VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Southern Lithium Corp. (TSX-V:SNL) (FSE:SL5) ("Southern" or "the Company") is pleased to announce it has been granted the necessary permits to execute the first phase of drilling at its Cruz Property previously announced (December 16th 2016). This permit was granted after an extensive review of the Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”) by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Production for Government of the Province of Salta.
The first phase of the drilling program will consist of one core hole drilled at two separate locations in the center of a body of brine over 6-km long in length , indicated by the Transient Electromagnetic (“TEM”) ground geophysical survey carried out in early February and announced (February 21, 2017). The objective of the drilling campaign is to establish brine chemistry at discrete vertical intervals as well as obtain other key geologic and hydrologic information, including eventually outlining a resource.
At each location, an HQ size core hole will test the Salar to a minimum depth of 350m, or deeper if warranted to ensure that the brine body identified by the TEM geophysical survey is thoroughly sampled. In the deeper parts of some Salar basins, coarse sediments that were deposited early during the filling of the basins have the potential to be excellent brine aquifers.
The program will be managed in Argentina through its joint venture partner Millennial Lithium Corp. Millennial has engaged HIDROTEC S.R.L., a Salta-based drilling company with extensive experience in drilling and testing salar-hosted lithium brines. Millennial has engaged Mike Rosko of Montgomery and Associates, Inc. a US-based hydrogeological consultancy to provide program guidance and act as the Company's qualified person for reporting results.
About the Cruz Property
The Company has executed a formal option agreement with Proyecto Pastos Grandes S.A. (“PPG SA”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Millennial Lithium Corp. (TSX.V:ML) (FSE:A3N2) (OTCQB:MLNLF), through the option Southern Lithium can earn up to an eighty percent (80%) interest in the PPG SA’s Cruz Property in the Pocitos Salar Basin in Salta Province, Argentina.
The Cruz Property is located in South America’s Lithium Triangle (northern Chile, northwestern Argentina and southwest Bolivia). The property encompasses 9,027 hectares (22,306 acres) in the Pocitos Salar Basin in Salta Province, Argentina.
The Cruz Property is contiguous to the southern limit of the Salar del Rincón Basin, where ADY Resources Limited is extracting lithium brine, and the northern limit of the Pocitos Salar Basin, where the Cruz property is located. Both properties lie along the structural belt that hosts the important lithium resources of the region, and at the junction of a large north-south fault system and the northwest-southeast megastructure along which lies the Rincon volcano, the possible source of the lithium brine in both salar basins. The 60-kilometre long Pocitos salar basin has previously only been drill tested with a shallow 12-hole program in the 1970s by an Argentinean government agency “Direccion General de Fabricaciones Militares”. To date, this is the only confirmed exploration drilling conducted in the Pocitos basin. The hole that produced the best results is near the southeast edge of the Cruz property boundary, and averaged 417 parts per million lithium. Although these results are considered historical and have not been verified by the Company's QP, the Company considers these results relevant to the future exploration of the Cruz property.
About Southern Lithium Corp (TSX-V:SNL) (FSE:SL5)
Southern Lithium Corp. is a resource exploration company engaged in the business of acquiring and exploring minerals properties. Southern Lithium Corp. has assembled an experienced management team with a strategy to develop a portfolio of technically superior Lithium projects. The Company’s main objective is to add shareholder value through successful exploration and development of high quality resources through strategic acquisitions, combined with cost-effective financial management. With the potential acquisition of the Cruz property, Southern Lithium intends to establish its presence in the Pocitos basin and further deliver on its mission to secure lithium projects. The Company is only focusing on projects of the highest technical merit in favorable geopolitical jurisdictions.
Qualified Persons
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Larry Segerstrom, M.Sc. (Geology), P.Geo., a Director of the Company, who is a "Qualified Person" as such term is defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
“Clive H. Massey”
Chief Executive Officer
Further information about the Company is available on our website at www.southernlithiumcorp.com or under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This news release includes forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within it, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, other than as required pursuant to applicable securities laws.