United Lithium Corp (CSE:ULTH) announced that it staked an additional 200 unpatented lode claims, increasing its land position at the Liberty lithium project by more than 6.5 square miles.
The new claims, contiguous to previously staked claims at the South Dakota project, cover numerous pegmatite bodies, most of which have not seen much exploration or production aside from historical and current quarrying of potassium feldspar and mica, the company said.
United Lithium carried out a reconnaissance rock chip sampling program in conjunction with the staking programs to identify new areas for detailed fieldwork, and samples have been submitted to the laboratory.
READ: United Lithium stakes large land position in historic lithium pegmatite producing area of Colorado
“We are excited with the initial sample results from our BLM adjudicated claims and are awaiting sample results from the recently staked claims south of our initial block southward towards Pringle, South Dakota,” CEO Michael Dehn said in a statement. “Access and infrastructure here are excellent, and we expect the regional scale rock sampling and assay program will assist us in vectoring towards [lithium-beryllium-tin-tantalum] enrichment zones in the LCT pegmatites."
All new claims still require final approvals from the Bureau of Land Management, the company noted.
Notably, several of the pegmatite zones are currently being quarried for potassium feldspar and micas in the area around the city of Custer, as potassium feldspar may be a valuable by-potential product from prospective lithium pegmatite quarrying.
Potassium feldspar is used by potters, industrial glass and whiteware manufacturers due to its high alkali content and low iron oxides that promote better viscosity during firing and whiter color. Mica is also currently recovered from some pegmatites as an economic product as an important additive in specialty drilling muds, the company said.
The balance of the recovered pegmatite materials, mainly quartz and albite, may also be recovered for use as aggregates and road construction materials due to their hardness, crushed sizing, and inert environmental qualities, the company said.
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