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Argentina
Hombre Muerto North (HMN) Project

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 Location:
158 km NW from Salta, Argentina

  Project Contacts:
750 West Pender Street, Suite 804
Vancouver
British Columbia, Canada
V6C-2T7
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
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  • Filings & News

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Overview

StagePermitting
Mine TypeSurface
Commodities
  • Lithium
  • Potassium
Mining Method
  • Brine mining
Processing
  • Sulfuric acid (reagent)
  • Lithium Carbonate Plant
  • Solvent Extraction
  • Hydrometallurgical plant / circuit
  • Hydrochloric acid (reagent)
  • Sodium carbonate (reagent)
  • Solar evaporation
Mine Life30 years (as of Jan 1, 2019)
Test work is underway for Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) – an alternative to the conventional evaporation process which potentially will shorten lithium extraction time and provide higher recovery of lithium.

The environmental baseline study being conducted by EC & Asociados of Salta, Argentina, has moved into Phase II. The dry season study has been completed and the wet season study is nearing completion. The environmental base line study will fulfill requirements under the General Environmental Law, Mining Code No. 24.585. In addition, the Company is completing a social study of the area. Management is taking a pro-active approach to permitting in anticipation of future project exploration success.
Latest NewsLithium South Outlines 2022 Corporate Plan     January 6, 2022


Owners

Source: p. 14
CompanyInterestOwnership
Lithium South Development Corp. 100 % Indirect
The project is being acquired through a purchase option agreement from a private borate producer from Salta, Argentina. At March 31, 2021, the Company had capitalized a total of $8,194,374 (December 31, 2020 - $5,123,839) related to the HMN acquisition. Terms of the acquisition are as follows:

1. US $50,000 (paid) on signing for a 90-day due diligence period and for the completion of a NI 43-101 Technical Report on the project.
2. Upon acceptance of the NI 43-101 report by the TSX, the Company will pay Mr. Moreno US $100,000 and issue 1,000,000 common shares of the Company common stock (issued at a fair value of $350,000 in fiscal 2017).
3. At March 17, 2018, US $250,000 (paid) and 41,667 common shares (issued at a fair value of $250,000).
4. At September 17, 2018, US $250,000 (paid) and 41,667 common shares (issued at a fair value of $200,000).
5. At March 17, 2019, US $1,000,000 subsequently amended to be US$500,000 (paid) due in March 2019 and US$500,000 due June 24, 2019 (p

Deposit Type

  • Brine


Summary:

The deposit type is a brine aquifer within a salar basin. The conceptual model for the Hombre Muerto basin, and for its brine aquifer, is based on exploration of similar salar basins in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. Salar basins are characterized by closed topography and interior drainage. The lowest exposed portions of these basins may contain salt encrusted playas, or “salars”. Typically, no significant groundwater discharges from these basins as underflow. All groundwater discharge that occurs within the basin is evaporated. All surface water that flows into the basin is either evaporated directly or enters the groundwater circulation system and is evaporated at a later time.

Salar basin locations and basin depths are typically structurally controlled but may be influenced by volcanism that may alter drainage patterns. Basin-fill deposits within salar basins typically contain thin to thickly bedded evaporite deposits in the deeper, low-energy portion of the basin, together with thin to thickly bedded low-permeability lacustrine clays. Coarser-grained, higher permeability deposits associated with active alluvial fans can typically be observed along the edges of the salar. Similar alluvial fan deposits, associated with ancient drainages, may occur buried within the basin-fill deposits. Other permeable basin-fill deposits which may occur within salar basins include pyroclastic deposits, ignimbrite flows, lava-flow rocks, and spring deposits.

The Hombre Muerto basin has an evaporite core that is dominated by halite. Basin margins are steep and are interpreted to be fault controlled. The east basin margin is dominated by Precambrian metamorphic and crystalline rocks. Volcanic tuff and reworked tuffaceous sediments, together with tilted Tertiary rocks, are common along western and northern basin margins. In the Sal de Vida project area, dip angle of Tertiary sandstone is commonly about 45 degrees to the southeast. Porous travertine and associated calcareous sediments can occur in the subsurface and are flat lying. These sediments form a marker unit that is encountered in some locations. Five boreholes located near basin margins have completely penetrated the flat-lying basin-fill deposits. These boreholes, at their maximum depths, reach tilted Tertiary sandstone, volcanic tuff, or micaceous schist.

Metamorphic and crystalline bedrock along the east basin margin are expected to have low hydraulic conductivity and should approximate a “no-flow” groundwater boundary during extraction of brine from basin fill deposit aquifers by pumping wells. Tertiary sediments along the west and north basin boundaries exhibit drainable porosity, and conceptually approximate “low-flow” boundaries that are expected to contribute brine to the basin fill deposit aquifers.

Fine-grained lacustrine deposits are common throughout the exposed basin floor of Salar del Hombre Muerto. These deposits are interpreted to have low hydraulic conductivity. In many parts of the basin, this surface is believed to restrict downward flow of freshwater from the Rio de los Patos that enters the basin from the southeast and flows across the salar toward the north and west. In addition, hydraulic conductivity in the vertical direction of groundwater flow (Kz) is typically less than hydraulic conductivity in the horizontal direction (Kh). For layered sediments, such as occur in Salar del Hombre Muerto, the ratio Kz/Kh is commonly 0.01 or less (Freeze and Cherry, 1979, p. 34). The low vertical permeability of the salar sediments, combined with the density difference between surface water inflow and deep brine, restrict the vertical circulation of fresh water entering the salar from Rio de los Patos.


Mining Methods

  • Brine mining


Summary:

Well holes with internal pumps will be used to transfer brine to one of three pre-concentration ponds located near the processing plant. At present there are two holes on the property that are drilled to 400 m depth and are suitable for production brine pumping. An estimated 100 L/s of brine will be required to feed the ponds and processing plant sufficiently to achieve the targeted production rate of 5,000 t/a of Li2CO3. Three well holes will be required to achieve this rate. An additional four holes will be drilled during the pre-production period, bringing the total to six and providing double the well requirement as a contingency.

A production rate of 5,000 t/a of Li2CO3 has been targeted for the project. This rate was selected as a reasonable starting level of production, with the potential for expansion once commercial production and/or payback has been achieved.

A 30-year production forecast was assumed for the Project. A production rate of 3,750 t/a was assumed for the first operating year (75% of full production) and a rate of 4,500 t/a was assumed for the second year of operations (90% of full production). All remaining years were scheduled at the full production rate.

The production forecast therefore contemplates a total extraction of 148 kt of Li2CO3 equivalent, approximately 56% of the resource.


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Sulfuric acid (reagent)
  • Lithium Carbonate Plant
  • Solvent Extraction
  • Hydrometallurgical plant / circuit
  • Hydrochloric acid (reagent)
  • Sodium carbonate (reagent)
  • Solar evaporation

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

The recovery method consists of classic lithium salar concentration and pre-purification through solar evaporation followed by advanced hydrometallurgical processing where the brine is further purified, and the lithium is recovered as a high-purity Li2CO3.
The process involves the following main steps:
- Brine production from wells
- Pre-concentration through solar evaporation in shallow ponds
- Bulk-impurity removal by liming
- Concentration through solar evaporation
- Chemical adjustment prior to boron removal
- Boron removal by solvent extraction
- Advanced impurity removal by polishing precipitation
- Li2CO3 precipitation by carbonation with sodium carbonate (Na2CO3)
- Li2CO3 purification by re-dissolution with carbon dioxide and re-precipitation by desorption
- Li2CO3 drying, conditioning and packaging.

Details on Metallurgical Modelling
Using the methodology above, the concentration area and hydrometallurgi ........

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameterAvg. LOM
Lithium Recovery Rate, % 46
Lithium Head Grade, mg/L 756

Projected Production:

CommodityUnitsAvg. AnnualLOM
Lithium kt 5148
All production numbers are expressed as carbonate.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics
Annual production capacity 5,360 t of lithium carbonate *
Annual processing rate 2,957,033 t *
* According to 2019 study.

Reserves at June 3, 2019:
Cut-off grade: 500 mg/L lithium.

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeContained Metal
Measured 119,862,077 cu. m Lithium 797 mg/L 95,556 t
Measured 119,862,077 cu. m Potassium 7039 mg/L 843,671 t
Measured 95,556 t Li2CO3 508,627 t
Measured 843,671 t KCl 1,608,881 t
Indicated 21,936,404 cu. m Lithium 534 mg/L 11,714 t
Indicated 21,936,404 cu. m Potassium 5517 mg/L 121,023 t
Indicated 11,714 t Li2CO3 62,351 t
Indicated 121,023 t KCl 230,791 t
Measured & Indicated 141,798,481 cu. m Lithium 756 mg/L 107,270 t
Measured & Indicated 141,798,481 cu. m Potassium 6803 mg/L 964,694 t
Measured & Indicated 107,270 t Li2CO3 570,979 t
Measured & Indicated 964,694 t KCl 1,839,672 t

Commodity Production Costs:

CommodityUnitsAverage
Cash costs Li2CO3 USD  ......  Subscription required *
Assumed price Li2CO3 USD  ......  Subscription required *
* According to 2019 study / presentation.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

2019 Study Costs and Valuation Metrics :

MetricsUnitsLOM Total
Pre-Production capital costs $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Working capital $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Sustaining CapEx $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Closure costs  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
After-tax NPV @ 8% $M USD  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscription required
After-tax IRR, %  ......  Subscription required
Pre-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscription required
After-tax payback period, years  ......  Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Proposed Heavy Mobile Equipment as of June 3, 2019:
HME TypeQuantity
Deck & Boom Trucks ....................... Subscription required
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 3, 2019
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 3, 2019
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 3, 2019
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

Total WorkforceYear
Subscription required 2019

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2019
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

News:

NewsDate
Lithium South Outlines 2022 Corporate Plan January 6, 2022
Lithium South Announces Closing Oversubscribed Non-Brokered Private Placement October 26, 2021
Lithium South Development Corporation: Drill Program to Expand Resource April 27, 2021
NRG Key Milestone with Filing of Preliminary Economic Assessment Report ( PEA ) for Hombre Muerto North Lithium Project August 12, 2019
Positive Results From HMN Lithium Project PEA April 29, 2019

Aerial view:

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