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Home > News > Maple Gold reports fall...

Maple Gold reports fall 2021 drill results at Douay, Including 4.63 g/t over 6.7m

Apr 5, 2022


Maple Gold Mines Ltd. is reporting final assay results from the Fall 2021 drill program at the company's Douay Gold Project in Quebec, which is held by a 50/50 joint venture between the company and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited. The JV completed a total of seven (7) holes and roughly 3,420 metres ("m") under the Fall 2021 drill program, with every hole intersecting multiple intervals of >1 gram per tonne gold ("g/t Au"). 

Highlights:

  • Drill hole DO-21-316 at the 531 Zone intersected 1.54 g/t Au over 32.2 m (from 430.0 m downhole), including4.63 g/t Au over 6.7 m within 2.13 g/t Au over 18.9 m.
  • DO-21-316 intercepts are located approximately 135 m down-plunge from the best intercept drilled to-date at the 531 Zone (DO-21-310; see news from September 9, 2021) and below the SLR 2022 NI43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate ("SLR 2022") conceptual pit limits, indicating down-plunge continuity of high-grade mineralized trends and resource expansion potential at depth in the 531 Zone.
  • Drill hole DO-21-317 intersected three discrete gold zones: 5.58 g/t Au over 3.0 m (from 258.0 m downhole); 1.62 g/t Au over 16.0 m (from 284.0 m downhole); and 3.42 g/t Au over 8.0 m (from 369.0 m downhole).
  • DO-21-317 intercepts are located up-plunge relative to the DO-21-310 intercept and within a different stratigraphic horizon relative to DO-21-316 that is also favourable for gold mineralization, indicating multiple stacked gold zones that remain open.

"Our exploration team has delivered significant drill intercepts every year at the 531 Zone since 2019 when our targeting became supported by 3D modelling," stated Fred Speidel, VP Exploration of Maple Gold. "These new intercepts further support our belief that there are multiple stacked gold zones with apparent cross-plunges that appear to be structurally controlled. Demonstrated gold mineralization combined with a general lack of drilling has our team excited about the potential for the 531 Zone to deliver additional pit-constrained and underground resources as we continue with larger step-out and deeper drilling in 2022."

Fall 2021 Drill Program Interpretation and Summary of Results

The JV's Fall 2021 drill program included drilling in three separate areas (see Figure 1 for drill hole locations) outlined below with corresponding objectives: 

  1. 531 Zone (3 holes): Targeting further up-plunge and down-plunge along one of the two main interpreted mineralized trends (see Figure 2).
  2. Central Zone (2 holes): Located 450 m and 650 m east of the SLR 2022 Central Zone conceptual pit and designed to test the eastern continuity of sediment-hosted gold mineralization and support further drilling along a 700 m drilling gap (see Figure 1).
  3. Nika Zone / Porphyry Zone Gap Area (2 holes): The Porphyry Zone and Nika Zone are geologically similar and these two drill holes were drilled in the gap area between these two zones and their respective SLR 2022 conceptual pits. 

Image removed.

Figure 1: Douay plan view map highlighting Fall 2021 drill hole locations

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/119281_7395001264264a28_001full.jpg

The 531 Zone has several geological similarities to the Douay West Zone; however, the former has seen significantly less drilling to-date (see Figure 1) and represents an opportunity to expand resources with mineralization remaining open in multiple directions.

Image removed.

Figure 2: North-looking 531 Zone section (50 m total width) with SLR 2022 resource blocks and drill hole locations.

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:
https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/119281_7395001264264a28_002full.jpg

Figure 2 shows gold mineralization extending down-plunge over 300 m from D-93-08 through DO-21-317 to beyond DO-21-316 and then to 70531 (the original 531 Zone discovery hole). Mineralization remains open along both trends (blue and red arrows) at the 531 Zone. Apart from historical drillholes D-92-41 (2.0 g/t Au over 22.9 m) and D-93-08 (1.52 g/t Au over 13.7m), there is no drilling up-plunge to test at shallower depths on this section (see Figure 2 above) leaving mineralization open toward surface. DO-21-319 (2.12 g/t Au over 2.20 m, including 3.56 g/t Au over 1.5 m and 1.44 g/t Au over 5 m, including 2.47 g/t Au over 2.0 m) was an approximately 160 m step-out drill hole (mostly off section in Figure 2) that appears to have just intersected the lower edge of westerly-plunging mineralization in this area, which warrants follow-up drilling. 

A second, roughly perpendicular trend or "cross-plunge", currently less defined but consistent with the typical easterly-plunging mineralization at Douay, is supported by current geological interpretations and the distribution of SLR 2022 resource blocks. This trend is also open to depth with very little drilling (red arrow), but does include DO-20-262X, one of the most significant holes drilled at 531 Zone (see news releases from June 5, 2019 and March 16, 2020).

The DO-21-316 intercept (1.54 g/t Au over 32.2 m, including 2.13 g/t Au over 18.9 m and 4.63 g/t Au over 6.70 m) is hosted in bleached, massive, and relatively homogenous brecciated mafic intrusive that is geologically similar to the previously reported DO-21-310 intercept (8.8 g/t Au over 28 m) located approximately 135 m up-plunge. The DO-21-317 intercepts (5.58 g/t Au over 3.0 m; 1.62 g/t Au over 16.0 m; and 3.42 g/t Au over 8.0 m) are hosted in altered and mineralized fenitized basalts or interflow sediments, also favourable for gold, and are interpreted as additional stacked gold zones.

The altered mafic (and to a lesser degree sedimentary) host rocks, as observed in drill core, point to the possibility of an additional alkaline intrusive complex beneath the 531 Zone. The JV's ongoing and planned drilling in 2022 includes larger step-out and deeper drilling to target areas with significant resource expansion potential. Drill testing the 531 Zone at greater depths continues to rank high on the JV's priority list.

Central Zone drilling intersected multiple narrow zones of mostly sediment-hosted gold mineralization, including multi-gram intercepts in both drill holes. DO-21-318 intersected 2.53 g/t Au over 4.0 m (from 286.0 m downhole); DO-21-315 intersected 1.25 g/t Au over 4.0m (from 260.0 m downhole) and 4.24 g/t Au over 1.0 m (from 362.0 m downhole). Collectively, these two holes confirm that gold mineralization continues well to the east of the current SLR 2022 Central Zone conceptual pit and support drilling still further to the east along a 700 m drilling gap. 

Drilling in the Nika Zone intersected multiple broad intervals of lower-grade mineralization in a gap area with very limited drilling between the Nika and Porphyry Zones (see Figure 1 and Table 1). This gap area has a similar magnetic signature as the centre of the Nika Zone (some 500 m to the northwest) where hole DO-21-282X intersected 1.58 g/t Au over 132 m (see news release from May 26, 2021). Given the general lack of drilling within this gap area, and particularly the presence of near-surface gold mineralization starting at top of bedrock, the results will be further interpreted with the aim of vectoring in towards larger near-surface concentrations of >1 g/t Au mineralization.



Tags: Quebec / Exploration / Gold / All Articles