PRESS RELEASE TSXV, BVL: ALT

Alturas defines new disseminated gold target at its Chapi

Chapi copper-gold project, Peru


Toronto, December 16, 2008 Alturas Minerals Corp. (the Company) (TSX-V, BVL: ALT) is
pleased to report that it has defined a new gold-in-soils anomaly greater than 1.1 by 1.1 kilometers in
dimension within its Chapi Chapi copper-gold project in southern Peru. The center of the anomaly is
situated to the southeast of a major northeast-striking copper-gold corridor previously defined over
oxidized skarns within the property and reported previously in a press release dated September 4,
2008.

Miguel Cardozo, President & CEO, commented Further systematic soil geochemical sampling has
expanded the gold-mineralized footprint of the mineral system in the Chapi Chapi project and we are
very encouraged by the size and strength of this new disseminated gold target. We interpret this
annular-shaped gold anomaly as a possible leached cap over a concealed copper-gold porphyry
system. The anomaly remains open to the east and to the south. We are continuing with the
compilation of detailed mapping and geochemical data generated by the 2008 program with the aim of
defining drilling targets

The new gold-in-soils geochemical anomaly (Huarajo anomaly) lies entirely over fractured and
limonitized sandstones which are cut by monzonite dykes and breccia zones. The anomaly is defined
by the +50 ppb (0.05 grams/tonne) gold contour and values locally attain up to 2.63 grams/tonne gold.
The gold anomaly is also broadly coincident with strong anomalies in other elements such as arsenic
and antimony. Copper values are in general strongly depleted, however isolated outcrops of copper
carbonate minerals have been located within the fractured sandstones. Representative bedrock
geochemical sampling (21 samples) over the area of the soil anomaly has returned gold values that
average 0.25 grams/tonne, with a peak value of 1.15 grams/tonne.

In addition, the recent soil geochemistry sampling has extended the projected strike of the northeast-
striking copper-gold anomaly over magnetite skarns (the Chapi Chapi Corridor) covered in an earlier
press release dated September 4, 2008 from 1.30 kilometers to over 3.00 kilometers in length.

The 6,903 hectare Chapi Chapi project in the department of Apurimac in southern Peru hosts a large
copper-gold-molybdenum skarn system hosted by Cretaceous limestones and quartzites cut by
dioritic to monzonitic stocks. The limestones are part of the same unit that hosts large skarn deposits
in the Apurimac-Cusco porphyry-skarn belt, such as the Tintaya and Las Bambas copper-gold skarn
projects of XStrata and the quartzite unit hosts an important oxide copper resource at the nearby
Antilla project of Panoro Minerals, situated some 20 kilometers to the west.

The Chapi Chapi property block is immediately adjacent to Alturass Utupara copper-gold project and
together the two projects comprise a larger joint venture of Alturas with Minera IRL Limited, a
company listed on the London Stock Exchange (IRL). Details of the tenure and terms of the joint
venture agreement can be found in a previous Alturas press release dated February 28, 2008.

For maps and an extended summary of exploration results, refer to the Companys website
www.alturasminerals.com/map-room.html



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About Alturas Minerals Corp.
Alturas is a Canadian corporation, and is the parent of Alturas Minerals S.A. (Alturas Peru). Alturas Peru has
been actively exploring various mineral projects in Peru since January 2004. The principal assets of Alturas are
four mineral exploration projects located in southern Peru, being the Huilacollo Gold Project, the Baos del Indio
Gold Project, the Utupara Copper-Gold Project and the Huajoto Gold-Silver-Zinc Project. In addition, Alturas Peru
has interests in eight other exploration projects in Peru. Alturas exploration strategy is focused on the discovery
of large epithermal gold mineralized deposits and copper-gold porphyry/skarn deposits. For further information,
please visit the Company's website at www.alturasminerals.com


As required by the National Instrument 43-101, Alturas's designated Qualified Person for the
supervision of exploration of the projects is Dr. Paul Pearson, F. AUSIMM, Vice President-Exploration
of the Company, who has verified the technical information reported in this News Release.

For further information please contact Thomas Findley at:

Phone: +1-877-471-1376 (North America Toll Free)
+51-1- 628-5123 (Peru)
Email: investor@alturasminerals.com

Alturas Minerals Corp.
Suite 820, 330 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario M5H 2S8


Should you wish to receive Company news via email, please email contact@alturasminerals.com and specify
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The Bolsa de Valores de Lima and the TSX Venture Exchange do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Language and Forward Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results and future events to differ materially fromthose expressed or implied by such statements. Investors are cautioned that such
statements are not guarantees of future performance and results. Risks and uncertainties about the Companys business are more fully
discussed in the Companys disclosure documents filed fromtime to time with the Canadian securities authorities