Edwards Creek Valley Study Indicates Much Larger Shallow Brine Target Than Previously Thought

VANCOUVER - Ameriwest Lithium Inc. reported that results from a magnetotelluric (MT) geophysical survey at its Edwards Creek Valley Property, Nevada shows potential for the Property, located about 120 miles east of Reno, to host a much larger shallow brine target than previously thought.

David Watkinson, President, and CEO, said,, “We are extremely excited by the results of the MT Survey, especially the delineation of a large near surface brine target that appears to be almost 20 square kilometers in size. The Company plans to move forward with permitting to test this shallow target with drilling and will ultimately follow up with testing of the deeper targets in the future.”

Edwards Creek consist of 1,243 contiguous claims totaling 22,200 acres. The Company completed six MT lines as part of the MT Survey to cover the claim area.  An MT Survey measures electrical resistivity of the subsurface. Low electrical resistivity, which is the same as high electrical conductivity, is known to be caused by the presence of highly saline water within the pores of a host reservoir. The saline water, or brine, may host lithium. For example, brine deposits with lithium are found in Clayton Valley, Nevada, including Albemarle’s operating Silver Peak Mine.

Several deeper conductivity zones, shown in red, are also apparent from the MT 2D inversions, and these seem to be zones of conductivity with trends similar in orientation (northwest to southeast) to the shallow zone.  Depths of the deeper zones range from 500 to 900 m (1,600 to 3,000 ft) deep and in some instances as deep as 1,400 m (4,600 ft).  It is not yet known whether the shallow or deep low-resistivities are related to the presence of geothermal resources (hot springs) in the area.

Note that the presence of low resistivity zones, meaning high conductivity intervals, is likely an indication of highly saline aquifers.  However, there is no assurance that there are significant lithium concentrations within the brine or that a commercial resource has been discovered.  Only drilling and sampling of the water can prove the existence of a lithium resource. Any similarity to projects such as Albemarle’s Silver Peak Mine does not guarantee exploration success at Edwards Creek as mineral resources or reserves have yet to be delineated on the Property.