In regard to AmeriLithium’s four Nevada-based properties – Paymaster, Clayton Deep, Full Monty, and Jackson Wash – the Company has now received all reports associated with both the gravity and CSAMT surveys for each of the properties, thereby concluding the final phase of a two-phase geophysical exploration program. The purpose of the geophysical exploration program has been to identify geologic conditions favorable for lithium-bearing brine accumulation beneath the four Nevada claim blocks and to identify targets on each property for exploration drilling during the next phase of exploration. Planning and permitting for a targeted drilling program has begun. In particular, the new drill program will include further development of the first stage drilling that was completed on the Company’s Paymaster property on April 11, 2011, which included the successful drilling of the initial 3 holes of that property’s 8-hole drill program.
In regard to the completion of the Jackson Wash property CSAMT survey, findings from a previous gravity survey were used to place the CSAMT survey lines over the deepest central portion of the Jackson Wash basin. The stratigraphic and structural detail shown in the data for both survey lines is excellent and indicates the presence of highly conductive layers and geologic structures that are strong indicators of brines below the surface within the Jackson Wash claim block.
Zonge International completed the CSAMT survey in December 2010 over the central portion of the Jackson Wash property. A detailed interpretive report on the methodology and results of the CSAMT survey has been received from J.L. Wright Geophysics. Wright compiled and interpreted the data collected by Zonge with the objective of defining structures and stratigraphy in the basin that resemble the deposit model for lithium brine deposits in nearby Clayton Valley. As an aid to the development of a lithium brine test drilling program, Wright has identified and described geologic conditions similar to the Clayton Valley deposit model.
Sedimentary units are evident in the interpreted data along both survey lines. Distinct low-resistivity layers stand out on both survey profiles as separate from high-resistivity beds above and below. Of significance is the presence of a low-resistivity layer approximately 250 to 400 meters thick lying between 500 and 750 meters below the surface. In addition, a 200-meter thick high-conductance layer is present at a shallower depth (350 meters) in the center of the basin. These are similar geologic conditions to those in which lithium has accumulated in Clayton Valley and from which Chemetall-Foote has been producing lithium. According to Chemetall reports, the presence of highly conductive (low resistivity) sedimentary units in proximity to basin-bounding and inter-basin faults is an important indicator of the presence of brines in Clayton Valley.
While the presence of low resistivity in sedimentary layers within the Jackson Wash Basin and their proximity to inter-basin faults is highly suggestive of brine aquifers, it does not guarantee the presence of economic lithium-bearing brine concentrations. Rather, the only true test for economic concentrations of lithium is drilling, groundwater sampling, and laboratory analysis, which comprise the next step in the Company’s exploration process.
Four drillhole locations have been identified based on the CSAMT results. Drilling depths are anticipated to be between 275 and 845 meters. Drillholes will be designed to penetrate into the low-resistivity units and collect water samples for analysis. An additional target will be the base of the conductive layer in order to confirm the stratigraphy in the basin.
[Additional survey and report details are provided further below, and the full report is also available for download on the Company’s website at http://www.AmeriLithium.com.]
Matthew Worrall, AmeriLithium’s CEO, commented: "With the results from the Jackson Wash CSAMT survey in hand, we now have all of the required data to put together what we believe will be an effective drill program for all four of our Nevada properties. Over the coming weeks we’ll be utilizing the data from those recent reports and the data received from the previous drilling to advance our exploration for commercial lithium-bearing brine concentrations in Nevada."
The Jackson Wash CSAMT survey began on December 5th 2011, along two east-west oriented lines with total length of 10.8 kilometers (~6.71 miles) that traverse the basin’s center (as identified from the results of a previously completed gravity survey). Once the data from the survey was received, AmeriLithium’s consulting geophysicist, Mr. Jim Wright of J.L. Wright Geophysics, completed the corresponding 2nd stage report.
Of significance is the presence of a low-resistivity layer approximately 250 to 400 meters thick lying between 500 and 750 meters below the surface. This layer dips about 15 degrees to the east and is apparently present across the entire Jackson Wash property. This orientation indicates that surface and groundwater enter the basin from the Montezuma Range to the west. Montezuma Peak, in the center of the Range, is composed of volcanic rocks that have been postulated to be the source of the large lithium-brine deposits in nearby Clayton Valley. The layer is persistent horizontally to the east for nearly 5 kilometers. Near the west boundary of the property, this layer is apparently cut by an inter-basin fault. Groundwater appears to have accumulated against this barrier, evidenced by the apparent thickening of the high-conductance layer in the area.
In addition, a 200-meter thick high-conductance layer is present at a shallower depth (350 meters) in the center of the basin. This unit is essentially flat-lying and extends horizontally for about 600 meters west from the point at which this layer intersects an inter-basin fault. CSAMT data suggests that groundwater has accumulated against this fault barrier.
Again, while the presence of low resistivity in sedimentary layers within the Jackson Wash Basin and their proximity to inter-basin faults is highly suggestive of brine aquifers, it does not guarantee the presence of economic lithium-bearing brine concentrations. Rather, the only true test for economic concentrations of lithium is drilling, groundwater sampling, and laboratory analysis, which comprise the next step in the Company’s exploration process.
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 (NASD OTC BB: AMEL), 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 ~727,319 acres, including four Nevada-based projects nearby the only Lithium producing plant in the US, a large project in Alberta, Canada, and a project in Western Australia.
