Email: deltaex@telus.net
Website: deltaexploration.com

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