LAURION Mineral Exploration Inc. has increased its planned 2026 Phase 1 diamond drilling program at the 100%-owned Ishkōday Gold and Polymetallic Project from 3,865 metres to 5,605 metres across 22 drill holes, the company reported in its latest assay release. The expansion follows assay results from six holes — LBX26-113, LBX26-114A, LBX26-115, LBX26-116, LBX26-117 and LBX26-121 — that the company says are helping refine its understanding of the A-Zone, the principal target area at the property located roughly 220 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The results carry significance because they feed directly into LAURION’s effort to build a reliable technical foundation for a possible maiden Mineral Resource Estimate. The expanded program is being informed by SRK Consulting’s independent structural gap analysis of the A-Zone, which identified five priority target areas where additional drilling may address gaps in the existing drill database. LAURION is using that framework, together with ongoing results, to prioritize near-term drilling and validate its geological interpretation.
The headline intercept came from LBX26-117, which returned 1.80 metres grading 17.10 g/t gold, including 0.80 metres at 31.50 g/t gold, plus a broader 10.05-metre interval of gold-bearing polymetallic mineralization deeper in the hole. LBX26-121, drilled from the same collar at a shallower angle, intersected gold at several levels, including 5.20 metres grading 1.067 g/t gold with 1.11% zinc, while LBX26-116 returned 2.80 metres grading 2.261 g/t gold. “This drilling is designed to address the specific gaps identified by SRK Consulting, improve our understanding of the continuity and geometry of mineralization between drill holes, and build a reliable technical foundation at the A-Zone,” said President and CEO Cynthia Le Sueur-Aquin. “We will continue to let the data guide our next steps.”
Not every hole reinforced the historical record. LBX26-113 was drilled as a twin of historical hole 92-65 to verify previously reported high-grade gold and polymetallic mineralization, but the new assays returned lower grades than the historical results. LAURION said it will evaluate the implications for the historical drill database for this hole and for its geological interpretation — a caveat that matters for investors weighing how much confidence to place in older data as the company moves toward resource evaluation.
The company also described the purpose of the other holes. LBX26-114A and LBX26-115 were targeted infill holes designed to address identified gaps and refine interpretations of mineralization between earlier intersections; LBX26-114A replaced LBX26-114 after it was abandoned due to an orientation issue. LBX26-116 and LBX26-117 provided additional coverage to improve understanding of mineralized horizons, their geometry and possible continuity, while LBX26-121 examined a different portion of the subsurface sequence.
All core lengths are drilled thicknesses and true widths have not yet been determined, the company cautioned. The technical contents were reviewed and approved by Dr. Trevor Boyd, a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. LAURION’s shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol LME, and additional information is available at http://www.LAURION.ca. The original release can be viewed through www.newmediawire.com.
