Spokane, Washington – March 12, 2008 – Minera Andes Inc. (TSX: MAI; US OTC: MNEAF) is pleased to report assay results from the first core hole drilled in the 2007-2008 field season at the Los Azules porphyry copper project. Hole AZ-07-30 encountered 113 meters of 1.04 % copper within a larger zone of 200.8 meters of 0.89 % copper.

*True thickness of the copper mineralization is undetermined.

For a map of showing the location of Drill Hole AZ-07-30 at the Los Azules property, please click on the following link:

http://www.minandes.com/i/maps/2008-...

To date, seven vertical core holes have been completed totaling 2,528 meters of the 5,000 meter, 12 hole drilling Stage I program underway as part of the 2007-2008 exploration program Four holes are currently being drilled and assays are pending for six holes. Hole AZ-07-30 was drilled near the northeast of currently defined area of copper mineralization (see attached map). The upper 123 meters of the hole contained leached cap rocks underlain by high-grade porphyry copper mineralization to 323.8 meters.

Allen Ambrose, president of Minera Andes said "Drilling results from the first hole of this field season are exciting, since we are drilling at what was thought to be close to the boundary of the mineralized system and we are still in high grade copper mineralization. This appears to indicate that the system is larger than originally thought. Los Azules is evolving as a sizeable porphyry copper target, with a high-grade near-surface copper discovery at its core that is still open at depth and in several directions laterally."

The exploration program at Los Azules is designed to define an inferred resource and provide sufficiently detailed engineering and technical information to allow the completion of an economic scoping study (a Preliminary Assessment as defined by NI 43-101) of the property by the fourth quarter of this year.

Minera Andes is advancing the Los Azules project under an option agreement (see news release dated November 14, 2007) with Xstrata Copper, one of the commodity business units within Xstrata plc (London Stock Exchange: XTA.L and Zurich Stock Exchange: XTRZn.S). The scope and size potential of the project increased dramatically in 2006 when the Minera Andes drilling discovered a near surface high-grade area of copper mineralization, when AZ-06-19 encountered 221 meters of mineralization averaging 1.62% copper that was 200 meters from hole AZ-06-20 containing 173 meters of 1% copper. Drilling in several holes ended in copper mineralization, including two holes that bottomed in high-grade copper over 1%.

During the last few years, more than half the drilling to define a copper resource has been completed and drilling will continue this field season over the known area of leachable (chalcocite) and sulfide (chalcopyrite) copper mineralization as currently defined. The area to be drilled covers approximately 2.5 kilometers by 0.9 kilometers within the enriched copper target currently identified at Los Azules that is about 3.3 kilometers long and 0.9 kilometers wide. Holes will be drilled at a nominal grid spacing of 200 meters east-west and 400 meters north-south. Where needed, infill holes will be drilled on the 200 meter north-south grid lines.

Most of the current drilling has focused on the northern half of the mineralized copper target. The holes are being drilled to a depth of approximately 350-400 meters. This drilling will test a known area of leachable (chalcocite) and sulfide (chalcopyrite) copper mineralization currently defined by 26 drill holes.

All results have been reviewed by Brian Gavin, Minera Andes’ vice president of exploration, an appropriately qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. All samples were collected in accordance with industry standards. Splits from the drill core samples were submitted to Alex Stewart Assayers, Argentina, S.A., in Mendoza, Argentina, for sample pulp preparation and to ALS Chemex Laboratories.

Minera Andes is a gold, silver and copper exploration company working in Argentina. The Corporation holds about 410,000 acres of mineral exploration land in Argentina including the 49% owned San José silver/gold mine that has recently commenced production. As discussed above, Minera Andes is exploring the Los Azules copper project in San Juan province, where an exploration program is underway to define a resource. Other exploration properties, primarily silver and gold, are being evaluated in southern Argentina. The Corporation presently has 189,324,935 shares issued and outstanding.

This news is submitted by Allen V. Ambrose, president and director of Minera Andes Inc.