WASHINGTON — The Lake Superior region could be home to as much nickel as Russia or Canada, some of the largest nickel producers in the world, according to estimates by the United States Geological Survey.
A mining company and federally funded researchers are now trying to determine whether Michigan could be a global mineral hub as part of separate hunts for undiscovered deposits that could help meet rising demand in the United States for battery-powered electric vehicles.
Talon Metals Corp. is citing USGS' estimates — which indicate potential for undiscovered nickel in northeast Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the western Upper Peninsula — as it prepares to launch its exploration of 400,000 acres of the western U.P., and as it seeks exclusive rights to explore state-owned land in Baraga, Houghton, Iron, Ontonagon and Marquette counties. The company also is working to launch a nickel mine in northern Minnesota that would supply nickel for Tesla Inc. for the next six years.
