First Mining Gold Corp. (“First Mining” or the “Company”) (TSX: FF) (OTCQX: FFMGF) (FRANKFURT: FMG) is pleased to announce new drilling results from the 2024 Phase 3 diamond drilling program at its Duparquet Gold Project (“Duparquet Project” or the “Project”) located in Quebec, Canada.
First Mining has identified two new discovery gold zones during the expansion drilling at the Valentre target. Assay results for the newly discovered “Miroir Zone”, located north of the Valentre target, returned 3.12 g/t Au over 19.35 m, including 5.47 g/t Au over 9.6 m. Further drill results from the program identified a second discovery, the “Aiguille Zone”, occurring south of the Valentre target, returning 8.99 g/t Au over 3.1 m. In total, 142* unique mineralized intercepts in 16 drill holes have been encountered in the Valentre expansion area, including the new discoveries at Miroir and Aiguille. These new drill results support a strong continuity in mineralization within the Central Duparquet, Valentre and Dumico (“CVD“) area, while highlighting an affinity for additional discovery zones with increasing exploration at the Duparquet Project.
“The discovery of these two new gold zones at our Duparquet Gold Project demonstrates the continued success of our exploration program at the Project,” stated Dan Wilton, CEO of First Mining. “With more than two full exploration seasons now under our belt at Duparquet, our team is producing exceptional drill results with a degree of predictability supported by a robust geoscience foundation. On top of the existing mineral resource base of 3.44 Moz of Measured & Indicated resource and 2.64 Moz of Inferred resource, these results demonstrate that Duparquet is well positioned to achieve significant resource growth, demonstrating that Duparquet is one of the strongest gold-endowed assets in Canada, strategically located in the heart of the Abitibi gold belt in Quebec.”
Upcoming Duparquet Exploration Programs
A portion of the upcoming drill programs will be focused at the newly discovered Miroir and Aiguille discovery zones, where the aim is to continue advancing and drill testing the exploration potential along strike and at depth (Figure 2). The CVD area has returned significant upside and value to the Duparquet project to date and it will remain a focus area for exploration optimization and potential extension of the mineral resource. Further drilling will also provide advancement at the highly prospective Buzz target and North Zone with a focus on growth as well as the top regional targets delineated in 2024, further supporting opportunity for new discoveries.
“For 2025, our team is planning for increased drilling programs that will capitalize on our momentum through a continued opening of the exploration space at Duparquet,” stated James Maxwell, VP Exploration and Project Operations of First Mining. “We anticipate expanded outcomes with each additional drill metre by leveraging our foundational geoscience platforms to establish the Duparquet Project as a top-tier gold endowment in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt.”
Central Duparquet, Valentre and Dumico (“CVD”)
The 2024 drilling program at the CVD area totalled 16 holes and 4,644 m. The CVD drilling campaign was aimed at testing approximately 200 m of strike length at the targeted area, which has demonstrated significant potential for resource expansion through on-strike extension drilling and north and south step-outs within the CVD area (Figure 2). Expanding the exploration search space is a core aspect of the growth strategy for the Project, including the evaluation of areas that have never been drill tested. Recent results in the CVD area have demonstrated a high degree of mineralization continuity, along with two new gold discoveries (Miroir and Aiguille), located to the north and south of the Valentre target. These results have expanded the CVD target area, which now boasts a gold mineralization footprint extending 1,700 m east-west in a corridor approximately 500 m wide. The depth potential remains largely underexplored, presenting significant opportunities for further evaluation.
