Clayton Valley Project

Clayton Valley Project
Esmeralda County, Nevada
Clayton Valley
Non NI 43-101 Compliant

Property Description

Clayton Valley is located in the centre of Esmeralda County, Nevada, approximately 70 kilometres west of Goldfield, the county seat, and approximately 88 kilometers southwest of Tonopath the largest nearby town.

The property consists of 250 (20 acre) claims on BLM administered land totaling 5,000 acres and an additional 284 placer claims totaling 45,440 acres.  The combined area is now approximately 50,440 acres.

The claims fall on Goat Island and Paymaster Ridge.

Maps (click to enlarge)

Property History

Clayton Valley is home to the only lithium producer in the United States.  This plant extracts lithium from brines pumped from aquifers below the valley and has been in production since 1967.  The plant is designed to produce 1.2 million kg of lithium per year and to date has produced an estimated 50 million kg of lithium.  Rodinia’s property is adjacent to this production facility.

In 1975, I.A. Kunasz of the American Institute of Mining, estimated the mineral endowment of Clayton Valley to be 750 million kg of lithium.  A more recent study by Price, Lechler, Lear and Giles in 2000, suggests that significantly more lithium was released into the Clayton Valley catchment by the weathering of high lithium bearing rocks.  They suggest that as groundwater enters the basin, it appears to be dissolving lithium minerals accumulated in valley sediment and is partially recharging the lithium content of the brine, while mining operations have been ongoing.

Rodinia now has a total of 45,440 acres under its control, accounting for approximately 90% of the valley.  The Company has planned an aggressive exploration program to target additional layers of lithium bearing brines which may exist throughout the property.

Property Geology

Over 30,000 years ago Clayton Valley was part of a very large lake that experienced volcanic activity resulting in the fall out of lithium rich ash.

Sulfur acid resulting from volcanic gas emissions accelerated the leaching of the lithium rich rhyolites (unique to the Clayton Valley area).

The lake went through the same evaporation stage that the South American salares are currently experiencing.

Approximately 8,000 years ago the evaporation stage was completed resulting in the current desert environment

Note: Generalized cross section of Clayton Valley (from Davis, Friedman and Gleason, 1986 after Albers and Stewart 1972)