Maple Gold targeting new high grade zones at Douay

Maple Gold Mines Ltd. is reporting initial assay results from the first five (5) drill holes completed during the 10,000-metre ("m") 2025 winter drill campaign (the "Program") at its 100%-owned Douay Gold Project ("Douay") located along the Casa Berardi-Douay Gold Trend in Québec, Canada. Reported assay results include one (1) hole completed in the Nika Zone, three (3) holes completed in the Porphyry East Zone, and one (1) hole completed in the Central Zone (see Figures 1 and 2 for drill hole locations and Tables 1 and 2 for complete assay results). 

Highlights:

• In the Nika Zone, drill hole DO-25-338 intersected 2.05 grams per tonne gold ("g/t Au") over 108.6 m (from 537.4 m downhole, or 490 m vertical depth), including 3.05 g/t Au over 55.8 m, and including 4.93 g/t Au over 17 m. This result was within a broader envelope of mineralization that returned 1.43 g/t Au over 169.5 m.

• DO-25-338 is a significant (300-m) down-plunge step-out from the nearest drilling in the Nika Zone and is located well below the defined mineralization and conceptual pit shell in the current Douay mineral resource estimate ("MRE"). These drill results define a new high-grade, bulk tonnage target that is open at depth and along strike (see Figures 2 and 3).

• DO-25-338 returned the best intercept drilled to date in the Nika Zone and the 5thbest intercept ever reported at Douay based on gold accumulation (grade x thickness).

• The Company is planning immediate follow-up drill holes to DO-25-338 during this Program.

• In the Porphyry East Zone, drill hole DO-25-334 intersected 15.50 g/t Au over 1.0 m, drill hole DO-25-335 intersected 3.15 g/t Au over 9.0 m, including 14.30 g/t Au over 1.0 m, and drill hole DO-25-336 intersected 0.98 g/t Au over 35.0 m, including 2.31 g/t Au over 9.0 m. 

"The Company's ambitious 2025 exploration program is already yielding exciting results,"stated Kiran Patankar, Maple Gold's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We have only begun to test Douay's resource expansion potential at depth using our improved geological and targeting models. Hole DO-25-338 was a planned 300-m step-out that intersected exceptional grades and widths, including the best intercept drilled to date in the Nika Zone and one of the best grade-thickness intercepts ever encountered at Douay, within the syenite that hosts the existing mineral resource. Today's result builds on the consistent gold mineralization previously identified at shallower depths in the Nika Zone and defines a new high-grade, bulk tonnage target at Douay that remains open in multiple directions."

Ian Cunningham-Dunlop, Maple Gold's Vice President, Technical Services, added: "One of the key objectives of the 2025 Program was to test for potential down-plunge extensions of higher-grade zones outside the Douay MRE with bulk tonnage underground resource potential - these initial drill results have achieved this objective in convincing fashion. We are very encouraged by the potential to expand this new zone, and the Company has secured a second diamond drill rig to immediately begin follow-up drilling. We expect to release a steady stream of assay results over the coming weeks as they are received and interpreted."

Program Details

The Company has approved a minimum of 10,000 m of diamond drilling at Douay in 2025. Phase I drilling commenced in January 2025 with an expected duration of approximately four months (see Company news release dated January 22, 2025). Breakdown of the planned drill meterage is as follows: 

• 70% dedicated to de-risking and expanding the Douay MRE through strategic infill and step-out holes (along strike and at depth); and 

• 30% allocated to testing new regional geological and geophysical targets along strike from the Douay MRE and north, within the Taibi Group sediments along favourable lithologic breaks and lithologic contacts. 

Key objectives of the Program include: 1) targeting sparsely drilled 100-200 m gaps between modeled mineral resource domains (both pit-constrained and underground) to convert Inferred Resources to Indicated Resources; 2) adding new Inferred Resources along strike, down-dip, and down-plunge of the existing deposit; 3) focusing on the down-plunge extensions of higher-grade zones outside the Douay MRE with bulk tonnage underground resource potential; and 4) testing new regional geophysical targets with the potential for new mineralized zones. The Company is leveraging the results of its year-long data compilation exercise to initially target the shallow portions (<500 m depth) of the Douay mineralizing system. This approach is intended to improve understanding of the geometry of the known zones and validate key plunge directions in Phase I before systematically stepping down-plunge and testing at depth during a proposed Phase II (see Figure 2). This phased approach will allow the Company to manage exploration risk and maximize the potential for exploration success. 

At the time of writing of this news release, the Company has completed more that 50% of the planned 10,000 m at Douay and expects the Program to be completed on time and within budget. 

Discussion of Nika Zone Results

The Nika Zone is in the northwestern portion of the Douay MRE (see Figure 1) and is geologically very similar to the main Porphyry Zone, with both zones hosted within a mixed basalt-syenite intrusive sequence, including thick syenitic dykes that are well mineralized.

Current drilling in the Nika Zone has targeted the potential down-plunge extension of broad zones of gold mineralization previously identified in drill hole DO-21-282X, which returned 1.76 g/t Au over 100.3 m, including 5.49 g/t Au over 9.6 m, in what was then the best intersection reported in the Nika Zone (see Company news release dated May 26, 2021). 

Drill hole DO-25-338, located 300 m down-plunge from drill hole DO-21-282X (see Figure 3), returned:

• 1.43 g/t over 169.5 m, including 2.05 g/t Au over 108.6 m, including 3.05 g/t Au over 55.8 m, including 5.95 g/t over 7.8 m, and including 4.93 g/t Au over 17.0 m, including 15.31 g/t over 1.9 m (see Table 1). 

This result underscores the potential for bulk tonnage underground gold mineralization at depth at Douay and represents the best hole completed to date in the Nika Zone based on gold accumulation (grade x thickness). Gold mineralization in DO-25-338 is hosted within highly fenite-altered (K-feldspar, amphibole, magnetite) syenite, with hydrothermal breccias creating a fracture network filled by fine quartz, carbonate, 5-10% disseminated pyrite (locally 15%), and chlorite (see Plate 1). The Nika Zone remains open both at depth and along strike, and the Company plans immediate follow-up drilling to test the area around hole DO-25-338 during this Program.

Discussion of Porphyry East Zone Results

The Porphyry Zone hosts high tonnage, lower grade, structurally controlled gold mineralization within the Porphyry West, Porphyry Central and Porphyry East Zones and hosts >55% of the contained Indicated and Inferred gold ounces within the Douay MRE1.

The three drill holes reported herein, DO-25-334, DO-25-335 and DO-25-336, all intersected the modeled Porphyry East Zone ore body at anticipated depths with promising gold mineralization hosted within the DIC, a mixed zone with basalt intruded by syenite dikes, and a new lower intermediate tuff horizon in the footwall to the DIC which may be part of the northern Taibi volcaniclastic units. The Porphyry East Zone remains open both at depth and along strike. 

Drilling at the Porphyry East Zone has been focused on the overall plunging trend of mineralization within and beneath the 2022 modeled pit shell (see Figures 1 and 2) which was interpreted to be plunging to the southwest. The three drill holes reported herein targeted this trend over a 450-meter down-plunge distance and returned encouraging assay results in all three holes:

• Drill Hole DO-25-334 and DO-25-335 targeted middle and shallow portions of the Porphyry East Zone and returned 15.50 g/t Au over 1.0 m and 3.15 g/t Au over 9.0 m, including 14.30 g/t Au over 1.0 m, respectively.

• Drill Hole DO-25-336 tested the extension of the Porphyry East gold mineralization 350 m below the bottom of the 2022 modeled pit (450 m down-plunge) and intersected 0.98 g/t Au over 35.0 m including 2.31 g/t Au over 9.0 m.

Discussion of Central Zone Results

The sparsely drilled Central Zone is located north of the Porphyry Zone and east of the NW and Nika Zones. One drill hole, DO-25-337, was completed on the Central Zone to extend higher-grade mineralization to depth and returned 5.00 g/t Au over 1.0 m at an approximate vertical depth of 200 m. An additional deeper hole, DO-25-340, was also completed, with assays pending.

Additional Notes 

Starting azimuth, dip and final length (Azimuth/Dip/Length (m)) for the five (5) drill holes reported in this news release are noted as follows: DO-25-334 (011/53/486), DO-25-335 (060/60/171), DO-25-336 (000/60/617), DO-25-337 (356/44/450), and DO-25-338 (003/62/672). 

Figure 1. Northeast-looking oblique view of the Douay mineralized zones, 2022 MRE blocks and pit shells, and 2025 completed drill holes and reported intercepts

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
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Figure 2. North-looking Douay composite longitudinal section with 2022 MRE blocks, 2025 drill target areas, and 2025 completed drill holes and reported intercepts

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https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/247179_mplgld20250403f2.jpg

Figure 3. Northeast-looking Nika Zone cross-section with DO-25-338 and DO-21-282X

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https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3077/247179_mplgld20250403f3.jpg

Plate 1. Close-up of drill hole DO-25-338 at 639 m downhole within mineralized syenite

 

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