The Tiger Zone: Power Metallic’s Promising New Polymetallic Discovery Backed By Billionaires

Power Metallic Mines Inc. [TSXV: PNPN OTC: PNPNF] has been making news once again in the mining exploration sector with its recent discoveries at the NISK project in Quebec. Among these discoveries, the “Tiger Zone” has emerged as an increasingly compelling prospect that has been featured prominently in the company’s recent press releases. This article explores what the Tiger Zone is, its significance, and why it’s generating excitement for Power Metallic and its investors.

Location and Context

The Tiger Zone is located approximately 700 meters northeast of the already established Lion Zone within Power Metallic’s flagship NISK project in Quebec, Canada. It represents one segment of an extensive exploration effort that spans approximately 8 kilometers of favorable stratigraphy. The NISK project itself is positioned in one of the safest and most supportive mining jurisdictions in the world, with excellent infrastructure including proximity to a major highway, nearby town and airport, and access to low-carbon hydropower from a Hydro-Québec substation across the road.

The Tiger Zone is part of a broader exploration campaign that includes multiple target areas: the Lion Zone, Nisk Zone, Nisk East Zone, and Tiger Zone. These zones collectively form what Power Metallic believes could become a polymetallic supergiant deposit, comparable to the famous Norilsk deposit, with high grades of copper, nickel, platinum, palladium, cobalt, gold, and silver.

Discovery History

The discovery of the Tiger Zone represents a textbook example of modern mineral exploration techniques. The story begins with the identification of a weak airborne electromagnetic (EM) anomaly approximately 700 meters northeast of the established Lion Zone.

In late 2024, Power Metallic drilled hole PN-24-090 to test this anomaly. While this initial hole appeared to miss the primary source of the airborne anomaly, it nevertheless returned multiple narrow zones containing copper, platinum group elements (PGEs), gold, silver, and traces of nickel. These results, while not spectacular, confirmed the presence of a mineralized structure and warranted further investigation.

The exploration team then employed a sophisticated technique called borehole electromagnetic surveying (BHEM) in hole PN-24-090. This survey identified an “off-hole conductor” – essentially a signal indicating the presence of conductive material (potentially sulfide mineralization) near but not intersected by the drill hole.

This off-hole conductor was subsequently targeted with hole PN-24-094, which successfully intersected narrow zones of massive nickel-copper sulfides. This hole is now recognized as the discovery hole for the Tiger Zone. The success of this methodology – using geophysical techniques to vector toward mineralization – demonstrates the technical expertise of Power Metallic’s exploration team.

Geological Characteristics

The Tiger Zone has distinct geological characteristics that make it an intriguing target for further exploration. Geologists at Power Metallic interpret the Tiger Zone to contain “mobilized sulfides” that originated from a proximal ultramafic source rock and were subsequently emplaced in the footwall paragneiss (a type of metamorphic rock).

What makes the Tiger Zone particularly interesting is its mineralization style. The zone exhibits what Power Metallic describes as “Lion style polymetallic mineralization,” which is copper-dominant but contains a suite of valuable metals including nickel, platinum, palladium, gold, silver, and cobalt. This polymetallic nature enhances the economic potential of the discovery.

A notable feature of the Tiger Zone is the shallow depth of mineralization, with intersections occurring just 40-60 meters below surface. This shallow depth could potentially translate to lower mining costs if the deposit proves economically viable for development.

Currently, Tiger remains the smallest mineralized zone along the Nisk trend, but according to Power Metallic, it “retains good potential for a significant polymetallic discovery.” The +300-meter distance along strike between drill holes provides a large untested area for additional exploration, suggesting that what has been discovered so far may be just the beginning.

Drilling Results

The drilling results from the Tiger Zone have evolved from initial narrow intersections to more substantial mineralized zones in recent drilling campaigns.

The initial discovery drilling in late 2024 (reported in the March 25, 2025 press release) yielded the following key results:

• Hole PN-24-090: Multiple narrow zones including 1.75m @ 1.01% CuEq (copper equivalent), 2.00m @ 0.84% CuEq, and 1.20m @ 0.78% CuEq
• Hole PN-24-094: 9.90m @ 1.77% CuEq including 2.50m @ 2.95% CuEq and 2.20m @ 4.50% CuEq

The follow-up winter 2025 drilling campaign (reported in the April 17, 2025 press release) tested off-hole EM anomalies generated from the previous drill holes and returned these significant results:

• Hole PN-25-098: 2.00m @ 0.77% CuEqRec and 1.20m @ 0.53% CuEqRec
• Hole PN-25-099: 2.00m @ 1.16% CuEqRec and 14.30m @ 0.96% CuEqRec including 6.00m @ 1.84% CuEqRec
• Hole PN-25-101: 2.00m @ 0.77% CuEqRec
• Hole PN-25-102: 1.00m @ 6.37% CuEqRec

These results reveal two particularly significant developments. First, hole PN-25-099 provided the first indication at Tiger of broader widths of a Lion style polymetallic zone (14.3 meters @ 0.96% CuEqRec). Second, while hole PN-25-102 contained only a narrow Lion style zone, the high-grade tenor of the copper-dominant mineralization (1.00 meter at 6.37% CuEqRec) is similar to the high-grade Lion Zone, suggesting potential for high-grade mineralization within the Tiger Zone.

It’s worth noting that “CuEqRec” refers to Copper Equivalent Recoverable, a calculation based on current metal prices and an assumed recovery grade of 80% for all commodities. This metric allows for comparison between different intersections containing varying amounts of the different metals.

Significance and Future Plans

The Tiger Zone, while still in early stages of exploration, is becoming increasingly important within Power Metallic’s portfolio. CEO Terry Lynch has stated: “As a stand-alone prospect, Tiger is becoming increasingly compelling. It’s not yet at Lion’s level, but recent results show clear promise.”

The winter 2025 drilling campaign has concluded for the season, with drilling expected to restart in late May after the annual spring breakup period. During this shutdown, Power Metallic plans to double the core facility at Nisk to accommodate up to six drills, indicating a significant ramp-up in exploration activities.

The company has also conducted borehole electromagnetic surveys on the recently completed holes, which have defined multiple off-hole EM anomalies. These anomalies will help direct future exploration in the Tiger area when drilling resumes. Additionally, results from two additional exploration holes in the Tiger area are expected in the coming weeks.

The shutdown coincides with respecting the annual goose hunt held every spring by the indigenous Cree nations, highlighting Power Metallic’s commitment to maintaining positive relationships with local indigenous communities. The company has participated with 15 other mining and exploration companies in providing financial contributions for the Reconstruction Initiative Forest Fires Fund 2023, demonstrating corporate social responsibility.

Conclusion

The Tiger Zone represents an exciting new discovery within Power Metallic’s NISK project. While still in the early stages of exploration, the zone has already demonstrated characteristics that make it a compelling prospect: shallow mineralization, polymetallic composition, high-grade intersections, and significant exploration potential.

As Power Metallic continues to explore and define the Tiger Zone, investors and industry observers will be watching closely to see if this discovery develops into a significant deposit that could enhance the overall value of the NISK project. With a major drilling campaign planned for the summer of 2025 utilizing six drill rigs, the coming months should provide substantial new information about the Tiger Zone’s potential.

The discovery and ongoing exploration of the Tiger Zone exemplify the methodical, science-based approach to mineral exploration that can lead to significant discoveries even in areas adjacent to known mineralization. For Power Metallic, the Tiger Zone may prove to be an important component of their vision to develop the NISK project into Canada’s next polymetallic mine.

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Effective Date: January 1, 2025

Ending Date: July 1, 2025

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