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Maple Gold Begins 10,000-Metre Drill Program at Douay Gold Project

Jan 22, 2025


Maple Gold Mines has launched a 10,000-metre Phase I diamond drilling program at its Douay Gold Project in Québec, with plans to focus on high-grade zones and expand mineral resources along strike and at depth.

“We are excited to be drilling again at Douay with a renewed focus on the higher-grade core of the deposit and its potential extensions,” said Kiran Patankar, President and CEO. “Our technical team’s extensive compilation of over 50 years of exploration data has vastly improved drill targeting, highlighting Douay/Joutel’s exploration potential along the Casa Berardi break.”

The program, expected to last three to four months, will target:

• Poorly drilled areas within the Inferred Resource for conversion to Indicated Resources.

• Step-out drilling to expand resources along strike, down-dip, and down-plunge.

• New targets identified through geological, geochemical, and geophysical data.

Exploration Strategy and 2025 Outlook

The company plans to utilize a $6.3 million exploration budget in 2025, fully funded by its existing treasury. Key initiatives include:

1. Douay Development Initiatives: Reviewing the current mineral resource estimate (MRE) to optimize higher-grade zones for underground mining scenarios.

2. Joutel Drilling: A 3,000-metre drill campaign in H2 2025 to extend high-grade mineralization along the Eagle-Telbel mine trend.

Phase I drilling at Douay will primarily target shallow portions (<500 metres) of the mineralizing system to refine the geometry of known zones before deeper drilling in subsequent phases. The initial focus will be on the central Douay MRE, including the Porphyry Zone, which has delivered historical high-grade intercepts such as 2,888 g/t Au over 0.5 metres. Additional targets include the 531 Zone, where prior drilling returned 8.8 g/t Au over 28.5 metres, and the Main Zone, which represents a promising new area of sediment-hosted gold mineralization.

Key Findings From Data Compilation

Maple Gold’s year-long technical review included re-logging over 20,000 metres of historical drill core and creating new 3D geological and structural models. Findings revealed:

• The Casa Berardi Deformation Zone widens at Douay/Joutel, forming potential structural traps for gold mineralization.

• Favourable rock types include Douay Intrusion, Taibi Group sediments, and Cartwright Hills Group basalts.

• Gold mineralization is associated with broad alteration zones and multiple mineralization styles, including intrusion-related and late-orogenic gold.

• Twelve main mineralized zones display strong plunge geometries with periodic spacing of 500–1,000 metres.

• Limited drilling has been conducted below 500 metres, highlighting significant depth potential compared to other Abitibi deposits like East Gouldie and LaRonde.

Douay West Optimization

The company will review underground mining scenarios for the Douay West zone, which hosts Indicated Resources of 4.2 million tonnes grading 2.13 g/t Au (286,000 ounces) and Inferred Resources of 3.7 million tonnes grading 1.39 g/t Au (169,000 ounces). Existing infrastructure, including a headframe and mine hoist, provides a strong foundation for future development.

Maple Gold’s exploration program is aimed at unlocking the potential for multiple gold deposits within the Douay/Joutel property, driving shareholder value while maintaining strict cost discipline.

By Kevin Vincent



Tags: Quebec / Exploration / Gold / All Articles