The Tonopah Lithium Claims (TLC) Property is registered with the Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Nye County under the following claimant names: Tonopah Lithium Corp (formerly 1074654 Nevada Ltd, 1301420 Nevada Corporation, and Esoteric Consulting Ltd.) and Big Smoky Holdings Inc.
All claimants are 100% owned subsidiaries of American Lithium Corp.
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Summary:
The structural setting, host lithologies, and mineralization observed on the Tonopah Lithium Claims (TLC) Property is similar to the lithium in smectite clay model proposed by Asher-Bolinder (1991).
TLC Property’s local geology, as it is currently known. Surface mapping conducted at the southern half of the Property and throughout most of the Property is a Quaternary-aged shallow westward dipping alluvial outwash plane. The outwash plane is interspersed with shallow washes draining west. The shallow washes partially expose underlying fines-dominant sediments and lithic tuffs of the Miocene-age Siebert Formation. Property exploration drilling shows the outwash plane surface alluvium to have an average thickness of 20.6 ft. (6.3 m). Alluvium ranges from 0.5 ft. to 157 ft., with the thicker alluvium in the north region of the Property. Bordering the Property along the east-central edge is a predominant rhyolite intrusion, other volcanics occur at the southeast, northeast, and northwest Property edges.
The dominant lithology below the alluvial cap varies throughout the Property. Below the alluvial cap, lithology as observed from drill hole records, are finely laminated claystone beds with lenses of sandstone and conglomerate with occasional volcanic tuff and ash layers. Collectively, this mixed unit of lacustrine sedimentary beds and minor volcanics is referred to as claystone or "upper claystone". Underlying the upper claystone are tuffaceous sandstones and conglomerates collectively referred to as the basal tuff marker beds, which are grouped with additional lower claystone units. Drilling in the northwest demonstrated a continuation of the alternating clays and tuffs with additional claystone below the basal tuff marker bed. These claystone's below and including the basal tuff marker beds are collectively referred to as "lower claystone". The lower claystone's suggests a deepening of paleo basins northwest and westward. Below the lower claystone (basal tuff marker bed and deeper claystone) drilling has intercepted both andesite and limestone as basement.
Eighteen (18) regional structural blocks were interpreted from a combination of the geological maps, aerial photography and exploration data on the Property. The northern blocks (1 through 6) are divided from the central blocks by an interpreted east-west trending normal fault (F1) coinciding with the large alluvial washout plane originating in the eastern volcanics. The northern blocks are further separated by three normal high angle faults trending northeast-southwest with two (2) that envelope a central downthrown block (block 5) that is interpreted as a paleo sub basin with a thickening of clay deposits.
South of F1 and the large alluvial washout plane are the central and southern regional blocks that are separated by sets of both north-south and east-west trending high angle faults. The central blocks are 7 through 11 and the southern blocks 12 through 18. The central and southern blocks are divided east to west by a dominant north-south trending large fault (F2). The F2 fault displaces shallower higher-grade lithium (greater than 500 ppm Li) claystone in the east from the similar high grade lithium claystone in the west.
Block 5 and block 8 in the north-central have similar gravity signatures as well as lithology and lithium grade observations Indicating they may be part of the same sub paleo basin system. These regional blocks in the north of the Property are geologically more complex additional smaller structural faults and/or features may exist, and further review and studies are needed to better define geologic controls on mineralization in these areas.
The eastern blocks (central block 10 and southern blocks 16 and 17) have elevated lithium concentrations occurring in the upper claystone and to a lesser degree in the basal tuff conglomerate units (grouped with lower claystone's for modeling purpose). In the western blocks (central block 7 and south block 12) there are additional elevated lithium concentrations in faulted upper claystone. Block 15 is a horst type block with volcanics exposed near surface in the south of the block and upper claystone in the north. Southern block 18 contains a shallow basal tuff conglomerate and andesite and block 16 is a down thrown graben containing an andesite basement.
The claystone and basal tuff conglomerate units are interpreted to be generally flat lying with a southwest dip. In surficial outcrops dips ranged from 29° southeast, 10" south, and 5" southwest with the variation interpreted as soft sediment deformation and local fault flexure.
The fault displacement on the Property is estimated using bedding trends from available drill holes. Displacement varies from 10 ft. to as much as 500 ft. across fault blocks depending on the relative disposition of the fault blocks. In some cases, displacements can be apparent due to stratigraphic unconformable and conformable intrusive volcanic contacts. For some blocks with limited supporting drill hole data only displacement directions are shown (such as block 2). Block 1's approximate displacement is from Bonham and Garside, 1979 geologic map.
The northern interpreted graben (block 5) has an average displacement of approximately 150 ft. (45.7 m) on both the east and west, to the north 50 ft. (15.2 m) and to the south 100 ft. (30.5 m) along F1. The large F2 fault structure has an approximate displacement of 300 ft. (91.4 m) in the north up to 500 ft. (152.4 m) in the south.
Elevated lithium concentrations occur on the Property in the eastern regional blocks 10 and 16 within the claystone (upper claystone) between the surface alluvial and basal tuff unit. Similar elevated lithium concentrations also occur within faulted upper claystone in blocks 7, 12, 13, and 14 and within the deeper clay units (lower claystone) in the central block 8 and northern block 5. The highest and most consistent lithium grades occur in the upper claystone beds that are located east of the F2 fault. Samples taken from the claystone at similar depths located west of the F2 fault contain significantly less lithium (less than 400 ppm). East of the F2 fault, the lithium concentration is highest in a zone starting at about 75 ft. (22.9 m) above the basal tuff for an approximate thickness of 200 ft. (61 m); upwards in section the lithium concentrations tend to decrease to the base of the alluvium.
The overall footprint of the shallow mineralized clays in the east, where lithium concentrations are greater than 500 ppm, is 3,123 acres (1,264 hectares). These elevated grades extend from just below surface weathering to a depth of approximately 425 ft. (129.5 m) below surface. The general footprint for the western and north-western deeper clays, where lithium concentrations are greater than 500 ppm, is 4,507 acres (1,824 hectares) starting at an approximate depth of 350 ft. (106.7 m) to approximately 1,000 ft. (304.8 m) below surface.