Talon Metals (TSX:TLO) has provided new assays from drilling at its Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project in Minnesota, reinforcing what the company sees as the project’s potential to become a future US source of critical minerals.
The company reported on Wednesday assays from a previously announced 46.43m interval of massive sulphide mineralisation, returning combined grades of 27.39% nickel equivalent (NiEq) or 54.78% copper equivalent (CuEq).
Within the broader interval, a 26.22m section graded 30.20% NiEq or 60.41% CuEq.
The 46.43m intercept, first announced in August, represents the longest interval of Massive Sulphide Unit (MSU) and Mixed Massive Sulphide (MMS) mineralisation drilled at Tamarack to date, according to Talon.
Vault Zone continues to grow
The hole was drilled around 50m southwest of the Vault Zone discovery, testing the continuation of mineralisation associated with a previously identified borehole electromagnetic anomaly.
Talon discovered the Vault Zone in May 2025 while drilling below the Tamarack resource area.
The discovery hole intersected two intervals of MSU and MMS mineralisation beginning at depths of 762.34m and 795.16m, respectively, for a combined 34.9m.
The latest intercept exceeds that combined thickness by more than 10m.
“This record intercept is a validation of the geological model and exploration methodology our team has spent years developing,” Talon Metals Chief Executive Officer Darby Stacey said when the intercept was first announced.
Talon Chief Exploration Officer Brian Goldner says the combination of metals within the latest intercept adds to its significance.
“Any one of these grades will get your attention, but to see nickel, copper, cobalt, platinum, palladium, and gold all concentrated at these levels in the same rock is particularly significant,” Goldner says.
Critical minerals potential
Talon has been advancing Tamarack in central Minnesota through a joint venture with Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) for more than a decade.
Exploration has established a resource of 8.56 million tonnes grading 2.34% NiEq, containing around 148,000 tonnes of nickel.
However, the resource encompasses only the CGO East and CGO West areas. Talon has since reported additional high-grade intercepts elsewhere across the Tamarack Intrusive Complex and delineated a prospective strike length of around 18km.
The company’s current exploration program is focused on expanding and infilling its existing high-grade nickel resource to support a mine plan for submission to Minnesota regulators, while continuing to test additional high-grade targets across the broader intrusive complex.
Talon believes the step-out distance of the latest drilling highlights Tamarack’s broader exploration potential and its possible role in US critical mineral supply. Currently, nickel, copper, and cobalt are all on the US Geological Survey’s critical minerals list.
“Beyond the grades themselves, the step-out distance must be highlighted and underscores the potential strategic importance of Tamarack as a future domestic source of critical minerals,” CEO Stacey says.
Talon is advancing and operating high-grade nickel-copper assets in the US, including 100% ownership of the Eagle Mine and Humboldt Mill in Michigan, the only primary nickel mine currently operating in the country.
Write to Jackson Chen at Mining.com.au
Image: Talon Metals
