ACME Lithium Inc. has announced that it has contracted with KLM Geoscience of Las Vegas, NV for an induced polarization (IP) survey on ACME’s Warm Springs lithium brine project near the Nevada border in southern Harney County, Oregon. KLM mobilized on March 26th and final results are expected within 45 days. The survey will be used to locate a drill test of the Property.
The WS Project claims are situated regionally in a “nested” cluster of calderas northwest of NYSE-listed Lithium Americas’ Nevada Thacker Pass lithium project and ASX-listed Jindalee Resources Oregon JRL project.
The WS Project adds to ACME’s growing lithium portfolio with two projects in southwest Nevada and two in southeast Manitoba, Canada. The US and Canada currently imports most of its lithium for Li-ion battery construction and ACME’s vision is to provide a significant, long-life supply of lithium for both domestic consumption and export. The USGS has listed lithium as a critical mineral to the US “economic and national” security.
Acme’s Warm Springs Project is interpreted to be a lithium brine play. Geologically that requires two conditions to be met: lithium has to be mobile and there has to be a reservoir with cap rock to retail lithium.
The evidence for lithium being mobile comes from structurally controlled warm springs with alteration and geochemically anomalous water lithium analyses. Surface geochemical expressions are ‘leakage’ of a geologic process and can be up to a few miles laterally from the subsurface reservoir / cap which are the exploration target. To secure that lateral potential, Acme has now staked 340 placer claims covering approximately 6,727 acres covering gently rolling terrain transected by a well maintained road. The land has been classified by the BLM as Visual Resource level 4 with some marginal level 3, the most flexible categories.
The stratigraphy is only understood in the most general way. The target interval is bracketed above and below by major basaltic volcanic events and has a more tuffaceous and sedimentary nature. While the drill target is brines based on current knowledge, drill sampling will also be mindful of lithium-bearing tuffs and fine sediments. Both water and cuttings will be analyzed for a complete test of the potential.
Lithium brines are by definition salty and good electrical conductors and a commercial brine deposit will have a significant areal footprint. IP and resistivity should give good definition of any significant brine accumulations. The IP survey as planned should yield a depth penetration of 500 meters. Traverses are laid out to broadly test across the claim block. While significantly below the budget cost of detailed geophysical surveys, the intent is to locate a stratigraphic test hole where it also has a reasonable chance of clipping any brine bodies present. Permitting applications for drilling will immediately follow.