Frotet Project
Overview
Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada Ltd. (“SMCL”) holds a 100% interest in the Frotet Gold Project (“Frotet Project” or “Project”), which covers 39,365 hectares of the Frotet-Evans greenstone belt within the Opatica geological sub-province of Quebec. The Project is located adjacent to the past-producing Troilus gold-copper mine and encompasses several major deformation zones associated with known orogenic gold systems.
The Project hosts the Regnault gold system, a greenfields discovery made in 2020 through exploration conducted by SMCL and Kenorland Minerals Ltd. as a joint venture project. This discovery represents one of the most significant new orogenic gold systems identified within the Frotet-Evans belt in recent years.
On January 16, 2024, SMCL acquired full ownership of the Frotet Project following the conversion of Kenorland Minerals Ltd.’s 20% joint venture interest into a 4% net smelter return royalty. SMCL took over the operatorship of the Project, succeeding Kenorland Minerals Ltd., in the 2025 summer drilling program.
Engineering and baseline studies are ongoing in preparation for a potential authorization and permit application for the development of an underground exploration decline at the Project.
Location and Access
The Project is located approximately 100 kilometers north of Chibougamau, Quebec, in an area with well-developed infrastructure. The property is accessible via an extensive network of forestry roads, and the Route-du-Nord crosses its southwestern section. A power transmission line runs through the property, which previously supplied electricity to the historic Troilus mine.
Geology and Mineralization
The Frotet Project is located within the Archean Frotet-Evans greenstone belt (2793–2755 Ma), which comprises a well-preserved volcanic sequence dominated by mafic to felsic metavolcanic rocks. The lower volcanic units are composed primarily of basaltic komatiites and tholeiitic basalts, whereas the upper units are dominated by intermediate to felsic compositions. Mafic intrusions are widespread throughout the stratigraphic column, typically occurring as differentiated sills contemporaneous with volcanism. Thin sedimentary horizons, including argillite, greywacke, and minor conglomerate, are intercalated within the volcanic succession. The belt has undergone multiple deformation events, resulting in a complex structural architecture defined by major northeast- and east-west-trending shear zones and fold systems that provide favorable conditions for gold mineralization.
Within this regional geological framework, exploration activities conducted by SMCL and Kenorland Minerals Ltd. have focused on the Regnault gold mineralized system, the most significant discovery identified to date within the Frotet Project. Mineralization is hosted primarily within the multiphase Regnault intrusive complex, consisting of diorite, amphibole-porphyritic diorite, xenolith-bearing diorite, and marginal intrusive breccia phases, crosscut by several generations of felsic and mafic dykes. The intrusive complex is spatially associated with the closure of the Cuvette synform along the southern limb of the major Frotet antiform and has been subjected to strong D2 deformation. This deformation localized strain along steeply dipping, east-west-oriented shear zones, which represent the principal structural control on gold mineralization.
The mineralized zones consist of ductile-brittle shear structures characterized by biotite–calcite ± silica–chlorite alteration and disseminated sulfides, mainly pyrite. High-grade mineralization occurs within laminated quartz-carbonate-pyrite veins and associated extensional quartz stockworks, locally containing visible gold and trace Au-Ag tellurides. At the intersection between east-west shear zones and the diorite–volcanic contact, rheological contrasts have produced stacked, shallow north-dipping extensional quartz-pyrite vein systems. Collectively, these geological and structural characteristics define a large, structurally controlled, high-grade orogenic gold system within the Frotet Project area.
Exploration History and Activities
The Frotet Project was acquired by Kenorland Minerals Ltd. through map staking in 2017 and subsequently optioned to Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada Ltd. (SMCL) in 2018. Following the agreement, systematic and multidisciplinary exploration programs were initiated to evaluate the gold potential of the property. Initial work programs included regional-scale soil and till geochemical sampling, high-resolution airborne magnetic and LiDAR surveys, and geological mapping, which collectively identified the Regnault target area.
Subsequent diamond drilling confirmed the presence of significant gold mineralization within the Regnault area, establishing it as the principal zone of interest within the Frotet Project. Successive infill and step-out drilling campaigns were conducted to delineate the geometry, grade continuity, and structural controls of the mineralized zones. Through these programs, multiple discrete but spatially related mineralized structures (designated R1 through R11) were identified, each defined by steeply dipping, high-grade quartz vein systems hosted within diorite and volcanic sequences. The mineralization exhibits strong structural continuity both laterally and vertically, extending for approximately 1.8 kilometers along strike and to depths exceeding one kilometer below surface. These results demonstrate the development of a large, vertically extensive orogenic gold system with multiple stacked vein corridors and consistent high-grade intercepts.
In 2024, the Project achieved a cumulative drilling total of 100,000 meters, and drilling activities are currently ongoing. In 2025, operatorship of the Frotet Project was formally transferred from Kenorland Minerals Ltd. to SMCL.
Community Relations
Frotet Annual Planning and Quarterly Exploration Update – November 2025
About Us
Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada Ltd.
Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada Ltd. (“SMCL”), a British Columbia corporation, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. (“SMM”), a Japanese mining company. SMCL is the subsidiary used by SMM in Canada to participate in mineral exploration projects.
Currently, SMCL holds 100% owned and joint venture interests in mineral exploration projects in Canada, including the Frotet Gold Exploration Project in Quebec. SMCL also provides administrative support for SMM’s joint venture interest, held by its wholly owned subsidiary SMM Gold Cote Inc., in the operation of the Côté Gold Mine in Ontario, in collaboration with IAMGOLD Corporation.