Canadian exploration company Power Nickel is aiming to cost-effectively broaden its nickel search at the Nisk property in Quebec with the aid of nanosatellite-based mapping technology developed in Australia.
The Toronto-listed junior is looking for nickel-copper sulphides in the north-eastern part of the region’s Superior geological province, on a section of the Lac des Montagnes volcano-sedimentary belt. CEO Terry Lynch said a “partnership” with Fleet Space Technologies would see the South Australia-based company’s ExoSphere satellite-enabled Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) scanners deployed at Nisk to try to generate new drill targets.
Power Nickel was exploring about one square kilometre of a 45sq.km area under tenure and had returned some promising drill hits.
Fleet Space’s small, battery-powered Geode field devices are used to capture background vibrations from natural and man-made sources. The privately-owned firm says the data can be used to produce a 3D visualisation of the subsurface down to 2km depth. Fleet’s Geodes “are up to 10-times more sensitive than existing nodal geophones, leading to better accuracy and depth of results. The exploration team can get a clear, rich image of what resources may be below ground in a period that can be as short as four days”. Data obtained was processed rapidly and transmitted from anywhere in the world through Fleet’s constellation of low-earth orbit satellites, recently launched by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
“Fleet Space Technologies has already successfully used this technology in Australia and now in Minnesota [by Talon Metals Corp],” Lynch said.
“By using this advanced seismic tomography approach in combination with our in-house methods, we hope to increase our chances of finding more nickel ore pods at a faster rate.
“The two main advantages this technology offers are that we can now explore our 45sq.km land package in a fraction of the time we need using traditional ground-based methods. The second advantage is that with this data, we can drill fewer meters but with increased impact.”
Fleet Space’s deal with Talon Metals to enter the US market was announced last September.
“We’re delighted to see ExoSphere deployed in Canada for the first time, building on our success in the US and elsewhere around the world,” said Fleet Space founder Flavia Tata Nardini.
“As well as great technology and commercial partnership, this is a real meeting of minds. We both understand the urgent need to accelerate the discovery process for these vital minerals, but we’re also equally committed to minimizing their environmental impact.
“Power Nickel is precisely the kind of forward-thinking, responsible enterprise ExoSphere was designed for.”
Power Nickel’s share price is up more than 42% year-to-date at C28c, capitalising the company at circa-C$33 million.
The company is also exploring for precious metals and copper in western Canada, and Chile, respectively.