Following the success of its Manibridge nickel project, Metal Energy Corp. has acquired the exciting SourceRock lithium brine project which has all the right pathfinders to host high-grade lithium brines.
Headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Metal Energy Corp. is a battery metals exploration company specialising in the exploration and project development of critical raw materials for the modern ‘electrification-of-things’ industries, such as electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energies.
Since its formation, the company has been focused on exploring world-class nickel, copper, and platinum group element (PGE) projects at its Manibridge project in the Canadian jurisdictions of Manitoba.
Manibridge nickel mine
The Manibridge Mine is a past-producing Falconbridge high-grade nickel mine (1.3 million tonnes @ 2.55% nickel and 0.27% copper) in the Thompson Nickel Belt – one of the richest nickel districts in the world.
The Manibridge system hosts high-tenor, high-grade nickel sulphide mineralisation, and is open for at least 1km along strike and more than 800m below the old mine workings. The Manibridge mine trend has demonstrated potential for numerous high-grade vein ore zones within a larger low-grade disseminated mineralised envelope.
During its first year of operation in 2022, Metal Energy completed 12,500m of exploration diamond drilling within 36 drill holes outside the old mine workings. The company tested a 1km strike length and down to 800m depth. Each drill hole intersected nickel-sulphide mineralisation.
Highlights from the 2022 drill campaigns at Manibridge include:
- A 100% drill hole intersection success rate. All drill holes intersected Ni sulphide mineralisation;
- 34 of the 36 completed drill holes intersected greater than 1% nickel over variable widths (0.5-25.0m, average drill hole nickel thickness is 8.8m); and
- Mineralisation is open in all directions.
Drill hole highlights include:
• MNB035: 68.55m of 0.79% nickel;
• MNB031: 85.3m of 0.65% nickel;
• MNB040A: 36.55m of 1.09% nickel; and
• MNB004: 51.00m of 0.86% nickel.
Manibridge has the potential to host numerous multi-million-tonne high-grade nickel deposits within a much larger, lower-grade nickel envelope. The Manibridge North target (2.75% nickel and 0.13% copper over 6.55m) is a shallow discovery which represents another priority target area for further exploration.
SourceRock: Ontario’s first lithium brine project
In an exciting development for the company and the province of Ontario, Metal Energy has recently acquired the SourceRock lithium brine project in Ontario – the first of its kind in the area.
SourceRock encompasses 91,477 hectares within the Proterozoic Sibley sedimentary basin, Thunder Bay-Nipigon area. The project has excellent access to infrastructure and capacity that has supported previous exploration programmes and mine development, including year-round highway, railroad, and seaport access, with power and natural gas lines crossing the project.
SourceRock differs from other brine deposits in that the salty rocks and fluids are over one billion years old, providing ample timeframe to create a supersaturated saline solution enriched with lithium.
There is a variety of evidence to support the potential for high lithium concentration within brines at SourceRock. Firstly, higher concentrations of lithium in brines are uniquely associated with higher concentrations of total dissolved solids (TDS). SourceRock has exceptionally high TDS concentrations but analysis for lithium was never conducted before.
In addition, SourceRock is centred on the deepest parts of a billion-year-old closed sedimentary basin with evaporitic rock sequences (halite, sylvite) developed at depth. The closed brines have had over one billion years to react with and dissolve any surrounding lithium minerals, thereby concentrating lithium in the brine. Another positive factor is that the sedimentary basin is thick, allowing for multiple reservoirs to be developed to further concentrate salty brines.
SourceRock is a drill-ready project with an exploration permit already in-hand from the Ontario Ministry of Mines for up to 20 drill pads. Initial geophysical data compilation has already identified saline brine drill targets on the project. The company has undergone thorough consultation with local Indigenous groups, communities, and stakeholders, and a ‘proof-of-concept’ drill programme is planned before the end of 2023.
Please note, this article will also appear in the fifteenth edition of our quarterly publication.
