Auriginal Mining has received the final permits required to initiate drilling at its wholly owned Roger Project in the Chibougamau district of Quebec, Canada, with activities expected to commence on 5 March.

The company intends to conduct a 5,200m drilling programme targeting potential volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) mineralisation underneath the existing Rogers gold resource.

Exploration efforts will test newly identified conductor plates using borehole electromagnetic (EM) survey methods, focusing on a potential VMS system.

Drill sites are currently being prepared following the confirmation of all necessary exploration work permits.

The Roger deposit has traditionally been characterised as a porphyry-style gold-copper system.

However, Auriginal's recent studies, encompassing relogging, resampling, geochemical analysis and age dating, propose that this historical deposit might be situated above a deeper, gold-rich VMS system.

A sulphide-bearing marker horizon has been identified over a stretch of at least 1.5km within altered felsic to intermediate volcanic rocks, which are commonly found in VMS settings.

The geochemical and geological features bear strong resemblances to the LaRonde 20N massive sulphide deposit owned by Agnico Eagle, suggesting the possibility of identifying another high-grade base-metal deposit at greater depths.

Downhole EM surveys on nine historical boreholes have revealed multiple robust off-hole conductors located directly below and adjacent to the deepest areas previously explored at Roger.

Using the digital exploration database for the Roger project, a preliminary 3D model has been created and rendered with Leapfrog.

This exercise aimed to initially validate the historical drill-hole data from the site and identify new potential targets to enhance the project's value proposition.