Opawica Explorations Inc. (TSXV: OPW) (FSE: A2PEAD) (OTCQB: OPWEF) has unveiled a comprehensive exploration update for its 100%-owned Arrowhead Gold Property, located in the prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt of Quebec. The company has outlined a strategy for approximately 10,000 metres of high-priority drilling, with permits already secured for 25 drill-pad locations. This next phase of exploration is designed to systematically test high-priority targets generated from an extensive modern geological dataset, while also evaluating the continuity and extensions of known gold mineralization.
The Arrowhead property is situated within an established Quebec mining district, immediately adjacent to properties held by Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, including the producing LaRonde Complex. Since commercial production began in 1988, the LaRonde Complex has produced more than eight million ounces of gold and remains a major producing operation. Opawica considers the combination of historical high-grade gold occurrences, extensive historical workings, modern drill-confirmed mineralization, geophysical and seismic datasets, 3D geological modelling, numerous untested targets, existing drill permits, and its location within a producing gold district to represent a compelling exploration opportunity. It is important to note that mineralization hosted on adjacent or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization at Arrowhead.
Arrowhead is not an early-stage conceptual exploration project. Exploration of the property dates back approximately a century, beginning with prospecting around 1920. Historical work included prospecting, trenching, pitting, underground workings, diamond drilling, geological mapping, and sampling of multiple mineralized structures. Historical gold values of approximately 45.05 g/t Au were reported during early exploration, and chip sampling has been reported as high as 90.75 g/t Au over 1.0 metre. These historical results have not been independently verified by Opawica's Qualified Person and should not be considered indicative of future exploration results.
What differentiates Arrowhead today is the amount of modern geological information that has been layered over the historical mineralized system. In 2022, Opawica completed its inaugural modern diamond-drill program at Arrowhead, consisting of 4,306 metres of drilling across 14 holes, with 1,590 rock samples submitted for assay. The program successfully confirmed gold mineralization across the property, with 11 drill holes intersecting gold zones grading greater than 1.0 g/t Au along an approximately one-kilometre stratigraphic strike length. Selected results included 18.7 g/t Au over 0.35 metres, together with 0.72% Cu, in hole AR-22-01; 1.58 g/t Au over 0.60 metres in AR-22-02; 1.70 g/t Au over 1.00 metre in AR-22-03; 1.52 g/t Au over 14.8 metres in AR-22-04; and broader anomalous gold zones extending up to approximately 29.5 metres. The drilling identified gold mineralization in two principal geological settings: shear zones containing quartz-carbonate-tourmaline veins within mafic volcanic rocks, and mineralized felsic tuffs containing quartz-tourmaline veining.
Following the 2022 campaign, nine target zones associated with that program remained untested. For Opawica, that program represented confirmation; the next phase is designed to test scale. The planned 10,000-metre drill program aims to test high-priority targets, including deeper, structural, and extension targets, potentially leading to resource-definition activities.
The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Yvan Bussieres, P.Eng., an independent Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. Opawica Explorations is a junior Canadian exploration company with a portfolio of precious and base metal properties within the Rouyn-Noranda region of the Abitibi Gold Belt in Quebec. The company's objective is to increase shareholder value through cost-effective exploration practices and strategic partnerships.
