As with previous geophysical investigation results collected over the past several months, the results from the latest reports are very positive, having identified areas of significant Lithium brine potential.
Taken together, the reports show several clear targets for further exploratory investigations. Drilling targets in the southern end of the Paymaster property and in the northern Paymaster Canyon have been located and the drilling program specifics are currently in the planning and permitting stages. All information from both stages of exploration on the Paymaster project is currently available at http://amerilithium.com (as of Wednesday, September 15, 2010).
"Once again AmeriLithium finds itself at a significant milestone," commented Matthew Worrall, AmeriLithium’s Chief Executive Officer. "As we move from surface exploration to drilling, we clearly mark the beginning of a new phase of property development for the Company as we continue our drive toward ultimate Lithium production. And given the proficiency of our team’s performance and the positive exploration results to date, we’re expecting this next stage of asset development to be equally encouraging."
All results to date have been thoroughly analyzed by AmeriLithium, and are being incorporated into the exploratory drilling program intended to begin as soon as the appropriate permits have been secured. The drilling program will test the two significant deep bedrock depressions discovered by the gravity surveys, and the corresponding areas of very low resistivity discovered during the EM investigations. Drilling in these areas will be designed to optimize the collection of data on sediment and groundwater characteristics. Rock chip and water samples will be collected and analyzed by a certified laboratory for Lithium and other constituents critical to economic Lithium production.
EXPLORATION FINDINGS OVERVIEW
Electromagnetic survey results indicate a large area of potentially Lithium-bearing brine in the area of the bedrock depression shown by earlier gravity testing in the northern portion of Paymaster Canyon. This bedrock depression or gravity low could act as a trap for Lithium-bearing brine. The dimensions of the area of extremely low resistivity discovered by the electromagnetic survey essentially correspond to the previously discovered gravity low. This extremely low resistivity is consistent with brine groundwater types.
Electromagnetic data also clearly shows the location of the Paymaster Fault. The area of low resistivity that lies to the east of the fault may indicate that brine is either migrating along a fluid conduit from Alkali Flats into Paymaster or is upwelling from depth in the Fault. Further investigations, including the contemplated drilling program, will be necessary to determine the subsurface formation relationships and fluid dynamics.
The survey results also show an area of extremely low resistivity at the western border of the Paymaster property that is open to the west, which may be suggestive of another fault in this area of Paymaster Canyon, and it may suggest another fluid conduit that allows brine to migrate into Paymaster from Big Smoky Valley to the west. Again, further investigations will be necessary to gain a clearer picture of the structural and stratigraphic nature of the deposits in this area.
The latest amended report from Hasbrouck Geophysics includes further interpretation of the recently acquired gravity data in the southern end of the Paymaster property, which confirms a significant bedrock depression clearly connected to the main Clayton Valley sedimentary basin. The gravity data, considered in conjunction with the EM survey results, indicate that Lithium-bearing brines are present in this area. The geophysical investigations reveal deep bedrock and an area of extremely low resistivity, which clearly show that the south end of the Paymaster property encompasses part of the northeastern Clayton Valley playa. Results confirm that this area of the Paymaster property is characterized by the same geology and hydrogeology as described in the extensive archive of published geologic and hydrogeologic reports on the Clayton Valley Lithium deposits.
Results show that stratigraphic units with very low resistivity are situated beginning at a depth of from 150 – 200 meters in the area of the northern Paymaster Canyon. In the southern end of the Paymaster property, extremely low resistivity occurs at the surface and extends to an unknown depth (electromagnetic data extends to a depth of approximately 150 meters where it is completely absorbed by the highly conductive groundwater and sediments in Clayton Valley). Characterization of the geology and hydrogeology in the area will require drilling and borehole geophysical techniques.
PAYMASTER PROJECT BACKGROUND
AmeriLithium’s domestic Paymaster Project represents a 5,880-acre claim block adjacent to the Clayton Valley playa, where Lithium-rich brines and evaporates have been accumulating for more than 30,000 years, resulting in the highest Lithium content found in any brines tested by the US Geological Survey (USGS) in southwestern US playas and basins.(1)
Clayton Valley is home to the only US-based Lithium producing plant, operated by neighboring Chemetall Foote Corporation, a subsidiary of Rockwood Holdings, Inc. The plant has been in production since 1967, producing an estimated 50 million kg (55,000+ tons) of Lithium to date from the region’s rich brines.(2)
Lithium is a lightweight metal used in a wide range of consumer products the world over: the medical industry uses Lithium as an anti-depressant; industrial uses include glass, ceramic and porcelain enamel manufacture; the aviation industry uses Lithium in alloys. Of particular interest is the use of Lithium for battery production, which has expanded significantly in recent years due to rechargeable Lithium batteries being used increasingly in electrical tools and in the rapidly expanding portable electronics market.
Furthermore, the next generation of hybrid and electric vehicles are being designed to use high-capacity Lithium-ion batteries as environmentally-friendly fuel alternatives while the Obama administration has introduced $5 billion in funding and incentives for the development of a secure, domestic battery industry with special focus on Lithium-ion batteries.
AmeriLithium is a publicly traded (), mining company committed to progressively developing into one of the leading American players in the global Lithium industry. The Company is headquartered in Henderson, NV. AmeriLithium has amassed a Lithium portfolio consisting of ~724,000 acres, including three Nevada-based projects nearby the only Lithium producing plant in the US, a large project in Alberta, Canada, and a project in Western Australia.
