The 1,056 hectare Delta Lake Lithium project is located 55 km southeast of Allkem Ltd. (ASX/TSX:ALLKEM) (“Allkem”) James Bay Lithium Project and 20 km north of Critical Elements Lithium Corp. (TSXV: CRE) (“CEL”) Rose Lithium Project located in northern Québec.
The northwestern portion of the Property contains a lithium prospective zone in a similar geological environment to Allkem’s project. According to the Québec Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources Naturelles (“MERN”) this zone is characterized by the abundance of S-type pegmatitic granite intrusions, a lithology known for its Be, Li, Nb, and Ta potential. Beryl (a beryllium silicate mineral) is reported in several outcrops within this zone.
Allkem (55 km northwest) is proposing to develop a lithium mine at their James Bay Lithium Project, located adjacent to the Billy Diamond Highway which provides access to key infrastructure in the region. The 2021 Feasibility Study and Maiden Ore Reserve (“FS”) details a 321,000 tonne per year operation utilizing conventional open pit mining. Allkem’s spodumene expertise from the success of its Mt. Cattlin operations in Western Australia has been applied to the design and development of the James Bay Project. The FS suggests that James Bay Project will be the most competitive operation in the region with low capital and operating costs. Shallow, high-grade mineralization with favourable infrastructure also supports the low-cost operation. Allkem has published a mineral resource estimate of 40.3 Mt @1.40% Li2O and mineralization is still open.
FS summary here
CEL’s Rose Lithium-Tantalum mine (20 km south) is anticipated to start production in approximately 21 months. The mine will excavate a total of 26.3M tonnes ore grading an average of 0.87% Li2O and 138 ppm Ta2O5 after dilution. The mill will process 1.61M tonnes of ore per year to produce an annual average of 224,686 tonnes of technical and chemical grade spodumene concentrates and 441 tonnes of tantalite concentrate. The ore is contained in several parallel and continuous shallow dipping pegmatite dykes outcropping on surface. The ore zones are open at depth and a future underground operation is possible. Over the life of mine, the open pit will excavate a total of 182.4M tonnes of waste rock and 10.9 M tonnes of overburden. The average strip ratio is 7.3 tonnes of waste per tonne of ore.
CEL websiteReferences to adjacent properties:
55 km Northwest: Allkem Ltd. James Bay Lithium:
The technical report entitled “NI 43-101 Technical Report Feasibility Study James Bay Lithium Project Quebec, Canada” prepared by G Mining Services and dated January 11, 2022.
20 km South: Critical Elements Lithium Corp. Rose Lithium-Tantalum:
The technical report entitled “Rose Lithium-Tantalum Project Feasibility Study NI 43-101 Technical Report” prepared by WSP Canada Inc. and dated July 26, 2022.