Perth-based Olympio Metals is back on the drill bit at its Bousquet gold project in Quebec, restarting diamond drilling at the Paquin prospect as it looks to build on the highly successful maiden program completed last year.
The new campaign is focused squarely on following up standout high-grade results delivered last year, which included intercepts of 6.40 metres at a stellar 6.54 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 183.0m, 7.90m at an equally spectacular 6.20g/t gold from 138.0m and an eye-watering 1.50m at 54.20g/t gold from 235.5m. Those hits confirmed the presence of a robust gold system hosted along the Cadillac Break, one of the world’s most prolific gold structures.
This year’s program comprises eight diamond holes for about 1,200m and is designed to test both up-plunge and up-dip extensions of the mineralisation intersected in a previous drill hole, which threw up tantalising wisps of visible gold.
Two planned drill holes will specifically target those extensions, while the remainder of the program will focus on the top 100m of the Paquin system, a zone that remarkably has not been drilled since the 1940s.
Replacing that historic drilling with modern data is a key objective for Olympio. Much of the early exploration across Paquin relied on outdated survey methods and incomplete sampling, leaving large gaps in geological understanding and making the data unsuitable for modern 3D modelling.
The new drilling is intended to deliver reliable structural and geological information that can be confidently incorporated into an updated mineralisation model.
Geologically, the area features high-grade disseminated sulphides in biotite-altered schistose and ultramafic rocks, as well as stacked, smoky-blue-grey quartz veins. It is these structurally controlled quartz veins that host the gold and typically have associated sulphides, making them potentially detectable by IP or EM geophysical methods, making detection easier.
The Bousquet project sits squarely on the Cadillac Break in Quebec’s Abitibi greenstone belt, a region that has produced more than a whopping 110 million ounces of gold. The project is also strategically located within 15km of several multi-million-ounce gold mines, including Agnico Eagle’s La Ronde operation and Iamgold’s Westwood mine, underscoring the area’s strong endowment and established mining infrastructure.
After a highly successful maiden drill program in 2025, the Company is excited to recommence drilling at Paquin for 2026. This program will provide further insight into the shallower parts of the Paquin gold system, where the majority of historical drill coverage is from the 1940s. These historical datasets are over 80 years old and are not reliable to incorporate into a 3D model, with outdated survey methods and incomplete sampling intervals.
Beyond Paquin, Olympio has the option to acquire an 80 per cent interest in the broader Bousquet project from Bullion Gold Resources through staged cash and share payments and exploration expenditures. To date, the company has completed nearly C$1 million in exploration spending and made C$0.30 million in payments, steadily advancing its foothold in the district.
With drilling now underway, Olympio is aiming to confirm continuity, upgrade confidence in the shallow mineralisation and determine whether the high-grade shoots identified in 2025 extend into areas that have never been properly tested.
In a region renowned for delivering long-life, high-grade gold mines, the company is positioning itself to see whether Paquin can join that lineage as modern drilling replaces decades-old data.
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https://thewest.com.au/business/public-companies/olympio-ramps-up-drilling-at-historic-quebec-gold-belt-c-21600798
