Talon Metals finds new nickel and copper zone several kilometres from Tamarack

Talon Metals (TSX: TLO; US-OTC: TLOFF) says it has found a new system of nickel and copper mineralization just 3.2 km from its Tamarack project in central Minnesota.

Talon is calling this new area at the northern end of the 18-km-long Tamarack Intrusive Complex the Raptor Zone.

“The company’s recent drilling in the Raptor Zone has suggested that the intrusive depositing the high-grade nickel mineralization appears to be a completely different intrusive (i.e. a brand new ‘system’ of mineralization as compared to the company’s nickel-copper resource area,” Talon Metals stated in a press release.

“Additionally, the nickel mineralization found in the Raptor Zone appears to be dominantly massive sulphide rip ups, suggesting that the massive sulphide was originally formed elsewhere and has been eroded and transported to where it currently resides.”

In an email to The Northern Miner, VP Exploration Etienne Dinel noted that “the assays are pending” and the company expects “the analytical work could take up to eight weeks.”

He noted that the new mineralized intrusive system “parallels the current resource trend” and that “in those massive sulphide (MSU) and mixed massive sulphide (MMS) intercept, core logging geologist have counted multiple occurrences of pentlandite and chalcopyrite minerals, i.e. Ni-sulphides and Cou-sulphides.”

In our latest press release we mentioned numerous intercept of massive sulphide in an new mineralized intrusive system that parallels the current resource trend. In those massive sulphide (MSU) and mixed massive sulphide (MMS) intercept, core logging geologist have counted multiple occurrences of pentlandite and chalcopyrite minerals, i.e. Ni-sulphides and Cu-sulphides. The assays are pending and we expect the analytical work could take up to 8 weeks.

The Tamarack project is a joint-venture between Talon Metals and Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO; LSE: RIO; ASX: RIO). Talon currently owns 51% and has the option to increase its stake to 60%.

The companies are focused at Tamarack on the electric vehicle battery market and earlier this month Talon signed an agreement with Tesla to supply it with 75,000 metric tonnes or 165 million lb. of nickel concentrate for a six-year period following commercial production.

In October Talon published an updated resource estimate for Tamarack, outlining 8.56 million indicated tonnes grading 1.73% nickel, 0.92% copper, 0.05% cobalt, 0.34 gram platinum per tonne, 0.21 gram palladium per tonne, 0.17 gram gold per tonne and 8% iron in sulphides (2.34% nickel-equivalent). Inferred resources stand at 8.46 million tonnes grading 0.83% nickel, 0.55% copper, 0.02% cobalt, 0.23 gram platinum, 0.13 gram palladium, 0.13 gram gold and 3% iron in sulphides (1.19% nickel equivalent).

News of the Raptor Zone sent Talon’s Toronto-listed shares up 2% to 50¢ per share. Over the last year the company has traded in a range of 38¢ and 87¢. The junior has about 851 million common shares outstanding for a market cap of roughly $425 million.