SOQUEM Pushes Forward at Lespérance-Lac Shortt with New Gold Results
SOQUEM, the Quebec-based mineral exploration company, has released encouraging assay results from its 2024-2025 exploration program at the Lespérance-Lac Shortt project. The program, designed to evaluate the gold potential of the Boyvinet, Boyvinet West, and Lespérance Breccia areas, comprised 24 drill holes for a total of 5,240.5 meters and aimed to refine geological models surrounding regional deformation corridors. Results underline significant near-surface gold potential and provide a stronger foothold for continued exploration west of the Lac Shortt deformation corridor.
Key Findings: Boyvinet Area and Westward Continuity
The Boyvinet area hosts gold-bearing zones near the Lac Shortt deformation corridor, a structure trend that forms an east-west corridor with a steep dip to the north. Historical data show promising grades in adjacent drill holes, establishing a framework for potential westward continuity. In 2024-2025, five holes totaling 1,575 meters tested this extension, with four intersecting gold-bearing zones. The most notable intersections include:
- Hole 1435-24-018: 0.70 g/t Au over 39.7 meters, including 1.46 g/t Au over 16 meters, at the interface of overburden and bedrock.
- Hole 1435-25-020: 1.19 g/t Au over 8.0 meters and 1.13 g/t Au over 14.0 meters.
- Hole 1435-24-017: 0.96 g/t Au over 5.9 meters.
- Hole 1435-25-021: 0.92 g/t Au over 15.0 meters.
Overall, the gold zones occur in a 1.4-kilometer corridor hosted in basalts and diorites/gabbros, with strong alteration including albite, hematite, potassium feldspar, ankerite, and silica. Pyrite is present as a trace to more than 5% disseminations. The results reinforce the potential for a larger, westward extension of the zone, consistent with a model that combines features of intrusion-related gold systems (IRGS) and orogenic gold deposits.
Exploration at Boyvinet West: Confirming a Shallow Gold Zone
In the Boyvinet West area, five holes totaling 723 meters tested the continuity of a shallow gold-bearing zone recently modeled from historical data. Earlier drill results from BV-16 (drilled in 1990) indicated a fault zone with strong gold grades, and SOQUEM’s program confirmed the new interpretation. The gold zone is interpreted to have a strike length of about 375 meters, trending 315° north with a 35° dip, and remains open to the northwest and southeast. The standout results include:
- Hole 1435-24-013: 0.91 g/t Au over 19.5 meters, including 1.48 g/t Au over 10.7 meters.
- Hole 1435-24-015: 0.67 g/t Au over 13.1 meters, including 4.26 g/t Au over 1.2 meters.
This zone’s shallow depth and the confirmed geological interpretation highlight its potential for rapid expansion with further drilling, as the area remains open at both ends. The positive results bolster the prospect of a near-surface resource that could complement a broader gold system linked to the Lac Shortt corridor.
Lespérance Breccia Area: Infill Drilling Confirms Shallow Gold Zones
The Lespérance Breccia area focused on improving confidence in shallow gold-bearing zones, with eleven holes totaling 2,348.5 meters. The program confirmed two mineralization styles: (1) gold associated with intense albite, carbonate, sericite, and pyrite alteration that masks the original rock type, and (2) copper-gold zones in breccias rich in magnetite/hematite, pyrite, epidote-chlorite, and chalcopyrite. This latter style aligns with early skarn activity in breccias and mafic lavas. Significantly, hole 1435-25-027 yielded 3.32 g/t Au over 7.3 meters, including visible gold, and hole 1435-25-028 delivered 6.33 g/t Au over 10 meters, underscoring the resource potential near surface within the breccia system.
Project Context and Next Steps
The Lespérance-Lac Shortt project spans 192 mining claims (approximately 100.73 km2) and is fully owned by SOQUEM. Located in the Abitibi Subprovince within the Caopatina-Desmaraisville greenstone belt, the project sits near historic mines such as Lac Shortt and Bachelor. An 800 tpd ore processing plant at Bachelor is currently under care and maintenance, reflecting the broader regional mining activity and potential for future integration of new discoveries.
SOQUEM plans to advance exploration with approximately 5,000 meters of drilling anticipated in Fall 2025, focusing on continuing exploration in the Boyvinet and Boyvinet West areas. Geophysical work, including induced polarization surveys, is planned to evaluate the continuity of known gold-bearing structures and to identify new targets. The company emphasizes strict QA/QC protocols, with assays conducted at Activation Laboratories Ltd. in Val-d’Or and follow-up re-analyses for high-grade samples.
About SOQUEM
SOQUEM, a subsidiary of Investissement Québec, is dedicated to exploring and developing mining properties in Quebec. The company emphasizes innovation, research, and a commitment to local economic development, while managing mineral projects that could contribute to the region’s mineral wealth.
Analytical and Qualified Person Statements
Analytical methods included fire assay with AAS finish for gold, with gravimetric re-analysis for grades exceeding 5.0 g/t Au and metallic sieve checks for visible gold. The reported technical information has been reviewed by Catherine Jalbert, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101.
