Salares 7 Project
Mineralization and Historic SamplingLithium deposits have been formed due to lithium's high solubility. It often is concentrated in flowing and cooling magma and/or its accompanying fluids as well as in evaporating brines. The high lithium brines are postulated to have obtained most of their lithium from geothermal waters with some derived from surface leaching of volcanic ash, clays and other rocks. Lithium however is difficult to leach from the lattices of rocks and minerals, so little is dissolved unless the water temperatures are very hot. An extrapolation therefore is that waters containing high background lithium were probably derived from hot springs. When these dilute, geothermal waters are concentrated by the evaporation that occurs in arid climates within closed basins where comparatively strong lithium brines have been formed. These brines can be further upgraded by evaporation to create a higher concentrated brine. At elevation in the Andean Highlands, with rates of evaporation estimated at 8 to 10 times the rate of precipitation, as (Risacher et al, 1999), the salares are ideally situated to enhance the development of lithium- and potassium-rich brines.1998 Historic sampling for Salares 7 Project (Non NI 43-101 compliant see technical report)
Production Grade reference: Salar Hombre Muerto-FMC (680-1210ppm) Clayton Valley-Chemetall (200-400ppm) Salar Atacama-SQM (2,100 ppm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
