SUDBURY, ON / ACCESSWIRE / June 22, 2017 / Frontier Lithium Inc. (TSX-V: FL) (the "Company") is pleased to announce new drilling results for its PAK Lithium Project, in the Red Lake mining district. As part of ongoing Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) activities, the design brief, conducted by Golder Associates (Sudbury, ON, Canada) and based on the 2017 winter drilling program, outlined slope design recommendations for the Company's lithium deposit and indicated favourable conditions for an open pit structure.
In March 2017, Frontier successfully completed four (4) geomechanical drill holes with core orientation and packer testing which was followed by laboratory strength testing. For the purpose of Frontier's pre-feasibility study, results of the program suggest that rock mass failure should not be a concern given the very strong intact rock strength of proposed pit walls for an open pit up to 200m deep. Slope design will be controlled by the stability of individual benches, meaning the quality of blasting and the prevalence of structures that undercut the bench face angle. Should Frontier perform a future Definitive Feasibility Study, it has been recommended that some additional drilling be performed by the Company.
Frontier also successfully conducted twenty-two (22) sampled boreholes for the soils geotechnical data collection program for the PFS design of a Tailings Management Facility (TMF), as well, fifteen (15) monitoring wells were successfully installed for a baseline hydrogeology study being conducted on the Project.
"These studies indicate that the ground conditions and general site topography seem to provide favourable conditions for a low cost mining scenario with potential open pit operations at the PAK Lithium Project," remarked Trevor Walker, President and CEO of Frontier.
In addition, the Company confirms it has successfully converted the mining claim where the Pakeagama Lake Deposit is located into a twenty-one (21) year lease agreement by the Province of Ontario.
Mr. Garth Drever, P.Geo., is the "Qualified Person" for Frontier defined under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.
Company Contact Information
Trevor R. Walker, President & CEO
2736 Belisle Drive Val Caron, ON. P3N 1B3 CANADA
T. +001 705.897.7622
F. +001 705.897.7618
Media Requests
Joseph Mansourian
Manager, Investor Relations
2736 Belisle Drive Val Caron, ON. P3N 1B3 CANADA
T. +001 705.618.0070
F. +001 705.897.7618
About Frontier Lithium Inc.
Frontier's goal is to become a low-cost, fully integrated lithium and tantalum producer through development of the PAK lithium deposit in Ontario, Canada. Frontier maintains a tight share structure with management ownership exceeding 30% of the Company. CAD $4.5 million of exploration work has been conducted from 2013 to 2017 on the deposit which boasts its lithium in a rare, high-purity, low-iron spodumene. The Company has adopted a staged growth approach to exploration and development in order to avoid unnecessary share dilution - a strategic imperative for the Company. The initial target market is the glass-ceramic industry which consumes roughly one-third of global lithium supply and is currently faced with monopolistic conditions, coupled with major lithium producers increasingly directing output toward supporting battery manufacture.
Ceramic/glass customers prefer to source technical-grade (low-iron) spodumene concentrate in excess of 7% lithium oxide (Li2O), if available, to avoid inferior lower grade petalite concentrates, or paying much higher prices for battery grade lithium compounds.
The PAK lithium deposit remains open in all directions and Company Management believes the resource can be developed into a world-class operation. The Company is currently conduction pre-feasibility to produce lithium concentrates. If production of lithium concentrates can be established from Frontier, the possible second stage of investment and longer term prospect is to further process some of PAK's output to produce the higher purity lithium compounds required for lithium battery technologies used in the electrification of transportation and electric grid storage applications.
About the PAK Lithium Project
The PAK Lithium Project lies close to the boundary between two geological sub-provinces of the western Superior geologic province in northwestern Ontario and hosts a rare metals pegmatite deposit. The deposit is an LCT (lithium- cesium- tantalum) type pegmatite. These types of pegmatites have been the principal source of hard rock lithium, tantalum, rubidium and cesium ores mined in the world but there are comparatively few commercially-viable deposits.
Frontier is actively exploring its 100% owned project which contains the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite. The PAK deposit is one of the highest grade lithium mineral resources in North America which has a current
Measured and Indicated Resource of 7.89 million tonnes of 1.73% Li2O equivalent (eq.) or 1.58% Li20 and 104 ppm Ta2O5 and an Inferred Resource of 295,600 tonnes of 1.35% Li2O eq. or 1.20% Li2O and 103 ppm Ta2O5 which has a technical/ceramic grade spodumene with low inherent iron (below 0.1% Fe2O3). The deposit has adjacent zones that are enriched in tantalum and rubidium. Frontier is also evaluating the phased co-production of tantalum and mica-product concentrates once lithium mineral production has been commercialized.
The deposit now has a known 500m strike length with an estimated true width varying from 10m to 125m with a sub-vertical orientation. The resource remains open to depth and along strike to the northwest and southeast.
Additional information regarding Frontier Lithium is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile and on its website at www.frontierlithium.com, including various pictures of ongoing work at the project.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
SOURCE: Frontier Lithium Inc.