Cruz Battery Metals has reported its first mineral resource estimate for the Solar Lithium Project in Big Smokey Valley, Nevada, marking a step forward in the evaluation of its lithium clay deposit.
The maiden estimate, prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 standards by Stantec, outlines both indicated and inferred lithium resources based on a 300ppm lithium cut-off grade.
At this threshold, the project is estimated to host 50 million tonnes at 608ppm lithium, containing approximately 161,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in the indicated category. A further 183 million tonnes at 539ppm lithium, equating to around 525,000 tonnes LCE, has been classified as inferred.
Cruz Battery Metals said the resource estimate provides an initial framework for assessing the scale and potential of the deposit, with further work required to advance the project towards economic evaluation.
A higher cut-off scenario of 500ppm lithium, used as a base case in the technical assessment, indicates 35 million tonnes at 697ppm lithium (128,000 tonnes LCE) in the indicated category and 103 million tonnes at 641ppm lithium (352,000 tonnes LCE) in the inferred category.
The resource estimate is based on assumptions including a lithium carbonate price of US$21,000 per tonne, processing costs of around US$50.5 per tonne, and a lithium recovery rate of 90%.
Cruz Battery Metals’ Solar Lithium Project
The Solar Lithium Project comprises a lithium clay deposit located north of Tonopah in Nevada, a region that has attracted increasing exploration interest due to its potential to support domestic lithium supply in the United States.
Lithium clay deposits are being explored as an alternative to traditional hard rock and brine sources, although commercial extraction technologies are still under development and vary between projects.
Cruz Battery Metals said the estimate follows compilation and analysis of geological and drilling data and is intended to guide future exploration and development work. The company noted that mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not yet demonstrate economic viability.
The resource estimate was prepared by Joan Kester, P.Geo., of Stantec, who acted as the qualified person under NI 43-101 reporting standards.
| Cutoff Li (ppm) |
Volume (Km3) |
Tonnes (Kt) |
Li (ppm) |
Thousand Tonnes (Kt) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Li | Li2CO3 | LiOH.H20 | ||||
| Indicated | ||||||
| 300 | 29,197 | 49,635 | 608 | 30 | 161 | 183 |
| 400 | 25,223 | 42,879 | 649 | 28 | 148 | 168 |
| 500 | 20,375 | 34,638 | 697 | 24 | 128 | 146 |
| 600 | 14,550 | 24,735 | 756 | 19 | 99 | 113 |
| 700 | 9,227 | 15,686 | 818 | 13 | 68 | 78 |
| 800 | 5,002 | 8,503 | 876 | 7 | 40 | 45 |
| Inferred | ||||||
| 00 | 107,667 | 183,034 | 539 | 99 | 525 | 597 |
| 400 | 87,662 | 149,025 | 583 | 87 | 462 | 526 |
| 500 | 60,768 | 103,306 | 641 | 66 | 352 | 401 |
| 600 | 33,260 | 56,542 | 716 | 40 | 215 | 245 |
| 700 | 17,208 | 29,254 | 772 | 23 | 120 | 137 |
| 800 | 4,720 | 8,024 | 856 | 7 | 37 | 42 |
Photo: Big Smokey Mountain by Dominic Gentilcore PhD (© Shutterstock)
