Summary:
The gold zones at Perron exhibit clear evidence of structurally controlled gold mineralization associated with disseminated sulfides and gold-bearing quartz veins.
Mineralization
Recent studies by Gaboury et al. (2021, 2024) established that mineralization is related to 2 different genetic types: volcanogenic and orogenic. Some mineralized zones share hybrid characteristics related to the overprinting of primary volcanogenic by later orogenic mineralization. The high economic potential of the Perron Property is thus related to the coexistence of these two genetic types.
Gold mineralization is largely related to quartz-carbonate-sulphide veins/veinlets and stockworks, hosted preferentially in the rhyolite of the Beaupré Block and in lesser proportions within the Normétal South Block associated with the Perron Fault. All zones generally trend WNW-ESE to E-W and plunge roughly 10° to 75° to the east with a subvertical to 70° dip to the north. Quartz-sulphide veins are grey to white coloured and contain ankerite, calcite, pyrite, sphalerite, trace of pyrrhotite and commonly visible gold. Gold grades are generally correlated with the sphalerite. Texturally, these veins are commonly massive, but laminated textures of crack-seal origin are locally developed. The veins vary in thickness from 0.05 to 4 m associated with a sericitic alteration halo. Late non-mineralized coarsely-grained quartz veins crosscut all the stratigraphic sequence.
A total of twelve mineralized zone were discovered at the scale of the property, including nine (9) orogenic gold zones and three VMS-type mineralized zones, also containing gold and base metal mineralization.
Primary Volcanogenic Mineralization
Sulphide-rich primary volcanogenic massive sulphide (“VMS”) is the most prominent historical mineralization type in the Normétal Volcanic Belt, with several base metal showings and the historical Normétal Mine and Normetmar Satellite Deposit.
On the Perron Property, three primary volcanogenic mineralized zones have been discovered, namely: 1) the Central Polymetallic Zone (“CPZ”); 2) the QF Zone (“QF”); and 3) the Gold-Copper Donna Zone (“Donna”). Mineralization occurs as massive lenses, disseminations and stringers of pyrrhotite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, and local galena. Sericite and chlorite define the hydrothermal alteration envelope. These polymetallic mineralized zones are hosted along the Normétal Mine sequence (“QF Zone”) and in the Beaupré Block (CPZ and Donna Zones). Higher gold grades are related to higher sulphide contents and are correlative either with zinc or copper values.
Orogenic quartz-vein type
All zones generally trend west-northwest to eastsoutheast to east-west and plunge roughly 10 to 75° to the east with a subvertical to 70° dip to the north. The gold-bearing zones are controlled by narrow deformation zones related to D2P. Quartz-sulphide veins are grey to white in colour and contain ankerite, calcite, pyrite, sphalerite, trace of pyrrhotite and commonly visible gold. Gold grades are generally correlated with the sphalerite. Texturally, these veins are commonly massive, but laminated textures of crack-seal origin are locally developed. The veins vary in thickness from 0.05 to 4.00 m associated with a sericite alteration halo. Late non-mineralized coarsely-grained quartz veins cross-cut the entire stratigraphic sequence. Multiple gold zones were identified on the Property and are located in six distinct sectors:
1. The Eastern Gold Zone (“EGZ”) is entirely hosted inside the Beaupré Block. The EGZ is a strongly gold endowed small volume of about 1 km3 hosting multiple gold zones: the Upper Champagne Zone (“UCZ”), the Champagne Zone (“CZ”), the Denise Zone (“DZ”), the E2 Gold Zone (“E2”), and the Team Zone (“TZ”). Team Zone consists of the previous 210 Gold Zone (“210”) and E3 Gold Zone (“E3”);
2. The Gratien Gold Zone (“GGZ”) including the Upper Gratien and the Gratien Main;
3. The Grey Cat Zone (“GCZ”);
4. The N110 Gold Corridor (“N110”);
5. The Alizée Zone (“Alizée”); and
6. The JT Zone (“JT”).
Champagne Zone
The CZ is controlled by a narrow brittle-ductile east-west trending shear zone (N265°/80°) with a strong plunge to the east at 70 to 80°, parallel to the local stretching lineation. The gold envelope is exceptionally continuous and identified along 500 m of strike and down to 1,300 m vertically, with a true thickness of 2 to 4 m. Gold mineralization is associated with massive, whitish to greyish shear quartz veins with traces of iron carbonates, green chlorite and minor tourmaline. These individual veins are typically 0.3 to 1.0 m in thickness, but locally reach up to 1.50 m.
Denise Zone
The DZ is a large tonnage domain with low gold grades defined from the surface to 750 m vertically and continues along strike for >1 km. The true thickness is variable from 50 m in the western part and decreases progressively to the east in link with narrower zones of quartz veinlets. In western Denise, gold mineralization is clearly controlled by a mafic intrusion cross-cut by easttrending shear corridors with an eastern 70° plunge. To the east, structural features are commonly associated with east-trending narrow shear zones (N270°/80°).
E2 Gold Zone
The projected plunge of mineralization (based on existing drill holes) appears to resemble that of the CZ: plunging to the east-northeast at approximately 70°. Gold domains are identified along approximately 300 m of strike at vertical depth of approximately 570 m and remain open at depth.
Upper Champagne Zone
The strike length is approximately 600 m with a 75° plunge to the east, down to a vertical depth of 800 m. A north-south trending diabase dyke cross-cuts all the lithostratigraphic sequence and gold mineralization with an interpreted thickness of 20 m.
Team Zone Area
Gold mineralization is identified down to 450 m below surface and remains open to the northwest, southeast and at depth. The gold zones are interpreted to dip around -60° to the northeast with some of the most northerly zones truncated at the steeply dipping (-80°) Normétal Fault. The original Team Zone (“TZ”) occurs approximately 600 m to the northeast of the CZ and 300 m northeast of the E2. The TZ encompasses an area of approximately 550 m by 300 m on surface and extends to a depth of approximately 450 m. Gold zones are interpreted to dip to the northeast at 60 to 65°.
Gratien Gold Zone
It represents a west-northwest-trending gold corridor along 1.2 km with a vertical depth of 300 to 600 m. The Upper Gratien Gold Zone (“UGGZ”) is hosted in the rhyolite package of the Beaupré Block and controlled by a brittle-ductile east-west trending shear zone (N280°/80°). The strike length of the UGGZ is defined along 500 m with a vertical depth of 400 m and a thickness ranging from 1 to 4 m. The gold mineralization occurs within 30 to 80 cm-thick quartz-carbonate shear veins.
Grey Cat Zone
The GCZ appears to be controlled by a brittle-ductile east-west trending shear zones with a 60 to 70°plunge to the east. at, parallel to the local stretching lineation. The drill core of the defined GCZ has a strike length of 425 m with a vertical extent of approximately 450 m and a thickness between 3 to 20 m. Western and Eastern extensions total an overall 800 m in length.
N110 Gold Corridor
The N110 follows a magnetic lineament oriented N110° associated with a magnetic aphanitic rhyolite interpreted as the contact between aphanitic and brecciated rhyolite. The N110 Zone is 1 km long and down to a vertical depth of 250 m.
Alizée Gold Zone
The Alizée Zone is defined from surface to a depth of 300 m and along strike for 150 m, with a 60° dip to the south.
JT Zone
At the end of June 2024, the JT Zone was defined along a 300 m strike length and at a vertical depth of 350 m, plunging at 60° to the east with a thickness of 60 m.