MARQUETTE COUNTY, MI — A mineral exploration company announces the discovery of a small, high-grade copper and nickel deposit in the Upper Peninsula.
Talon Metals, which is co-developing the Tamarack mine in Minnesota with Rio Tinto, announced on Thursday, October 24, that it has discovered a shallow deposit approximately 328 feet thick at an exploration site approximately 55 miles northwest of Marquette. did.
The ore is located approximately 30 feet below the surface in an old quarry near the East Fork of the Huron River. This place, called “Boulder Dash”, was discovered through on-site exploration.
Mr Tallon said the deposit was not “minable” but could indicate deeper ore reserves below. Deposits were found in the first drill hole. The copper grade is 1.6%.
Dean Rossell, the Talon geologist who discovered the Eagle deposit, said: “The distribution and abundance of magmatic sulfides intersected by the initial drilling at Boulder Dash is strikingly similar to results from earlier drilling at the Eagle deposit. ” he said.
Talon’s stock price briefly rose last week following the discovery announcement.
Talon’s search for nickel in Michigan has accelerated over the past three years. The company this summer has been drilling in several locations around a vast area of the western Upper Peninsula, which is located along the geologically unique mid-continent rift valley and is considered “highly prospective.” I think it’s expensive.
In January, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) approved Talon leases for mineral exploration of up to 23,000 acres. The company won a $20 million federal defense grant in 2023 to explore less than 400,000 acres of private land in UP, where it acquired mineral rights from UPX Minerals in 2022.
The company moved its drilling rig from Minnesota to Michigan this year and began drilling at Lake Roland in Baraga County’s Arbon Township in June. Drilling began in Marquette County in September.
Talon has identified eight other sites around Baraga, Marquette and Iron counties that it considers for exploration, according to an October investor presentation.
The site in the northwest of Nestoria has “potential for open pit mining.” Another location is in the southeast corner of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Reservation. Talon said he has done some surface work but has no intention of drilling holes there without the tribe’s permission.
“Even if we had mineral rights to this area, we would not explore it without permission from the tribe,” said Todd Mullan, director of external affairs for Talon Metals.
This year, Talon has stepped up its work with the Keweenaw Bay Tribe in what Mullan called an effort to “get off to the right start” with Michigan’s indigenous communities.
The company reported to Tribal Council, hosted tribal staff at training sites, and hosted community meetings at the tribe’s Ojibwa Casino Hotel in Baraga.
“We will look at it, and I think they will look at it, where there is meaningful information sharing and open communication,” Malan said.
Ultimately, he said, “If we do something that’s extractable, we’re willing to discuss sharing economic benefits, including commitments for jobs, workforce training, and sourcing from tribal businesses.”
Evelyn Ravindran, natural resources director for the Keweenaw Bay Tribe, told MLive in an email that “KBIC does not have a position regarding the Talon Mine at this time.”
Talon’s efforts come amid new exploration and mine development in the Upper Peninsula, driven by demand for domestic minerals essential to advanced battery manufacturing. Nickel is essential for making batteries for aerospace and electric vehicles, but Indonesian mines dominate global production, with much of the low-grade ore sent to China.
Earlier this month, the DNR traded thousands of acres of underground mineral rights in six western UP counties to the Keweenaw Land Association in exchange for mineral rights under a portion of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.
The association leases mineral rights and has a mining royalty agreement with Highland Copper Ltd., which is attempting to build the controversial Copperwood mine, which is largely located near Wakefield. permitted, leading to strong tribal opposition.
Perseverance Metals joint venture is seeking a DNR lease to drill nickel on 1,628 acres for the Voyager project after announcing the discovery of a potentially mineable nickel deposit in 2021 is raising funds for.
Exploration is taking place near the existing Eagle Mine, the country’s only domestic nickel mine. Eagle Mine recently extended its lifespan to 2029 with the discovery of a third deposit. Its owner, Lundin Mining of Ontario, is a partner in a startup that recently won a $145 million federal grant to recover nickel from processing waste at Eagle Mine’s Humboldt plant.
This week, the U.S. Geological Survey announced that Michigan is among several states receiving small infrastructure grants to examine and sample mine waste for potential mineral extraction and cleanup. announced.
In Minnesota, Talon’s Tamarack project is undergoing an environmental impact review by state regulators and the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwa, which opposes the project. Talon and Rio Tinto hope to open the Tamarack mine in 2027 or 2028. The company has a contract to supply automaker Tesla with 165 million pounds of nickel from its mines.
“We understand that (the Mille Lacs Band) has a lot of concerns about mining in the area and that cultural resources like wild rice are paramount to them,” Mullan said. .
“We’re trying to do (exploration) differently here in Michigan.”
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