Thacker Pass Lithium Deposit

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The Kings Valley Lithium project is located approximately 100 km north-northwest of Winnemucca and 40 km west-northwest of Orovada, Nevada, U.S.A.

Positive Scoping Study results were released on January 12, 2010 by Western Lithium Canada Corp.

The Kings Valley lithium deposits occur in five lenses which are found in a lithium-bearing clay mineral (Hectorite)that occurs in thick, apparently continuous accumulations.

The Study is based on the southernmost lens which is an area of about 3 km by 2 km. At 0.2% lithium cut-off grade the deposit is estimated at 48.10 Mt containing 129,000 t lithium and 1,592,000 t potassium.

The mining operation is planned as an open-pit operation using conventional truck/shovel mining methods. The strip ratio is 2.42:1. The life-of-mine (LOM) plan shows a total of 32 million tonnes of mill feed and 78 million tonnes of waste over an 18-year mine operating life at a cut-off grade of 0.270% lithium.

Major mine equipment include: Liebherr 984 Excavators, Cat 992 FEL, Cat 775 Truck, Cat 637 Scraper, Cat D8N Track Dozer, Cat14G Grader, Cat 988 FEL, Cat773 Water Truck, and Cat773 Lube Trucks.

The preferred processing concept was performed on composite of both the oxidized and unoxidized ore types of the deposit. This includes calcining of the ore with a mixture of limestone and gypsum, followed by water leaching to recover soluble lithium and other alkali sulphates. potassium, Sodium, and lithium sulfates, in that order.

The process steps in the selected flow sheet; drying, calcining, leaching, and lithium carbonate recovery; employ conventional, proven technologies and equipment. The crystallization process is based on industry published solubility data.

The capital cost estimate prepared for the metallurgical process facilities addresses a greenfield plant capable of processing 5,000 tonnes/day of ore (dry basis).

www.lithiumamericas.com/thacker-pass/