Overview
Stage | Permitting |
Mine Type | Open Pit |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
|
Production Start | ... |
Mine Life | 26 years (as of Jan 1, 2020) |
Rhyolite Ridge is one of a limited number of lithium projects in the U.S. expected to begin production by 2026.
Ioneer requires three key permits to commence construction at Rhyolite Ridge: - State of Nevada issued Air Quality Permit (received 24 June 2021). - State of Nevada issued Water Pollution Control Permit (received 19 July 2021). - The Mine Plan of Operations that must be approved by the federal Bureau of Land Management (Notice of Intent published 20 December 2022 marking commencement of NEPA process.
The Project continues to progress through NEPA with a draft Environmental Impact Statement expected to be completed during Q4 2023. |
Latest News | Ioneer Ltd heads towards Rhyolite Ridge lithium-boron project milestone April 15, 2024 |
Source:
p. 11,14
IONEER Limited of Australia is the parent company to both IONEER USA Corp. and IONEER Minerals Corp., collectively referred to as IONEER. The operator of the Rhyolite Ridge Project is IONEER USA Corp., a Nevada (U.S.) company. Title to the Rhyolite Ridge mining claims are held by IONEER Minerals Corp. and IONEER USA Corp., which together own 263 unpatented mining claims comprising the project area.
16 September, 2021 – ioneer Ltd (“ioneer” or the “Company”) (ASX: INR) is pleased to announce that the Company has reached an agreement to establish a joint venture (the “Joint Venture”) with Sibanye Stillwater Limited (“Sibanye-Stillwater”) to develop the flagship Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project located in Nevada, USA (the “Project”). Under the terms of the agreement, Sibanye-Stillwater will contribute US$490 million for a 50% interest in the Joint Venture, with ioneer to maintain a 50% interest and retain operatorship.
Contractors
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Summary:
Rhyolite Ridge is a geologically unique lithium-boron deposit that occurs within lacustrine sedimentary rocks of the South Basin, peripheral to the Silver Peak Caldera. The South Basin within the project boundaries measures 6 kilometers by 2 kilometers and covers an area of 800 hectares.
Rhyolite Ridge is one of only two major lithium-boron deposits globally and the only known deposit associated with the boron mineral searlesite. This mineralization style is different to the brine and pegmatite deposits that are the source of nearly all the lithium produced today. The lacustrine (lake) beds that host the mineralization lie within the Cave Spring Formation and overlie the 6-million-year-old Rhyolite Ridge Tuff and Argentite Canyon volcanic rocks. The lacustrine section that measures up to 457 meters thick is composed of three members, divided by marker beds of “gritstone” comprised of airfall debris with abundant pumice lapilli. The middle member, which is bounded top and bottom by distinctive gritstones, is dominantly marl, composing nearly 60 meters of section, and bears anomalous lithium in its upper half. About 18 meters of this section contains high concentrations of boron –contained in the sodium borosilicate mineral, searlesite (up to 30,000 parts per million [ppm] boron) – as well as lithium in mixed illite-smectite layers (about 1,500 to 2,500 ppm lithium). This marl is composed of very fine grained, intimately mingled searlesite, smectite, illite, potassi ........
Summary:
Development of the Rhyolite Ridge quarry will occur in two stages:
- Quarry Stage 1 – Starter Pit. An initial starter pit will be developed in the southwestern part of the ore body to supply ore for the first 4.5 years of the project. In this area, lithium grades are 15% higher than the average grade for the deposit and the ore is more exposed at surface.
- Quarry Stage 2. Development of the greater pit will start once the environmental permits for this development have been granted. The Stage 2 pit design will facilitate a larger mining area to be maintained, aiding the efficiency of the operation for another 21 years (there will be an overlap of Stage 1 and Stage 2 ore mined during years 4 and 5). Stage 2 will involve expansion to the south and east. Finally, mining will progress to the north of the deposit. The Stage 2 pit requires prestripping to begin in year 4.
The mining operations will consist of a conventional drill-and-blast, load-and-haul operation. Ore will be trucked from the mine quarry to the nearby ore processing stockpile over a new heavy haul road. The ore will be reclaimed by a loader and fed to the crushing plant.
The open-pit mining operations are scheduled nominally for 350 days per year. It was assumed that 15 days per year will be lost due to unscheduled delays such as weather conditions. The open-pit equipment will operate 24 hours a day in two 12-hour working shifts.
The key parameters for the c ........
Source:
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Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Reserves at January 20, 2020:
Cut-off grade is 5,000 ppm boron for South Basin of Rhyolite Ridge.
Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven
|
29 Mt
|
Lithium
|
1899 ppm
|
|
Proven
|
29 Mt
|
Boron
|
16271 ppm
|
|
Proven
|
29 Mt
|
Li2CO3
|
1.01 %
|
|
Proven
|
29 Mt
|
Boric acid
|
9.31 %
|
|
Probable
|
31.3 Mt
|
Lithium
|
1702 ppm
|
|
Probable
|
31.3 Mt
|
Boron
|
14629 ppm
|
|
Probable
|
31.3 Mt
|
Li2CO3
|
0.91 %
|
|
Probable
|
31.3 Mt
|
Boric acid
|
8.37 %
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
60.2 Mt
|
Lithium
|
1797 ppm
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
60.2 Mt
|
Boron
|
15418 ppm
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
60.2 Mt
|
Li2CO3
|
0.96 %
|
|
Proven & Probable
|
60.2 Mt
|
Boric acid
|
8.82 %
|
|
Measured
|
39 Mt
|
Lithium
|
1700 ppm
|
|
Measured
|
39 Mt
|
Boron
|
14550 ppm
|
|
Measured
|
39 Mt
|
Li2CO3
|
0.9 %
|
360 kt
|
Measured
|
39 Mt
|
Boric acid
|
8.3 %
|
3,240 kt
|
Indicated
|
88 Mt
|
Lithium
|
1550 ppm
|
|
Indicated
|
88 Mt
|
Boron
|
14150 ppm
|
|
Indicated
|
88 Mt
|
Li2CO3
|
0.8 %
|
730 kt
|
Indicated
|
88 Mt
|
Boric acid
|
8.1 %
|
7,110 kt
|
Inferred
|
19.5 Mt
|
Lithium
|
1600 ppm
|
|
Inferred
|
19.5 Mt
|
Boron
|
13800 ppm
|
|
Inferred
|
19.5 Mt
|
Li2CO3
|
0.9 %
|
170 kt
|
Inferred
|
19.5 Mt
|
Boric acid
|
7.9 %
|
1,530 kt
|
Total Resource
|
146.5 Mt
|
Lithium
|
1600 ppm
|
|
Total Resource
|
146.5 Mt
|
Boron
|
14200 ppm
|
|
Total Resource
|
146.5 Mt
|
Li2CO3
|
0.9 %
|
1,250 kt
|
Total Resource
|
146.5 Mt
|
Boric acid
|
8.1 %
|
11,890 kt
|
Required Heavy Mobile Equipment as of September 15, 2022:
HME Type | Model | Size |
Truck (haul) - AV
|
.......................
|
140 t
|
- Subscription is required.
AV - Autonomous
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
Document | Year |
...................................
|
2023
|
...................................
|
2023
|
...................................
|
2022
|
Feasibility Study Report
|
2020
|
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News:
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