Drill Now Turning to Expand and Upgrade Current Douay Mineral Resource and Test New Property-Wide Discovery Targets
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 22, 2025) - Maple Gold Mines Ltd. (TSXV: MGM) (OTCQB: MGMLF) (FSE: M3G) ("Maple Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an exploration update and 2025 outlook for its 100%-owned Douay Gold Project ("Douay") and Joutel Gold Project ("Joutel") (together, "Douay/Joutel" or the "Property") located along the Casa Berardi-Douay Gold Trend in Québec, Canada (see Figures 1 and 2).
A 10,000-metre ("m") Phase I diamond drilling program (the "Program") has now commenced at Douay with an expected duration of three to four months. The location of the Douay mineralized zones and primary targets are shown in Figures 3 and 4. Key objectives of the Program include:
Targeting poorly drilled areas within Inferred Resources for conversion to Indicated Resources within the pit-constrained and underground resource domains;
Step-out drilling along strike, down-dip, and down-plunge to expand Inferred Resources
Step-out drilling from zones of high-grade gold mineralization within the underground Inferred Resources to demonstrate lateral and vertical continuity;
Targeting areas between modeled mineralized zones with geological continuity; and
Testing new targets developed during the compilation exercise of geological, geochemical and geophysical data.
Concurrent development initiatives are anticipated throughout 2025 to advance and de-risk the Douay deposit, including a review of the current Douay mineral resource estimate ("MRE") and an evaluation of potential scenarios to optimize higher grade mineral resources that could be accessible via underground mining methods. An additional 3,000 m of diamond drilling is planned at Joutel in H2 2025 to extend the known high-grade gold mineralization along the past-producing Eagle-Telbel mine trend.
"We are excited to be drilling again at Douay with refocused attention on the higher-grade core of the deposit and its possible extensions both within and beyond our current drill pattern up to 500 m vertical depth," stated Kiran Patankar, President and CEO. "Maple Gold's technical team has accomplished a monumental task in compiling over 50 years of exploration data to generate new geological/structural/geochemical 3D models that have vastly improved our drill targeting. This work highlights the excellent exploration potential of Douay/Joutel, the importance of its location along the deep-seated Casa Berardi break, and the opportunity for the Property to host multiple gold deposits within a variety of geological settings. Our focus in 2025 will be executing a comprehensive exploration and development program that is aimed at delivering shareholder value through the drill bit and via project de-risking, while maintaining strict cost discipline across the Company."
A total exploration budget of approximately $6.3 million has been established for 2025, including permitting, drilling, assaying, personnel, camp and site support costs. The 2025 work program will be fully funded from Maple Gold's existing treasury.
Program Details
The Company is currently planning a minimum of 10,000 m of diamond drilling at Douay in 2025. Phase I drilling has now commenced with an expected duration of approximately three to four months (see Figures 3 and 4). The breakdown of the drilling metreage will be approximately: 70% dedicated to de-risking and expanding the Douay MRE through strategic infill and step-out holes (along strike and at depth); and 30% for the testing of new regional geological and geophysical targets along strike from the Douay MRE and north into the Taibi Group sediments along favourable structural breaks and lithologic contacts. The Company plans to complete infill drilling throughout the Douay MRE to convert Inferred Resources to Indicated Resources, potentially add new Inferred Resources within poorly drilled 100-200 m gaps between modeled mineral domains and target the down-plunge extensions of higher-grade zones outside the Douay MRE.
The Company plans to utilize all available data from its year-long data compilation exercise to initially target the shallow portions of the Douay mineralizing system (<500 m vertical depth) to fully understand the geometry of the known zones and outline key plunge directions (Phase I on Figure 4) before systematically stepping down-plunge and at depth (>500 m vertical depth) during a proposed second drilling phase (Phase II on Figure 4). This will allow the Company to control exploration risk and maximize exploration success.
The initial focus of Phase I drilling will be on the central portions of the Douay MRE targeting higher grade areas within the Porphyry Zone (comprised of West/Central/East portions), which is hosted within the Douay Intrusive Complex and includes some of the highest-grade assays returned on the Property (up to 2,888 grams/tonne ("g/t") of gold ("Au") over 0.5 m in historical drill hole DO-05-04). Other targets include: the 531 Zone which is hosted within mafic volcanic and folded interflow sedimentary rocks and includes one of highest-grade gold intersections reported by the Company in drill hole DO-21-310 which returned 8.8 g/t Au over 28.5 m, including 12.7 g/t Au over 10.0 m and 31.1 g/t Au over 0.5 m (see Company news release dated September 9, 2021); and the Main Zone which lies along the northern edge of the Douay Deformation Zone ("DDZ") with gold mineralization hosted along the sheared graphitic contact between the Taibi Group volcaniclastic and sedimentary rocks to the north and Cartwright Hills Group mafic volcanic rocks to the south. Taibi Group sediments represent a promising new target area for the Company with the potential for sediment-hosted gold deposits along a major lithotectonic boundary similar to the Casa Berardi and Canadian Malartic deposits.
Douay/Joutel Exploration Update
Since the completion of its last drilling campaign in Spring 2023, the Company has focused on streamlining onsite operations, standardizing procedures, enhancing efficiencies, centralizing data management, optimizing workflow, and reducing overhead site costs. This effort has led to increased productivity from a revamped technical team that has reviewed historical drill core, compiled and digitized data, distinguished new geological and structural controls on gold mineralization, and developed vectors for targeting gold mineralization in the next phases of drilling.
Key tasks completed by the Maple Gold technical team include: re-logging of historical diamond drill core (>20,000 m); re-interpretation and preparation of drill hole cross-sections and level plans for all mineralized zones; updating and creating new robust 3D geological and structural models in Leapfrog software; updating of the Property-wide drill hole and geochemical databases with previously unincorporated historical data; layering of geological, structural, geochemical and geophysical data sets to generate new targets; and use of expert geochemical consultants to process multi-element assay data to identify potential pathfinder elements and 'hot' spots.
Key findings from the year-long data review and compilation exercise include:
The Casa Berardi Deformation Zone (the "CBDZ") widens around Douay/Joutel resulting in complex zones along the DDZ of brittle and ductile deformation, subsidiary splays, NNE cross-faulting, and potential dextral rotation around the Douay Intrusive Complex resulting in Delta-type pressure shadows and possible structural traps for gold (see Figure 2).
A variety of host domains and rock types are favourable for gold mineralization including the Douay Alkaline Intrusion, Taibi Group sediments (including iron formations), Cartwright Hills Group basalts (including Fe-Rich tholeiitic komatiites), Temiskaming-style conglomerates, and structural breaks associated with major lithotectonic (volcanic-sedimentary) contacts.
Multiple styles and generations of mineralization are present at Douay/Joutel including Intrusion-Related Gold Systems ("IRGS"), multi-phase breccias, late orogenic gold, and synvolcanic-exhalative gold (Eagle-Telbel).
Gold mineralization is commonly associated with broad zones of albitization, Fe-carbonatization, silicification, hematization, fenitization, biotitization, and pyritization and alteration can be used as a key vector for gold mineralization.
The twelve (12) main mineralized zones all display a strong plunge geometry to the higher-grade gold mineralization, which varies from shallow to steep, and from southeast to southwest, possibly related to an earlier folding event. There also appears be a periodicity to the mineralized zones within the DDZ spaced 500 m to 1,000 m apart (see Figure 3).
There has been very limited drilling below 500 m vertical depth in comparison to other gold deposits in the Abitibi (East Gouldie/Odyssey, LaRonde) (see Figure 4).
Planned Douay Development Initiatives
The Company plans to review the current Douay MRE for the Project which currently contains both pit-constrained and underground Inferred and Indicated mineral resources to optimize higher grade resources that could be accessible via an underground mining scenario. Initial focus would include the Douay West zone which currently hosts Indicated mineral resources totaling 4.2 million tonnes ("Mt") grading 2.13 g/t Au (containing 286,000 ounces of Au) and Inferred mineral resources totaling 3.7 Mt grading 1.39 g/t Au (containing 169,000 ounces of Au)1. Douay West also includes existing surface infrastructure constructed in 1995 including a headframe and mine hoist.
Figure 1: Location of the Douay/Joutel (Eagle-Telbel) Property in the Abitibi Sub-Province, Québec
Figure 4: Composite longitudinal section showing location of Douay Mineralized Zones and 2025 Target Areas (in red) (note: comparison to other deposits for reference purposes only)
2024 Exploration Work Completed at Joutel and Morris VMS Project
In Q2 2024, the Company completed a 525 line-km airborne drone-magnetic geophysical survey over a detailed grid on the western portion of the Joutel gold project to assist in the development of new drill targets along the western strike extent of the Eagle-Telbel stratigraphy.
In Q3 2024, the Company completed a lithogeochemical sampling program over its Morris volcanogenic massive sulphide ("VMS") project, located 29 km east of Matagami, Québec. The program focused on the felsic volcanic rocks of the key Watson Lake formation which is present on the Morris project and is known to host the major VMS deposits within the Matagami mining camp. The Summer 2024 sampling program highlighted several areas of highly altered rhyolite, and the Company is developing plans for follow-up work in 2025.
Qualified Person
Ian Cunningham-Dunlop, P.Eng., Vice President, Technical Services of Maple Gold and a qualified person ("QP") as defined by Canadian National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information related to exploration and Mineral Resource matters contained in this news release.
About the Douay/Joutel Gold Project
The Douay/Joutel Gold Project is located adjacent to Highway 109 in the heart of the Abitibi greenstone belt, Canada's premier gold mining jurisdiction (see Figure 1). This large, 100%-owned land package includes the multi-million ounce2 Douay Gold Project and the past-producing, high-grade Joutel Gold Mine Complex3. The Property contains ~400 km2 of highly prospective geology (see Figure 2) within the influence of the major gold-bearing CDBZ. Gold mines in the immediate region include the Casa Berardi Gold Mine operated by Hecla Mining Company and the Detour Lake Gold Mine operated by Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. (see Figure 1).
About Maple Gold
Maple Gold Mines Ltd. is a Canadian advanced exploration company focused on advancing its 100%-owned, district-scale Douay and Joutel gold projects located in Québec's prolific Abitibi Greenstone Gold Belt. The Douay/Joutel projects benefit from exceptional infrastructure access and boast ~400 km2 of highly prospective ground including an established gold mineral resource at Douay with significant expansion potential as well as the past-producing Telbel and Eagle West mines at Joutel. In addition, the Company holds an exclusive option to acquire 100% of the Eagle Mine Property, a key part of the historical Joutel Mining Complex.
Maple Gold's property package also hosts a significant number of regional exploration targets along a 55-km strike length of the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone that have yet to be tested through drilling, making the property ripe for new gold and polymetallic discoveries. The Company is currently focused on carrying out exploration and drill programs to grow mineral resources and make new discoveries to establish an exciting new gold district in the heart of the Abitibi. For more information, please visit www.maplegoldmines.com.
NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS PRESS RELEASE.
Forward-Looking Statements and Cautionary Notes:
This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation in Canada. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective,", "strategy", "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements about the resource expansion and discovery potential across the Company's gold projects, and its intention to pursue such potential, and the Company's exploration work and results from current and future work programs. Although the Company believes that forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct, as forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, uncertainties and management's best estimate of future events on the date the statements are made and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations and projections, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of additional risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements in this news release, please refer to the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators available on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval Plus (SEDAR+) at www.sedarplus.ca or the Company's website at www.maplegoldmines.com. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and/or the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any intention to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
________________________ 1 For additional details, see the technical report for the Douay gold project entitled "Technical Report on the Douay and Joutel Projects Northwestern Québec, Canada Report for NI 43-101" prepared by SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd. with an effective date of March 17, 2022, and dated April 29, 2022. 2 The Douay Project contains Indicated Mineral Resources estimated at 10 million tonnes at a grade of 1.59 g/t Au (containing 511,000 ounces of gold), and Inferred Mineral Resources estimated at 76.7 million tonnes at a grade of 1.02 g/t Au (containing 2,527,000 ounces of gold). See the technical report for the Douay Gold Project entitled "Technical Report on the Douay and Joutel Projects Northwestern Québec, Canada Report for NI 43-101" prepared by SLR Consulting (Canada) Ltd. with an effective date of March 17, 2022, and dated April 29, 2022. 3 The Eagle, Eagle West and Telbel Gold Mines at Joutel were in production from 1974 to 1993 and produced 1.1 million ounces of gold at an average grade of 6.5 g/t Au (Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. website)
