Usha Resources More Than Triples Land Position
at its Jackpot Lake Lithium Brine Project in Nevada
Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada -- February 16, 2023 -- InvestorsHub NewsWire
-- Usha
Resources Ltd. ("USHA" or the "Company") (TSXV:
USHA) (OTCQB: USHAF) (FSE: JO0), a North American
mineral acquisition and exploration company focused on the
development of drill-ready lithium and other battery and precious
metal projects, is pleased to report that the Company has staked
302 claims totalling 5,914 acres surrounding the 140 optioned
claims at its Jackpot Lake Lithium Brine
Property ("Project"), effectively more than
tripling the total land it controls within the Dry Lake basin. The
total footprint of the Project now comprises 442 mineral claims
with a total area footprint of approximately 35.3
km2 or 8,714
acres.
The prospective lithium
brine Project target is a strong conductive geophysical anomaly
that was identified through gravity and controlled source audio
magnetotellurics/magnetotellurics (CSAMT/MT) surveys. The CSAMT
survey defined a strong conductive anomaly that comprised the
entirety of the Company's initial optioned claim block (2,800
acres; 11.3 km2) that was open in
all directions for further Project expansion. The target is
shallow, predominantly above bedrock depths of 600 metres, and is
approximately 450 metres thick. The Company has now staked all
strategic available basin acreage surrounding its core claims.
Current drill program
findings (see Usha Resources' news release
dated February
7, 2023) have demonstrated the
potential for a significant lithium discovery, subsequently
motivating the Company to stake the additional land within the
basin to secure the projection of the aforementioned geophysical
anomaly.
The Company is now drilling
the second hole of its program (see Usha Resources' news release
dated February
14, 2023) and will incorporate
the findings of its initial two holes to help identify and target
higher porosity zones comprised of sand and conglomerate within the
staked claims. As per the Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA)
completed by Pure Energy Minerals for their Clayton Valley project,
their sand and conglomerate zone was identified to contain a large
volume of brine with superior grades.
Deepak Varshney, CEO of Usha
Resources, commented: "Drilling to date
has provided support that the Jackpot Lake lithium
brine target is in a similar geologic setting to that of Clayton
Valley which hosts Albemarle's Silver Peak Nevada Lithium Mine, the
only producing lithium mine in North America. Considering what
we've seen from our initial drill hole, and given the fact that an
expansive claim block open in all directions is now firmly under
our control, we are optimistic in thinking that we may have
discovered an untapped lithium deposit. Securing this land quickly,
therefore, made strategic sense as it will allow us to drill
throughout the basin with a focus on high-porosity
sand-conglomerate zones that we believe are potential game changers
for our shareholders and for delivering a transformational 43-101
resource."
Figure 1 - Plan view of the
Jackpot Lake basin. Gravity contours are overlain on topography
along with the findings of the CSAMT survey. Usha's core optioned
claims are shown in red while the newly staked claims are in bolded
red. JP22-1 was drilled along Line 2 adjacent to the "south lobe"
of the basin; JP22-2 will be drilled along Line 5 within the "north
lobe".
All new claims still require
final approvals from the Bureau of Land Management.
Jackpot Lake Lithium
Brine Property
USHA's Jackpot Lake Lithium
Brine Property is located within Clark County, 35 kilometres
northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, and is comprised of 442 optioned
and staked mineral claims that total 8,714 acres (approximately
35.3 km2).
The Project's geologic
setting is similar to that of Albemarle's Silver Peak Nevada
Lithium Mine, the only producing lithium mine in North America,
which has operated continuously since 1966, where sediments from
lithium-rich surrounding source rocks accumulate and fill the
deposit leading to a potential concentration of lithium brine due
to successive evaporation and concentration events. Considering the
elevated lithium concentrations identified in historic soil
samples, such events could theoretically concentrate lithium as
rainwater passes through these materials, developing enriched
brines at depths.
The Company has permitted
2,700 metres over six holes and has commenced a maiden drill
program with the goal of defining a 43-101 resource. The Project
target was identified based on geophysical studies and 129 core
samples collected by the USGS with an average lithium value of 175
ppm with a high of 550 ppm. Samples from the first hole of its
drilling program have identified lithium is present at a grade of
up to 300 ppm within ten samples collected from shallow surface
soils (<442 ft). The present average grade for Albemarle's
project is approximately 121 ppm.
Modelling indicates that
the Project target comprises the entirety of the Company's core
optioned claim block (2,800 acres; 11.3 km2) and is open in
all directions for expansion. The target is shallow, predominantly
above bedrock depths of 600 metres, and is approximately 450 metres
thick. The total basin within which the target is situated is
estimated to be approximately 10,900 acres of which the Company now
controls 8,714 acres.
The Project's Qualified
Professional (QP) is Michael Rosko, a professional geologist with
over 30 years of experience, with extensive experience with
world-class lithium brine projects including Tier 1 projects such
as Galaxy's Sal de Vida Deposit, Millennial Lithium's Pasto Grandes
Deposit, and Lithium America Corp's Cauchari-Olaroz Deposit.
Figure 2 - Conceptual basin
model illustrating the theoretical location of borehole JP22-01
with respect to the deposition anticipated in a geologic setting as
that of Clayton Valley. The stratigraphic column on the left, taken
from Pure Energy's Preliminary Economic Assessment, shows the
stratigraphy of borehole CV-8, located in a similar position within
the Clayton Valley basin. The general stratigraphy of CV-8
consisted of lacustrine sediments (clays, silts) overlaying a zone
of sand and conglomerate where superior grades of lithium were
identified which is similar to the stratigraphy observed in
JP22-01.
Qualified Person
The technical content of
this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Seth Cude,
P.G., CPG. RM, M.Sc., a qualified person as defined by National
Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI
43-101").
About Usha Resources Ltd.
Usha Resources Ltd. is a
North American mineral acquisition and exploration company focused
on the development of quality battery and precious metal properties
that are drill-ready with high-upside and expansion potential.
Based in Vancouver, BC, Usha's portfolio of strategic properties
provides target-rich diversification and consist of Jackpot Lake, a
lithium project in Nevada; Nicobat, a nickel-copper-cobalt project
in Ontario; and Lost Basin, a gold-copper project in Arizona. Usha
trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol USHA, the OTCQB
Exchange under the symbol USHAF and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
under the symbol JO0.
USHA RESOURCES
LTD.
"Deepak Varshney" CEO and
Director
For more
information, please call Tyler Muir, Investor Relations, at
1-888-772-2452, email tmuir@usharesources.com, or visit www.usharesources.com.
Neither 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.
Forward-looking
statements:
This news release may include
"forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities
legislation. Such forward-looking information reflects management's
current beliefs and are based on a number of estimates and/or
assumptions made by and information currently available to the
Company that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and
unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the
actual results and future events to differ materially from those
expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Readers
are cautioned that such forward-looking information are neither
promises nor guarantees and are subject to known and unknown risks
and uncertainties including, but not limited to, general business,
economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties,
uncertain and volatile equity and capital markets, lack of
available capital, actual results of exploration activities,
environmental risks, future prices of base and other metals,
operating risks, accidents, labour issues, delays in obtaining
governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining
industry.
The Company is presently an
exploration stage company. Exploration is highly speculative in
nature, involves many risks, requires substantial expenditures, and
may not result in the discovery of mineral deposits that can be
mined profitably. Furthermore, the Company currently has no
reserves on any of its properties. As a result, there can be no
assurance that such forward-looking statements will prove to be
accurate, and actual results and future events could differ
materially from those anticipated in such statements.