Talon Metals (TSX: TLO) has drilled massive sulphide mineralization in 60 holes outside the identified resource area at its Tamarack nickel project in Minnesota. Two areas of interest, CGO East, CGO West and CGO Bend (formerly SMSU Extension), were drilled.
No assay results were available this week, but the CGO East area has continuous nickel-copper mineralization over a strike length of more than 500 metres with widths of 50 to 85 metres. Mineralization in the CGO Bend area appears to be shallow and bulky over a strike length of 300 metres.
In February 2021, Talon produced a preliminary economic assessment for Tamarack that examined nickel sulphate, nickel powder and nickel concentrate production scenarios. The initial capex for nickel sulphate would be $552.6 million or for either of the others $315.8 million. The difference is largely in the high cost of a sulphate plant ($390.6 million) rather than a powder or concentrate plant ($167.5 million).
The PEA also looked at the use of road headers in the underground mine with access via decline. Earlier studies were based on a shaft and conventional drilling and blasting.
(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)
