Junior Canadian explorer Power Nickel (TSX-V:PNPN) reports more near-surface, “high-grade” copper, platinum, palladium, gold and silver from the recent winter drilling campaign at its Nisk Project in Québec, Canada.
Drilling of the new Lion discovery, located 5km northeast of the main Nisk deposit in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay territory, returned copper equivalent grades ranging between 2.6% and 17.9%.
One hole, PN-24-059, intercepted 17.25m @ 0.66 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, 27.20g/t silver, 3.33% copper, 2.04g/t palladium, 1.49g/t platinum and 0.18% nickel.
This includes a higher grade intercept of 5.59m @ 1.91g/t gold, 73.48g/t silver, 9.88% copper, 6.23g/t palladium, 4.56g/t platinum and 0.49% nickel.
CEO Terry Lynch says the Lion Zone continues to be very productive as Power Nickel explores deeper.
“We are seeing the high grade width of about 100 metres and very mineable halos that extend 50-75 metres on either side continue at depth,” he says.
Vice President Exploration Kenneth Williamson says hole PN-24-056, located to the east, and holes PN-24-057 and PN-24-058, to the west, pierced through the attenuated lateral boundaries surrounding the core of the zone.
“Hole 059 is more representative of the said thicker core,” he says. “All information is good information at this point, and we are constantly learning more and more about this new polymetallic zone.”
Hole PN-24-058 returned 8.27m @ 0.19g/t gold, 7.12g/t silver, 0.64% copper, 3.43g/t palladium, 0.84g/t platinum and 0.25% nickel.
This includes 5.20m @ 0.15g/t gold, 10.18g/t silver, 0.90% copper, 4.84g/t palladium, 1.17g/t platinum and 0.38% nickel and 2.20m of 0.16g/t gold, 22.43g/t silver, 1.87% copper, 7.53g/t palladium, 1.15g/t platinum and 0.83% nickel.
Meanwhile, PN-24-057 intercepted 5.20m @ 0.37g/t gold, 36.23g/t silver, 2.57% copper, 5.72g/t palladium, 2.45g/t platinum and 0.19% nickel.
This includes 2.17m @ 0.57g/t gold, 78.62g/t silver, 5.53% copper, 12.42g/t palladium, 5.62 g/t platinum and 0.24% nickel.
Hole PN-24-056 delivered an interval of 4.60m @ 0.72g/t gold, 5.38g/t silver, 0.88% copper, 2.67g/t palladium, 1.42g/t platinum and 0.12% nickel; including 2.45m @ 1.33g/t gold, 9.66g/t silver, 1.58% copper, 4.25g/t palladium, 0.66g/t platinum and 0.15% nickel.
Power Nickel says the winter drilling program ended with 15 successful holes at the Lion discovery.
The company plans to continue drilling in the upcoming summer season, to follow up PN-24-051 and PN-24-062, the deepest mineralised intersections to date.
PN-24-051 returned an interval of 11.4m @ 0.24g/t gold, 13.95g/t silver, 2.51% copper, 3.2g/t palladium, 19.59g/t platinum and 0.18% nickel, from around 233m deep while PN-24-062 delivered a 1.7m interval from around 343m deep.
Power Nickel is seeking to develop Nisk into Canada’s first carbon neutral nickel mine.
The company announced earlier this week it is offsetting the carbon footprint of 30,000m of drilling at the Nisk Project and prior to that it retired 159 Verra verified carbon units (VCUs) to neutralise emissions from exploratory drilling.
Write to Angela East at Mining.com.au
Images: Power Nickel
