Power Metallic Mines partners with Ideon on deep imaging survey at Nisk project
Power Metallic Mines Inc (TSX-V:PNPN, FRA:IVV1, OTCQB:PNPNF) announced that it has engaged Vancouver-based Ideon Technologies to launch a borehole muon tomography imaging program at the Lion Zone discovery within its Nisk polymetallic project in Quebec.
The company said the Ideon REVEAL platform will be used to generate a high-resolution, three-dimensional density model of the rock composition surrounding the Lion deposit.
The program is designed in two stages: first, to validate the imaging results against Power Metallic’s existing drill database of more than 100 holes at Lion, and second, to apply the resulting mineralization “fingerprint” to identify and rank deeper exploration targets across the broader 330-square-kilometre Nisk property.
Muon tomography uses naturally occurring cosmic-ray muons, subatomic particles created in space, to measure density variations underground. By placing detectors in boreholes, the technology can produce 3D images of subsurface structures at depths beyond the reach of many conventional surface geophysical methods.
Power Metallic said the Lion Zone is particularly well suited to the technology because its massive sulfide mineralization has significantly higher density than the surrounding host rocks. The company expects the imaging system to map more than 55 million cubic metres of rock volume during a six-month survey program, with the option to extend the campaign to eight months if needed.
The initial phase will operate as a blind test, with Ideon receiving only surface topography data and no constraints from the company’s existing geological models. Power Metallic said the results will later be compared directly with known drilling and resource data to establish a calibrated density signature for Lion-style mineralization.
The company plans to use that signature to guide future exploration across the Nisk district, particularly at depths greater than 200 metres where traditional airborne and surface geophysical methods become less effective.
Power Metallic director Steve Beresford said the company sees muon tomography as a complementary tool to borehole electromagnetics that could improve targeting of thicker sulfide mineralization and help reduce false positives during exploration.
“By incorporating an additional physical property beyond BHEM, we aim to improve our probability of target success and better discriminate high-quality conductors,” Beresford said. “We are always striving to discover better ore, not just more ore.”
Terry Lynch, Power Metallic CEO, said the company believes the technology could help accelerate discoveries at Nisk as it advances toward publishing its inaugural mineral resource estimate later this summer.
“Our team believes that muon tomography is the next tool that can accelerate our discovery process and everything I have seen makes me confident that they have once again chosen wisely,” Lynch said.
Power Metallic noted that the broader Nisk project hosts multiple exploration targets, including the Tiger Zone located about 700 metres east of Lion, where Lion-style polymetallic mineralization has already been identified. The company also highlighted a largely untested 5.5-kilometre corridor between the Lion and Nisk Main deposits as a priority area for deeper exploration.
