This is from the Voyageur Minerals website. Voyageur Minerals is the Canadian company that ASN has the joint venture agreement with on the lithium project in Utah.
Robert’s Rupture Lithium Property
The Robert’s Rupture Property (RRP) consists of 89 mineral claims covering approximately 1300 acres. The claims cover four miles (6.7 km) of strike distance along the Roberts Rupture. The Rupture is a six mile (10 km) long surface fracture that cuts through the NW Nose of the Kings Bottom Syncline, crossing both the SW and NE flanks of this large fold structure. Oil and gas well drill data in the RPP exploration area shows that the Rupture cuts multiple rock formations to depths of at least 6,000 – 9,000 ft. (1830 – 2744 m), probably considerably deeper.
Clastic Zone 31, near the base of the Paradox Salt Sequence in the Paradox Formation, hosts an over pressured brine aquifer that contains high concentration lithium brine waters, as well as other potentially economic constituents. The Robert’s Rupture Property is located adjacent to an area with historic fluid analysis ranging from 81 to 1,700 ppm lithium in saturated mineral brines that are hosted in Clastic Zone 31. Zone 31 brine samples from the Long Canyon #1 oil well and the Roberts Brine well analyzed 500ppm and 1700ppm Lithium (historic analyses), extremely high grades for North American brines.
These two wells are located along the Robert’s Rupture, 1 km strike distance from our claim boundary. The average concentration of Lithium, Iodine, Bromine, Boron and Magnesium in the brine samples from the Long Canyon #1 and the Roberts Brine wells, are comparable to the grades currently being produced at operating brine mines worldwide.
The RRP Lithium brine play is built around the 1960’s concept. Both Henkle (P.geo) and Voyageur think that Roberts’ Rupture is the controlling geologic feature responsible for the high grade brine concentrations and flow rates in the Long Canyon #1 well and Robert’s Brine Well, where it cuts the Zone 31 horizon. We feel that the structure will prove productive along strike for a considerable distance to the NE from where the two 1960’s era discovery wells penetrated the structure (at its NW terminus). We feel that upwelling fluids along the fissure will result in higher concentrations of Lithium and other potentially economic elements in the vicinity of where the structure cuts Clastic Zone 31. We think that the more distal portions of the Clastic Zone 31 blanket brine aquifer will have lower concentrations of economically interesting elements than the areas of the aquifer that are adjacent to the Rupture – existing data supports this assumption.
Both Voyager and Henkle have recently interpreted satellite imagery of the RRP project area and observed bleached zones of alteration – suggestive of fluid movement – along the Rupture which are within the ULI claim package boundary. Henkle’s follow up surface field mapping shows that high pressure fluids have moved upwards along the Rupture along the portion of the structure covered by the ULI claims. Intrusive breccias emplaced along the Rupture contain limestone cobbles that were transported at least 2000 ft. (610 m) upwards. Mineral salts which occur with the breccia and alteration outcrops are strong evidence that over pressured brines were the source of these upwelling fluids.
We believe that this process has happened numerous times over millions of years, since the Rupture was originally formed.
Summation of Voyageur’s Roberts Rupture Property Lithium Play
Diligent literature review allowed our geologist in early 2016 to identify an area in the Paradox Basin of Utah, USA, where historical analyses (1960’s era) of deep lying supersaturated brines showed very high grades for Li, Br, B, I and Mg. This attracted our attention.
Further research showed that high grades for Li and the other constituents and high brine flow rates tended to be associated with a few wells (mostly oil wells). These wells had penetrated a deep seated geologic fracture zone named Robert’s Rupture after the entrepreneur whose test well had encountered the rupture at depth.
When we discovered that lands were open for claim staking in the play area, we instituted the staking of 89 claims – these claims control four miles of strike along the six mile long Robert’s Rupture.
We believe that upwelling high grade brines will be found along the Rupture, where it cuts regional brine aquifers.
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