(TheNewswire)
January 11, 2021 - TheNewswire - Vancouver, BC, Canada - Nickel Rock Resources Inc. (“theCompany”) ( TSXV:NICL ) ( OT C: NIKLF ) reports that Albemarle(NYSE: ALB ), aleader in the global specialty chemicals industry, announced onJanuary 7 th , 2021 plans to expand capacity at their lithium productionfacility at Silver Peak, Nevada. A portion of Albemarle’s projectadjoins 77 placer claims owned 100% by Nickel Rock Resources Inc. Linkto the property location map here: www.nickelrockresources.com ClaytonValley detail 2020-11-24 image .
Albemarle reported it will begin a program to evaluateclays and other available Nevada resources for commercial productionof lithium. Albemarle said that beginning in 2021, the company plansto invest $30 million to $50 million to double the current productionat the Nevada site by 2025, making full use of its brine water rights. www.albemarle.com/news/albemarle-announces-expansion-of-nevada-site-to-increase-domestic-production-of-lithium .
Additionally, in 2021 Albemarle reported it willcommence exploration of clay and evaluate technology that couldaccelerate the viability of lithium production from clay resources inthe region.
"As a leader in the lithium industry, our priorityis to optimize our world-class resources and production. This includesSilver Peak, a site uniquely positioned as the only lithium-producingresource in the United States," said Eric Norris, AlbemarlePresident, Lithium. "This investment in domestic capacity showsthat we are committed to looking at the many ways in which Silver Peakcan provide domestic support for the growing EV market."
The general structure of the producing area in thenorth part of the Clayton Valley basin is known from geophysicalsurveys and drilling to be a graben structure with its mostdown-dropped portion the east-northeast side of the valley (Zampirro,2004).
A similar graben structure has been identified on theproperty of Nickel Rock Minerals in the northwest part of the ClaytonValley basin where the Goat Island graben is inferred from gravityinversion (Quantec, 2008; Petrick, 2008). The valley is segmentedinto a northerly trending, one to km wide subbasin with a distinctescarpment on each side caused by the displacement of a block of landdownward. Recent work by other operators indicates that importantdeposits of lithium-bearing claystone are being found in ClaytonValley and this will be the primary target for the proposed programcurrently being arranged. Readers are cautioned that the informationin this press release regarding the property of Albemarle is notnecessarily indicative of the mineralization on the property ofinterest.
A short distance to the east, Cypress Development owns100 per cent of the Clayton Valley lithium projects locatedimmediately east of Albemarle's mine. Exploration and development byCypress have discovered a large world-class resource oflithium-bearing claystone adjacent to the brine field. Here, lithiummineralization occurs within montmorillonite clays throughout thesediments to a depth of at least 150 metres. Metallurgical testingindicates low-cost processing can be achieved by leaching with lowacid consumption (125 kg/t) and high lithium recovery over 85 per centLi.
These high extractions prove that the dominantlithium-bearing minerals present are not hectorite, a refractory claymineral which requires roasting and/or high acid consumption toliberate the lithium. www.cypressdevelopmentcorp.com2020-05-19 Clayton pre-feasibility.pdf .
Testing by other companies on their lithium clayproperties, including Lithium Americas (Thacker Pass project, Nevada),Bacanora Minerals (Sonora project, Mexico), Ioneer (Rhyolite Ridgeproject, Nevada) and Cypress Development (Clayton Valley project) haveall indicated that economic extraction of the lithium may well bepossible in the not-too-distant future.
Qualified Person
Alan Morris is a Qualified Person as defined byNational Instrument 43-101 and has approved the technical informationcontained within this news release.
About Nickel Rock Resources Inc. www.nickelrockresources.com
Nickel Rock Resources Inc is a Canadian-based mineralexploration company with a highly focused effort on exploration forhigh value battery metals required for the electric vehicle (EV)market. In addition to our existing Clayton Valley lithium projectthe Company recently announced several acquisitions resulting in asignificant property package prospective for awaruite, a naturallyoccurring nickel-iron alloy important in the manufacture ofenvironmentally efficient batteries for the electric vehicle marketsglobally.
The Mount SidneyWilliams Group consists of five claim blocks in four groups with atotal area of 6,125.32 hectares in the area surrounding Mount SidneyWilliams, both adjoining and in close proximity to the Decar projectof FPX Nickel Corp. (TSXV:FPX) , located 100 kilometres northwest of Fort St. James, B.C.,in the Omineca Mining Division. Metallic mineralization includesnickel, cobalt, and chromium. At least some of the nickelmineralization occurs as awaruite.
The Mitchell Range Grouparea claim consist of two contiguous claim blocks covering 3,134.70hectares with demonstrated metallic mineralization including nickel,cobalt, and chromium. Nickel-cobalt mineralization has not been wellexplored, but the presence of awaruite has been documented. TheCompany is planning detailed exploration for the upcoming explorationseason. The acquisition of the Hard NickelGroup and the Nickel 100 claims are subject to TSX Venture Exchangeapproval.
Lithium Project
The Clayton Valley Project is an early-stage lithiumbrine prospect in Esmeralda County, Nevada. A total of 77 placerclaims covering about 640 ha (1,500 acres) were staked over thewestern side of the Clayton Valley playa. The property position coversan inferred graben bounded by the Silver Peak range front on the westand Goat Island on the east. The exploration concept infers thegraben is a sub-basin of the larger Clayton Valley basin and mayrepresent a secondary trap for both lithium brines and lithium bearingmontmorillonite clays within the greater system.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
“Robert Setter”
Robert Setter, President & CEO
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange norits Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in thepolicies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for theadequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may containforward-looking statements which include, but are not limited to,comments that involve future events and conditions, which are subjectto various risks and uncertainties. Except for statements ofhistorical facts, comments that address resource potential, upcomingwork programs, geological interpretations, receipt and security ofmineral property titles, availability of funds, and others areforward-looking. Forward-looking statements are not guaranteeingfuture performance and actual results may vary materially from thosestatements. General business conditions are factors that could causeactual results to vary materially from forward-lookingstatements.
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