News

NEM expands scope of San Emidio operations for lithium exploration

NEM expands scope of San Emidio operations for lithium exploration San Emidio power plant in Nevada, U.S. (Source: U.S. Geothermal)
Francisco Rojas 28 Apr 2016

The San Emidio area in Washoe County, Nevada, has great potential for lithium extraction from geothermal origin.

In a recent press release, Nevada Energy Metals Inc. has announced that they have increased the exploration potential of the San Emidio property by adding 69 additional claims to its land position. The property now includes 155 claims (approximately 3,100 acres/1255 hectares) in the San Emidio Desert, Washoe County, Nevada, 95 km northeast of Reno.

The additional claims were staked to cover a portion of the playa evaluated in 1976 by Chevron Oil Company (Phoenix Geophysics report by Bruce S. Bell) for its geothermal power potential. The report states, “Almost the entire survey area exhibits definite anomalous responses which have a true resistivity less than three ohm meters. The apparent resistivity data exhibits near horizontal contours throughout parts of the anomalous area, but there is also sufficient lateral variations within each anomaly to suggest that the conductive zone is not due entirely to conductive sediments.” Drilling will be required to determine if the responses identifies in the resistivity survey confirm the presence of brine aquifers. Importantly, historical results by previous operators exploring the playa for lithium reported lithium value in sediments up to 312 ppm and up to 80 ppm lithium in brine from a depth of 1.5 meters.

The San Emidio Desert basin is an alkali playa environment underlain by unconsolidated sediments and clays being fed by Lithium bearing geothermal fluids (US. Geothermal analyses) reported in bounding faults, and/or faults along the east side of the basin. Since mid-Tertiary time, the rocks on the eastern edge of the San Emidio Desert have undergone extensive hydrothermal alteration and the presence of near-surface thermal fluids, suggest that the thermal fluids represent deep circulation of meteoric water (Moore, J.N., 1997). The property adjoins the Empire geothermal power plant with production of 4.6 MW of electricity from a 155°C resource thereby providing a substantial heat source for the circulation of meteoric groundwater believed important in the formation of Lithium brine deposits as found at Clayton Valley, Nevada host to North Americas preeminent Lithium brine production. US Geothermal has reported anomalous Lithium values in the trace element analysis of their geothermal brines at Empire.

The company is pleased to report that no royalties, option payments or work expenditures have been incurred as a result of the acquisition of the San Emidio Lithium exploration project. Nevada Energy Metals Inc strives to be a leader in the exploration and development of economic Lithium deposits. Our principal activities are in Nevada and our project portfolio is expanding.

For further details, please follow the link below.

Source: Press Release by the company