Opus One Gold Corp (TSX-V: OOR) has officially announced the first assay results from its winter drilling program on the Noyell property, located in the northern Abitibi greenstone belt of Quebec, Canada. This significant development follows the company's successful drill results in 2025, prompting an aggressive continuation of definition drilling on Zone 1 and new exploration in the previously untested West Zone.
Drilling Program Overview
The winter drilling program, initiated in mid-January, faced initial challenges including personnel issues, mechanical problems, and extreme winter conditions. However, these obstacles were resolved, and drilling has been highly productive over the past month, with four rigs operating at full capacity. Three rigs are focused on definition drilling in Zone 1, while one rig is dedicated to exploring the West Zone, situated 3 kilometers west of Zone 1, where no prior drilling by Opus One had occurred.
Originally planned for 14,000 meters across 27 holes, the program is expected to reach approximately 12,000 meters. Assay results have been received slowly and are currently limited to Zone 1, as drilling in the West Zone commenced later.
Detailed Assay Results
The assay results from Zone 1 and Zone 2 provide insights into the gold grades and geological characteristics of the Noyell property:
Hole NO-26-01
Drilled near the surface to test the eastern extension of Zone 1, this hole returned 0.42 g/t Au over 2.43 meters (true width: 2.03 meters), indicating a weakening of Zone 1 in that direction. Zone 2 was not intersected in this hole.
Hole NO-26-02
Similar to NO-26-01 but drilled slightly deeper, this hole confirmed the weakening trend with Zone 1 yielding 0.16 g/t Au over 5 meters (true width: 4.44 meters). Zone 2 provided 0.53 g/t Au over 2.0 meters (true width: 1.77 meters).
Hole NO-26-03
Targeting the western extension of Zone 1 near the surface, this hole showed Zone 1 with 1.11 g/t Au over 5.4 meters (true width: 4.44 meters), suggesting the zone's presence albeit with lower grades than its center. Zone 2 returned 0.38 g/t Au over 0.79 meters (true width: 0.72 meters).
Hole NO-26-04
Drilled 125 meters below NO-26-03, this hole intersected Zone 1 with 0.59 g/t Au over 3.01 meters (true width: 2.51 meters) and Zone 2 with 0.76 g/t Au over 2.55 meters (true width: 2.18 meters).
Hole NO-26-05
An in-fill hole drilled along the main steeply dipping ore shoot, this intersected Zone 1 at a vertical depth of 400 meters, returning 2.64 g/t Au over 7.45 meters (true width: 6.58 meters). This result confirms the strength of Zone 1 along the interpreted main ore shoot. Zone 2 yielded 0.38 g/t Au over 3.74 meters (true width: 3.36 meters).
Key Observations
For all drill holes, silver grades were consistently low, equal to or below gold grades. The assay results highlight the variability in gold concentrations across different sections of Zone 1 and Zone 2, providing valuable data for ongoing exploration and resource estimation efforts.
Opus One Gold Corp's winter drilling program on the Noyell property represents a critical step in advancing the company's understanding of this promising gold exploration site. With continued drilling and assay analysis, further insights are expected to emerge, particularly as results from the West Zone become available.
