Inspenet, August 6, 2023.
During the last exploration campaign in the Los Sapitos area, located in Iglesia, San Juan, a surprising discovery of lithium was made in significant quantities and in a different environment than usual . The metal was found in the form of a clay deposit, which is an unusual format for its extraction.
The values found exceeded those found in the nearby salt flats, and so far, the only other region in the world where this type of material has been exploited is the United States, with successful results.
About lithium extraction
Lithium occurs in various forms due to its abundance in the earth’s crust. However, the type of rock or mineral that surrounds it is what determines its viability for mining , since it must be easy and cheap to extract to be profitable. Therefore, the discovery of clays containing the mentioned metal is positive news for the mining potential.
The Canadian company Origen Resources, which is carrying out explorations in the Iglesia area, officially announced the discovery of an area with a concentration of 824 mg/l of lithium. This value exceeds the results obtained in previous studies of the salt flats, where concentrations of 391 mg/l were found.
A similar case occurred in the United States, specifically in Clayton Valley, Nevada, where lithium deposits in clays were discovered a few years ago. American companies opted for this mineralization and there are currently two operations that successfully produce this metal.
The existence of clays containing this metal also suggests the possibility of other natural resources. This accumulation of metal comes from the debris of volcanic rocks, which indicates that the Iglesian mountain range could harbor natural wealth in its upper part. Furthermore, if there is a presence of hot springs in the same area, they could also offer promising results in terms of valuable resources.
San Juan: territory full of wealth
The region where the Los Sapitos deposit is located has been little explored until recently, when the Canadian company began the search for lithium in 2020. Although this is sought in an area of 26,000 hectares in San Juan, it is believed that the deposit extends to both Iglesia and La Rioja.
The Iglesia project faced uncertainty due to constitutional changes in La Rioja, which led to the suspension of exploration permits in the neighboring province by declaring lithium a metal of strategic interest. Despite this, exploration continued on the San Juan side, and the results of the last campaign were surprising.
With this exploration, San Juan adds three areas of lithium interest, which is remarkable, since no exploration had been carried out in the area before 2020. In addition, in areas close to Marayes and El Encón, a Chinese company is carrying out explorations, with a projected investment of USD 1.1 billion for next year if the feasibility of the deposit is confirmed.
In the country, an investment of 8,000 million dollars is projected during the year in activities related to the exploration and extraction of lithium. This significant investment is due to the fact that lithium plays a fundamental role in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles and alternative energy sources. According to international reports, the demand for lithium is expected to increase up to 40 times by the year 2040.
Source and photo: https://www.diariohuarpe.com/nota/san-juan-suma-litio-encontraron-el-metal-en-arcillas–20238112580
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