
- NORTH AMERICA EDITIONAustraliaNorth AmericaWorld
January 18, 2023
ioneer Ltd (ASX:INR, Nasdaq:IONR) received approval for up to $700 million conditional loan from the US Department of Energy to finance the construction of the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project in Nevada, USA.
According to an article published by 2news.com, the loan is the latest indication of the Biden administration's commitment to strengthening the nation's battery supply chain, electrifying the transportation sector and cutting reliance on fossil fuels and foreign supplies of raw materials.
Rhyolite Ridge is the most advanced undeveloped US lithium project with a definitive feasibility study modeled on a 26-year mine life. The project has progressed into the final stage of
federal permitting with the decision by the US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to publish a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register.
The loan from the DOE is contingent on the completion of an environmental impact statement, as Ioneer works to minimize the project’s impact on an endangered Nevada wildflower, Tiehm's buckwheat, which the Fish and Wildlife Service has said is on the brink of extinction, the article said.
To read the full article, click here.
Click here to connect with ioneer Ltd (ASX:INR, Nasdaq:IONR) for an Investor Presentation.
Sign up to get your FREE
Prismo Metals Investor Kit
and hear about exciting investment opportunities.
- Corporate info
- Insights
- Growth strategies
- Upcoming projects
GET YOUR FREE INVESTOR KIT
The Conversation (0)
21 August
Prismo Metals
Investor Insight
Prismo Metals presents a compelling investment opportunity with its strategic focus on high-grade precious and base metal exploration in Mexico and Arizona, leveraging advanced technology and maximizing shareholder value through targeted asset development.
Overview
Mexico’s Sinaloa state hosts several prolific silver and gold mines, including McEwen Mining’s (TSX:MUX) El Gallo Complex, Americas Gold and Silver’s (TSX:USA) Cosalá operations and Kootenay Silver’s (TSXV:KTN) Copalito silver-gold project. Between 2012 and 2019, gold production at the El Gallo mine alone totaled 295,000 ounces (oz) and silver production peaked at 142,000 oz. At the Panuco project, Vizsla Silver (TSXV:VZLA) has an indicated resource of 9.5 million tons at grades of 289 g/t silver, 2.41 g/t gold, 0.27 percent lead and 0.84 percent zinc for 155.8 Moz silver equivalent.
Prismo Metals (CSE:PRIZ,OTCQB:PMOMF, FSE:7KU) has made a strategic move to join the list of successful explorers in this region. The company’s leadership team has decades of experience in the Mexican precious metals industry. Director, president, CEO and co-founder Dr. Craig Gibson has been an exploration consultant since 1998 and a director of Beyond Minerals (CSE:BY) Garibaldi Resources (TSXV:GGI).
Prismo Metals has three current exploration projects: Palos Verdes, Los Pavitos and Hot Breccia. The Palos Verdes property covers 22.77 hectares within the historic Panuco-Copala silver-gold district in Sinaloa, well-known for its numerous veins with historical production. While much of the district has been consolidated by Vizsla Resources, the Palos Verdes project is located near the district’s under-explored northeastern limit.
On January 9, 2023, Vizsla Resources acquired a right of first refusal to purchase the Palos Verdes project through a strategic investment agreement with Prismo Metals. Vizsla's strategic investment consists of a cash payment of $500,000 and the issuance of one million common shares of Vizsla to Prismo. Pursuant to the strategic investment, the two companies formed a technical committee for district-scale exploration of the Panuco silver-gold district consisting of Drs. Gibson and Megaw along with Dr. Jesus Velador, vice president of exploration for Vizsla.
Prismo Metals’ Palos Verdes property includes 700 meters of strike length along the Palos Verdes vein, which has been explored for 250 meters with findings yielding as much as 6.7 grams per ton (g/t) gold and 544 g/t silver from surface and underground sampling. A second vein system may be reflected in a northwest striking alteration zone, offering an additional high-grade exploration target on the property.
In May 2019, the company and ProDeMin entered an option agreement in which Prismo may acquire a 75-percent interest in the Palos Verdes property, and later entered into an agreement to acquire the remaining 25 percent of the property from the original owner. The company conducted a 2,100-meter drill program at Palos Verdes in 2022, designed to test the Palos Verdes vein and a structural intersection with a second vein at depths where it is believed that potential for a large ore shoot is present, similar to the drilling accomplished by Vizsla Silver on their adjacent land package.
Prismo conducted a 15 hole, 2,923-meter drilling program at Palos Verdes in 2023, with the best result being 11,520 silver equivalent (102 g/t gold and 3,100 g/t silver) over 0.5 meters downhole. An alteration study and rock chip sampling program were also conducted and provide evidence that additional mineralization may occur in previously unexplored areas.
The Los Pavitos project is located in the Alamos region of southern Sonora, a well-mineralized area that hosts several active exploration and mining projects. The project consists of one concession covering 5,289 hectares. Early sampling and reconnaissance work has been carried out by previous companies, including Minera Cascabel, and show the presence of high-grade gold assays in at least two target areas.
In 2022 Prismo Metals signed a formal access agreement with Francisco Villa Ejido, the surface owner of the Los Pavitos Project to allow for exploration work and drilling, and completed a mapping, sampling and trenching program in 2023. Thus work paved the way for a first ever drill program at the project in 2023, consisting of 2,370 meters in 25 holes with excellent results.
Prismo acquired the right to earn a 75 percent interest in the Hot Breccia property in early 2023. Hot Breccia lies in the heart of the world-class Arizona copper belt and has historical drilling indicating the potential for a large copper mineralized system.
An airborne Z‐tipper axis electromagnetic (ZTEM) geophysical survey was completed at Hot Breccia. Prismo received assay results for the first batch of samples taken at the project indicating the presence of not only copper mineralization but also gold mineralization associated with gossanous veins and shear zones.
In 2025, Prismo Metals has signed option agreements to acquire100 percent of the historic Silver King and Ripsey mines in Arizona’s prolific Copper Belt, near its flagship Hot Breccia project. Silver King, discovered in 1875, produced nearly 6 million ounces of silver at grades up to 61 oz/t, with later sampling returning up to 644 oz/t silver and 15 g/t gold, indicating high-grade potential and possible antimony mineralization. The Ripsey mine, located 20 kilometers west of Hot Breccia, is an historic gold-silver-copper producer with sampling up to 15.85 g/t gold and 276 g/t silver, yet remains untested by modern exploration.Company Highlights
- Prismo Metals is an exploration company targeting high-grade silver and gold projects in Mexico, one of the world’s top producers of precious metals, and a large-scale copper project in Arizona, the leading producer of the metal in the US.
- The company’s Palos Verdes property is located in the historic Panuco-Copala silver-gold district in Sinaloa, Mexico and is partly surrounded by ground controlled by Vizsla Silver Corp..
- The Palos Verdes property includes 700 meters of strike length along the Palos Verdes vein, which has yielded 6.7 grams per ton (g/t) gold and 544 g/t silver at the surface.
- The company’s Los Pavitos project is located in the well-mineralized Alamos region of southern Sonora. The project consists of one concession covering 5,289 hectares.
- The Hot Breccia project consists of 1,400 hectares located in the world class Arizona Copper Belt.
- Prismo’s management and advisory team offers decades of experience in the Mexican precious metals industry, including all aspects of exploration and resource development.
- Prismo acquired 100 percent of the Palos Verdes claim and has drilled 6000 meters on the property. The drill results revealed high-grade silver and gold showing multiple discrete quartz vein stages lacing between breccia fragments and showing distinctly differing mineralogy.
- Vizsla Silver Inc. completed a Strategic Investment and owns about 9.9 percent of the company.
- The Silver King Project is a historic high-grade silver-gold mine in Arizona’s Copper Belt with strong evidence of remaining mineralization.
- The company also filed on SEDAR an NI 43-101 Technical Report for its Los Pavitos Gold-Silver Project in southern Sonora, Mexico.
Key Projects
Silver King
The Silver King Project gives Prismo Metals a foothold in one of the most historically significant silver-gold districts in the United States. Once a premier silver producer, the mine is renowned for its exceptionally high grades and long mining history. The project offers both brownfields exploration upside and discovery potential, supported by excellent infrastructure, mining expertise in the region, and a fully funded exploration program. Prismo’s work is focused on validating historic results, testing high-priority targets, and positioning Silver King as a cornerstone North American asset.
Project Highlights
- Historic High-Grade Production
- Silver King mine produced nearly 6 million ounces of silver at grades up to 61 oz/t (~2,082 g/t).
- Late 1990s sampling returned ~644 oz/t silver (~18,250 g/t) and 0.53 oz/t gold (~15 g/t).
- Mineralization includes freibergite, indicating potential for antimony, a critical mineral.
- Strategic Location
- Situated in Arizona’s Copper Belt, a world-class jurisdiction with extensive infrastructure and mining talent.
- Ripsey Project provides additional exploration potential along the same mineralized trend.
- Exploration Program Planned
- Initial work includes surface mapping, sampling, and underground inspections.
- Shaft dewatering with submersible pumps is in progress.
- Phase-1 drilling (~1,000 m) targeting mineralized zones at multiple elevations and lateral extensions.
Hot Breccia
The Hot Breccia project is Prismo’s latest acquisition located in the heart of the great Arizona Copper Belt, USA and is located 40 km south of the Resolution deposit and 35 km north of the San Manuel / Kalamazoo deposit and is just a few kilometers from the Hayden Smelter. The Hot Breccia property has the same productive geologic units that host high-grade copper skarn mineralization at the adjacent, past-producing Christmas Mine owned by Freeport. Prismo has the option to earn a 75-percent interest in the Hot Breccia project from Infinitum Copper (TSXV:INFI).
The company completed an airborne Z‐tipper axis electromagnetic (ZTEM) geophysical survey at Hot Breccia in 2023 and received assay results for a first batch of samples taken at the project. The results indicate the presence of not only copper mineralization, but also gold mineralization associated with gossanous veins and shear zones. The ZTEM survey identified a priority drill target in a conductive anomaly at depth.
Following the success of the 2023 ZTEM survey, Prismo received permit approval from the Bureau of Land Management for 10 drill pads to allow for drilling to test the prospective stratigraphy below the cover volcanic rock over a wide area. Assay results for samples taken in February 2024 include 5.69 percent copper, 0.24 g/t gold and 32.8 g/t silver.
Earlier in 2024, Prismo Metals engaged Exploration Technologies (ExploreTech) from San Diego, California to apply xFlare, their artificial intelligence (AI)-optimized drill planning solution, to its Hot Breccia project where a number of features suggest well mineralized Arizona-style copper porphyry lies at depth. Prismo is currently planning an initial 5,000 meter drill program at Hot Breccia.
Palos Verdes
The company’s Palos Verdes property is located in Southern Sinaloa, roughly 65 kilometers northeast of Mazatlán. The Palos Verdes concession covers 22.77 hectares and is situated within the historic Panuco-Copala mining district, the largest silver producer in Sinaloa.
History
Mapping and sampling were conducted over the property by ProDeMin. The Palos Verdes vein crops out for about 750 meters along strike and yielded as much as 4.15 g/t gold and 732.7 g/t silver. Before the turn of the century, a 70-meter tunnel was driven along the Palos Verdes vein near the bottom of the Palos Verdes arroyo; a sample of the vein in this adit yielded 6.7 g/t gold and 544 g/t silver. In 2018, ProDeMin completed a diamond drilling program on the property. Notable drill results included 3.75 g/t gold and 1,098 g/t silver for 2.3 meters and 8.42 g/t gold and 2,336 g/t silver for 0.8 meters.
Drilling
The company has undertaken several drill campaigns at the project, and a total of about 6,052 meters have been drilled in 33 holes to date, including five holes drilled by ProDeMin in 2018. Results indicate the presence of a near-surface high-grade ore shoot in the Palos Verdes vein similar to mineralization in the resources defined by Vizsla Silver in the southwestern portion of the district.
The company, in conjunction with its strategic partner Vizsla Silver (TSXV:VZLA), has planned an expanded drill program with new holes to be drilled from Vizsla Silver’s concessions adjacent to the Palos Verdes concession, targeting the proposed extension of the Palos Verdes ore shoot at depth and a possible extension along strike to the northwest. Prismo Metals is planning on initiating this drill program in August, 2024.
Los Pavitos
The company’s Los Pavitos project is located in the Alamos region of Southern Sonora, a well-mineralized area that hosts multiple active exploration and mining projects. Los Pavitos consists of one concession covering 5,289 hectares. Early sampling and reconnaissance work has been carried out by previous companies, including Minera Cascabel. The property’s numerous mines and prospect pits indicate historical interest.
Prismo conducted a reconnaissance surface mapping and sampling at the project in 2022 and early 2023. This program consisted of about 1,500 samples and identified 5 main gold and silver mineralized target areas within several kilometer-scale structural zones. A follow up trenching program consisted of 698 meters in 25 trenches with almost 350 samples taken. A first ever drill program at the project was conducted in 2023, with 2,370 meters completed in 25 holes.
High-grade gold assays were encountered at the Santa Cruz target, with 10.2 g/t gold over 6.6 meters in drill hole LP-SC-23-02. A second gold zone was intersected at Las Auras, with 3.58 g/t gold over 1.15 meters within 3.65 meters carrying 2.33 g/t gold and 87.6 g/t silver.
Management Team
Gordon Aldcorn – President
Gordon Aldcorn brings over 20 years of experience in capital markets and junior public company development. Over the past five years, he has focused on the corporate management of copper and gold exploration projects, with a strong track record of advancing early-stage assets. Committed to responsible mineral exploration and long-term stakeholder engagement, Aldcorn now leads Prismo Metals through a pivotal growth phase, advancing its high-potential projects in Mexico and Arizona, including the flagship Hot Breccia copper project and the Palos Verdes silver project.
Alain Lambert – CEO and Director
Alain Lambert, who co-founded Prismo in 2018, is a lawyer by training and has over 35 years of experience in financing and advising small and medium-sized companies operating in various industries including technology, manufacturing, and the natural resources sector. He has been involved in private and public financings totaling more than $1 billion. He has an extensive network of investors, investment bankers, analysts, and investor relations professionals. Lambert acts as an advisor to public and private companies regarding financings, mergers and acquisitions plans, debt structuring as well as going-public transactions. Throughout his career, Lambert has served as a director and member of the audit committee and governance committee of small and medium-sized private and public companies. He holds a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B.) from the University of Montréal and a diploma of collegial studies, specializing in administration from the College Jean-de-Brébeuf in Montréal, Québec.
Craig Gibson - Chief Exploration Officer and Director
Dr. Craig Gibson has extensive experience in the minerals industry. He received his BS (1984) in earth sciences from the University of Arizona and MS (1987) and PhD (1992) in economic geology and geochemistry from the Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno. He co-founded Prospeccion y Desarrollo Minero del Norte, S.A. de CV (ProDeMin) based in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2009. ProDeMin is a consulting firm providing a broad spectrum of exploration-related services to the mining industry and has been involved in several major precious metal discoveries in Mexico. Gibson is also a director of Garibaldi Resources, a Vancouver-based junior exploration company; a certified professional geologist of the American Association of Professional Geologists; and a qualified person under NI 43-101.
Carmelo Marelli - CFO and Secretary
Carmelo Marrelli is the principal of the Marrelli Group, comprising Marrelli Support Services Inc., DSA Corporate Services Inc., DSA Filing Services Limited, Marrelli Press Release Services Limited, Marrelli Escrow Services Inc. and Marrelli Trust Company Limited. The Marrelli Group has delivered accounting, corporate secretarial and regulatory compliance services to listed companies on various exchanges for over twenty years. Marrelli is a chartered professional accountant (CPA, CA, CGA), and a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, a professional body that certifies corporate secretaries. He received a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Toronto. Marrelli acts as the chief financial officer to several issuers on the TSX, TSX Venture Exchange and CSE, as well as non-listed companies, and as a director of select issuers.
Martin Dupuis - Director
Martin Dupuis has over 25 years of experience covering all stages of a project’s life, from exploration through feasibility and engineering studies, construction, mine expansion and operations. Dupuis serves as Vizsla Silver’s chief operating officer. He was instrumental in the oversight and delivery of the company’s maiden resource estimate. Before joining Vizsla Silver, Dupuis was director of geology for Pan American Silver, technical services manager for Aurico Gold, and chief geologist at several other operations.
Jorge Rafael Gallardo-Romero - Director
Jorge Rafael Gallardo-Romero has been a consultant geologist of Cascabel since March 1992. He also acts as Mexico exploration manager of Gainey Capital (since January 2015) and of Minera Goldzone SA de CV (since March 2011). Gallardo-Romero graduated from the University of Sonora with a degree in Geology in 1984.
Maria Guadalupe Yeomans Otero - Director
Maria Yeomans Otero is a geologist who graduated from Universidad de Sonora, Mexico, in 1986, with master's studies in business administration at the same university. She has been a part of the team at Cascabel since 1992 and is now the office manager. She speaks English fluently and has extensive experience in the administration, legal and commercial relations related to mining.
Louis Doyle - Director
Louis Doyle has over 30 years of experience focused primarily on capital markets and public companies. Since 2016, he has also provided consulting services to private companies seeking listing on Canadian exchanges. Since January 2016, Doyle has been the executive director of Québec Bourse. Between October 1999 and December 2015, he was the vice-president, Montréal of the TSX Venture Exchange. As such, he was responsible for business development and listing activities in the provinces of Québec and Atlantic Canada. During his tenure, he acted as chairman of the TSX Venture listing committee and was a member of the policy committee. Doyle also led the nationwide TSX Venture mentorship program and further acted regularly as a speaker and advisor at conferences and workshops. He also holds directorship roles with two other publicly traded companies. Doyle was granted 150,000 incentive stock options exercisable at $0.165 per share before June 26, 2027. Also, three other directors were each granted 50,000 incentive stock options, exercisable at $0.165 per share before June 26, 2027.
Peter Megaw - Advisor
Dr. Peter Megaw is best known as co-founder of MAG Silver and Minaurum Gold. He and his team are credited with MAG Silver’s Juanicipio discovery in the famous Fresnillo District and Excellon Resources’ Platosa mine. He received his doctorate from the University of Arizona and has more than 35 years of experience exploring silver and gold in Mexico. Megaw is a certified professional geologist by the American Institute of Professional Geologists and an Arizona Registered Professional Geologist. He is the author of numerous scientific publications on ore deposits and is a frequent speaker at academic and international exploration conferences. He was awarded the 2017 Thayer Lindsley Award for the 2003 discovery of the Juanicipio silver deposit in the Fresnillo District, ultimately leading to a further 600 million ounces being identified in the immediate area. Megaw also received the Society of Mining Engineers 2012 Robert M. Dreyer Award for excellence in applied economic geology.
Keep reading...Show less
Targeting high-grade silver, gold and copper in historic districts in Mexico and Arizona.
20 August
Outstanding New 2024 Diamond Drill Results Tanbreez Project
14 August
Livium and Mineral Resources Form Joint Venture to Advance LieNA Technology
Livium (ASX:LIT) and Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN,OTC Pink:MALRF) said on Monday (August 11) that they have agreed to a 50/50 joint venture regarding the LieNA lithium-processing technology.
LieNA, the joint venture entity, was formerly a subsidiary of Livium, the owner of the intellectual property for the LieNA technology — an innovative process designed to recover lithium from spodumene.
The joint venture's formation comes after the completion of Stage 1A activities under a joint development deal. The companies first began working together in August 2023, and agreed to additional Stage 1A work in January.
At the time, Livium and Mineral Resources said the work would include the assessment of alternate commercialisation pathways for the technology, and the selection of the preferred lithium product for LieNA's development.
The aim of the joint venture will be to commercialise the LieNA lithium-processing technology by issuing licences to third parties, with the next step on that path being to set up a demonstration plant. However, the companies note that current lithium market dynamics "do not support the economic construction and funding of the plant."
As a result, they have extended previous deadlines for the demonstration plant.
The partners intend for the demonstration plant to be the first licencee for the LieNA technology, and Mineral Resources can elect to independently fund, develop and operate the plant.
The licence will apply to current and future Mineral Resources projects, with the company receiving a reduced royalty rate in recognition of being the first to adopt the process.
Livium CEO and Managing Director Simon Linge emphasised that although the lithium market is currently in the midst of a "cyclical downturn," fundamental drivers like electrification and decarbonisation are in place.
“With our immediate priority being to scale our recycling business, we will now take the opportunity, with MinRes, to explore options to realise short term value or alternatively preserve medium-term value from the LieNA technology," he outlined in the company's press release.
Mineral Resources was positive on LieNA's progress so far and its future impact.
"We firmly believe the technology has a role to play in the future of lithium processing and are focused on working together to convert the strong technical delivery achieved to date into commercial outcomes," the firm said.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Australia for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Keep reading...Show less
13 August
Lithium Prices Surge After CATL Halts Major Mine in China
Lithium prices and mining stocks around the world soared this week after Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) (SZSE:300750,HKEX:3750) suspended operations at one of the world’s largest lithium mines.
The halt at the Jianxiawo lepidolite mine in Jiangxi province’s Yichun city, a hub for China’s lithium production, came after the mine’s permit expired on August 9.
CATL confirmed the closure on Monday (August 11), saying it is seeking a permit extension but offering no timeline for resuming output. The shutdown will last at least three months, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg.
The mine produces around 65,000 tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) annually, equivalent to roughly 6 percent of global output, according to estimates.
That makes the stoppage one of the most significant supply interruptions in recent years for a metal central to electric vehicle (EV) batteries, grid storage, and consumer electronics.
The most-active lithium carbonate futures contract on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange (GFEX) jumped the daily limit of 8 percent on Monday (August 11), closing at 81,000 yuan (US$11,280) per ton for November delivery.
Meanwhile, spot prices in China also climbed, with Asian Metal reporting a 3 percent increase to 75,500 yuan per ton, the highest margin since February.
On the Liyang Zhonglianjin E-Commerce platform, November delivery prices surged over 10,000 yuan to around 85,500 yuan per ton.
Chandler Wu, senior analyst for battery raw materials at Fastmarkets, estimated that the shutdown would cut about 5,000 tons of LCE from China’s monthly output.
Market sentiment had been building for weeks amid speculation the mine’s license might not be renewed. By Wednesday, contracts on the GFEX were already posting sharp gains, with sellers in the spot market pushing up offers in line with futures prices.
Global mining stocks rally
The supply shock sent lithium miners’ shares higher from Sydney to New York.
In the US, Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) jumped more than 15 percent, Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC) by 13 percent, and Chile’s SQM (NYSE:SQM) by 12 percent.
Australian producers saw similar gains: Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS,OTC Pink:PILBF) climbed up to 20 percent, Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR,OTC Pink:LINRF), surged 25 percent, and Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN,OTC Pink:MALRF) advanced 14 percent.
Analysts say the suspension may be linked to Beijing’s “anti-involution” campaign — an initiative aimed at curbing overcapacity and promoting more sustainable production across industries.
The policy theme has recently swept China’s financial markets and affected sectors from steelmaking to e-commerce and EVs.
China has been the world’s top processor of lithium for years. CATL, the world’s largest battery maker, has also aggressively invested in raw material supply chains to secure long-term access to critical minerals like lithium, nickel, and cobalt.
That vertical integration has helped China dominate the global EV market, but it has also contributed to oversupply concerns in the lithium sector.
CATL emphasized that the Jianxiawo shutdown would have “little impact” on its overall operations.
Even so, traders warn that the effects could be far-reaching if the suspension extends beyond Jianxiawo. Local authorities in Yichun have reportedly asked eight other miners to submit reserve reports by the end of September after audits revealed non-compliance in registration and approvals.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Keep reading...Show less
12 August
New Study Highlights Western Australia's Lithium Leadership and Future Potential
Western Australia has a strong lithium history, and a recent study could help inform future exploration.
Put together by researchers from the Geological Survey of Western Australia (GSWA), Curtin University and the University of Western Australia, the report focuses on the formation of high-grade lithium deposits.
It states that Western Australia supplies around 35 percent of the world's lithium, with much of that coming from pegmatite, a coarse-grained rock commonly found in the state's Archean terrains.
"While most hard-rock lithium is sourced from similar formations, many existing exploration models are based on younger geological settings," an August 7 government press release explains.
The study's findings are summarised as follows:
"GSWA's research challenges these assumptions, as they may not apply to (Western Australia's) ancient crust. The new findings suggests that Archean lithium systems follow distinct rules and require a unique set of geological features for the formation of these deposits."
Lithium mines in Western Australia
The Greenbushes mine, owned by the Talison Lithium joint venture between Tianqi Lithium (SZSE:002466,HKEX:9696) and Albemarle (NYSE:ALB), is the world’s largest hard-rock lithium mine.
Operations date back to the 1980s, with annual production estimated at 1.95 million tonnes of lithium spodumene. Located adjacent to the town of Greenbushes in Western Australia, the asset is said to have been discovered in the 1970s, making it a significant mine in Western Australia's lithium history.
As of 2025, Pilbara Minerals' (ASX:PLS,OTC Pink:PILBF) Pilgangoora mine has dethroned Greenbushes in terms of resource size, with the former holding 446 million tonnes at 1.28 percent lithium oxide.
Greenbushes’ resource size as of late 2024 was 440 million tonnes at 1.5 percent lithium oxide.
Aside from these operations, Western Australia recently gained its first underground lithium mine, the Kathleen Valley asset owned by Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR).
Liontown’s latest quarter report, released on July 29, shows that Kathleen Valley produced over 300,000 wet metric tonnes of spodumene concentrate during its first 11 months of operations.
The Kathleen Valley plant reached commercial production in January 2025.
"Our findings provide fundamental insights that not only deepen our knowledge of WA's geology but also strengthen the State's position as a global leader in lithium exploration," said GSWA Executive Director Michele Spencer.
Government support for lithium
In November 2024, the government of Western Australia announced the Lithium Industry Support Program, which aims to bolster lithium miners and downstream processing facilities.
The program is scheduled to run for up to 24 months, at which time lithium prices “are expected to recover to an economically sustainable level.” During this time, government fees will be temporarily waived to support the continuation of downstream processing of lithium for up to two years, amounting to AU$90 million.
"Lithium is a key element in the global energy transition as we move to achieve a goal of net zero emissions by 2050,” Mines and Petroleum Minister David Michael said in a release at the time.
“We're providing (our lithium miners) with temporary and responsible support now to give them the best chance of continuing to supply the world with lithium products today and well into the future."
At the federal level, the Australian government has introduced critical support for the lithium sector under the broader Future Made in Australia industrial strategy.
Among its initiatives are the Critical Minerals Production Tax Incentive, legislation passed in February to provide a 10 percent tax break on processing and refining costs for critical minerals, including lithium.
“The incentives are valued at AU$7 billion over the decade,” said Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King, calling the legislation a “historic moment” for the industry.
The incentive is applicable from 2028 to 2040, for up to 10 years per project.
There’s also the National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) and Critical Minerals Facility, with the latter’s initial AU$2 billion doubled to AU$4 billion, plus new investments through the NRF.
Recently, the NRF invested AU$50 million in Liontown to support Kathleen Valley, alongside private investment from Canmax Technologies (SZSE:300390), to stabilise financing during weak prices.
Lithium market due for a turnaround?
A March report by market research platform ASD Reports states that the Australian lithium market reached US$1,294.38 million in 2024 and is expected to hit US$5,309.55 million by 2032.
This demonstrates a compound annual growth rate of 19.3 percent during the forecast period of 2025 to 2032.
However, research firm Fastmarkets has said the lithium market recorded a surplus of around 175,000 tonnes in 2023, and almost 154,000 tonnes in 2024 based on current available data.
This oversupply has pushed prices down and prompted some miners to cut production, leaving investors wondering when a turnaround may come for lithium. Fastmarkets sees improvement this year, with the surplus projected to shrink to 10,000 tonnes. After that, it anticipates a deficit of 1,500 tonnes in 2026.
“We’re expecting a rebalancing of market dynamics over the next few years,” a producer told the firm.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Australia for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Keep reading...Show less
11 August
AI Uncovers Five Potential Lithium Alternatives for Next-generation Batteries
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has helped a group of scientists identify five new materials that could power the next wave of batteries without relying on lithium.
The study, published on June 26 in Cell Reports Physical Science, focuses on materials that could enable multivalent-ion batteries — a technology long touted for its potential, but hindered by practical challenges.
The lithium problem for batteries
Lithium dominates in batteries used in everything from smartphones to electric vehicles, but faces challenges — it is costly to extract, geographically concentrated and comes with environmental and geopolitical concerns.
As global demand for batteries surges, researchers are racing to find viable alternatives that are both abundant and efficient. Multivalent-ion batteries offer one potential path forward. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which carry a single positive charge, multivalent-ion batteries using materials like magnesium or zinc carry two or three.
In theory, this means that they can pack more energy into the same space. However, their larger size and stronger charge make it difficult for them to move through standard battery materials.
“One of the biggest hurdles wasn’t a lack of promising battery chemistries — it was the sheer impossibility of testing millions of material combinations,” said lead author Dibakar Datta, a professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. “We turned to generative AI as a fast, systematic way to sift through that vast landscape and spot the few structures that could truly make multivalent batteries practical.”
To tackle the challenge, Datta’s team developed a “dual AI” system. The first part, a crystal diffusion variational autoencoder (CDVAE), was trained on vast datasets of known crystal structures. It could generate entirely new porous transition metal oxides, a class of material known for its structural flexibility and ionic conductivity.
The second part was a fine-tuned large language model (LLM) designed to narrow the list.
It focused on materials closest to thermodynamic stability, a critical factor in determining whether a compound can realistically be made and used in the real world.
The CDVAE cast a wide net, creating thousands of hypothetical structures with large, open channels. The LLM then acted as a filter, selecting only those most likely to hold up under actual manufacturing and operational conditions.
Five new battery candidates
“Our AI tools dramatically accelerated the discovery process, which uncovered five entirely new porous transition metal oxide structures that show remarkable promise,” Datta said.
These structures, the study suggests, offer unusually large pathways for ion movement, a crucial step toward making multivalent batteries that charge quickly and last for long periods of time. Quantum mechanical simulations and stability tests confirmed that the materials should be both synthetically feasible and structurally sound.
The five compounds now move to the next stage — experimental synthesis in collaboration with partner laboratories. If successful, they could be incorporated into prototype batteries and eventually scaled for commercial production.
Traditional materials research is often a painstaking, years-long process of hypothesis, synthesis and testing.
By contrast, AI can rapidly explore enormous “material spaces” that would be impossible for humans to search manually, flagging only the most promising candidates for further investigation.
What it means for the batteries of tomorrow
Multivalent-ion batteries have been studied for decades, yet few have reached commercial readiness because the necessary materials either didn’t conduct ions well enough or degraded too quickly.
By using AI to overcome that bottleneck, the research team hopes to accelerate not just battery chemistry, but also the infrastructure needed to support electrification on a global scale.
However, the five materials identified by Datta’s team aren’t ready to replace lithium tomorrow. They still need to be synthesized, tested in lab-scale batteries and proven to perform under real-world conditions.
Safety, scalability and cost effectiveness all remain open questions.
Still, the study’s authors argue that their AI framework has already proven its value by shrinking what could have been a decades-long search into a matter of months.
“This is more than just discovering new battery materials — it’s about establishing a rapid, scalable method to explore any advanced materials, from electronics to clean energy solutions, without extensive trial and error,” Datta added.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Keep reading...Show less
06 August
Top 9 Global Lithium Stocks of 2025
Lithium prices continued their downward trajectory in 2025's second quarter, with battery-grade lithium carbonate hitting a four year low of US$8,329 per metric ton in late June.
Lithium hydroxide followed suit as oversupply and bearish sentiment weighed on the market.
Despite strong electric vehicle (EV) demand, mine supply — driven largely by China, Australia, Argentina and emerging African producers — has outpaced consumption, with Fastmarkets forecasting a 260,000 metric ton surplus for 2025.
“The industry is navigating a period of complexity,” said Paul Lusty, head of battery raw materials at Fastmarkets, speaking at the firm’s June lithium conference. Still, he emphasized that long-term fundamentals remain “anchored in mega trends,” including the global energy transition, artificial intelligence expansions and climate change mitigation.
In China, production ramp ups and new fair competition rules have added volatility, while US policy uncertainty under the Trump administration has dampened investor sentiment. Brief price rebounds in July, spurred by speculation about supply cuts, were short-lived, reflecting sensitivity to rumors over fundamentals. However, even with near-term headwinds, analysts say the structural case for lithium is solid, offering opportunities for long-term-focused investors.
Against this backdrop, some lithium stocks are seeing share price gains. Below is a look at the lithium stocks in Canada, the US and Australia that have performed the best so far in 2025, including updates on their news and activities.
This list of the top-gaining lithium companies is based on year-to-date as per TradingView’s stock screener. Data for Canadian stocks and US stocks was collected on July 22, 2025, and data for Australian stocks was gathered on July 23, 2025. Lithium stocks with market caps above $10 million in their respective currencies were considered.
1. NOA Lithium Brines (TSXV:NOAL)
Year-to-date gain: 58.82 percent
Market cap: C$77.55 million
Share price: C$0.35
NOA Lithium Brines is a lithium explorer and developer with three projects in Argentina’s Lithium Triangle region.
The company's flagship Rio Grande project and prospective Arizaro and Salinas Grandes land packages total more than 140,000 hectares. As NOA works to advance its flagship asset, the company brought on Hatch in April to lead work on a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) for the property. The PEA will evaluate Rio Grande's economic and development potential, with target production of 20,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent annually, as well as a scalable plant design that could double capacity to 40,000 metric tons per year.
NOA has also been working to secure a water source in the arid region through a drill program targeting fresh water. In late June, the company discovered a fresh water source at the project, located near high-grade lithium zones in the project's northeast area.The location means the water source could support future production facilities or evaporation ponds. The well, drilled to 190 meters in the northern part of the property, is being tested and developed.
Shares of NOA reached a year-to-date high C$0.425 on July 17.
2. Wealth Minerals (TSXV:WML)
Year-to-date gain: 40 percent
Market cap: C$23.93 million
Share price: C$0.07
Wealth Minerals is focused on the acquisition and development of lithium projects in Chile, including the Yapuckuta project in Chile’s Salar de Atacama, as well as the Kuska Salar and Pabellón projects near the Salar de Ollagüe.
Shares of Wealth spiked to a year-to-date high of C$0.095 on February 9 following the acquisition of the Pabellón project. According to the company, Pabellón has been shortlisted by Chile’s Ministry of Mining as a potential site for a special lithium operation contract based on its geological and environmental suitability.
Located in Northern Chile near the Bolivia border, the Pabellón project spans 7,600 hectares across 26 exploration licenses about 70 kilometers south of the Salar de Ollagüe.
In May, Wealth formed a joint venture with the Quechua Indigenous Community of Ollagüe to advance the Kuska project. The new entity, Kuska Minerals, is 95 percent owned by Wealth and 5 percent by the community, which also holds anti-dilution rights and a seat on the five member board.
3. Avalon Advanced Materials (TSX:AVL)
Year-to-date gain: 37.5 percent
Market cap: C$38.26 million
Share price: C$0.055
Avalon Advanced Materials is focused on integrating the Ontario lithium supply chain.
The company is developing the Separation Rapids and Snowbank lithium projects near Kenora, Ontario, and the Lilypad lithium-cesium project near Fort Hope, Ontario. Separation Rapids and Lilypad are part of a 40/60 joint venture between Avalon and SCR Sibelco, with Sibelco serving as the operator.
Avalon started the year with a revised mineral resource estimate for the Separation Rapids project, which boosted resources in the measured and indicated category by 28 percent.
Company shares rose to C$0.07, a year-to-date high, on July 15, the day after Avalon released its results for the quarter ended on May 31. A week later, Avalon announced an additional C$1.3 million in funding through a C$15 million convertible security agreement with Lind Global Fund II. The drawdown, expected to close within two weeks, will support project development and general corporate needs, according to the company.
1. Sociedad Química y Minera (NYSE:SQM)
Year-to-date gain: 10.43 percent
Market cap: US$10.82 billion
Share price: US$40.64
SQM is a major global lithium producer, with operations centered in Chile’s Salar de Atacama. The company extracts lithium from brine and produces lithium carbonate and hydroxide for use in batteries.
SQM is expanding production and holds interests in projects in Australia and China.
Shares of SQM reached a year-to-date high of US$45.61 on March 17, 2025. The spike occurred a few weeks after the company released its 2024 earnings report, which highlighted record sales volumes in the lithium and iodine segments. However, low lithium prices weighed on revenue from the segment, and the company's reported net profit was pulled down significantly due to a large accounting adjustment related to income tax.
In late April, Chile’s competition watchdog approved the partnership agreement between SQM and state-owned copper giant Codelco aimed at boosting output at the Atacama salt flat. The deal, first announced in 2024, reached another milestone when it secured approval for an additional lithium quota from Chile's nuclear energy regulator CChEN.
Weak lithium prices continued to weigh on profits, with the company reporting a 4 percent year-over-year decrease in total revenues for Q1 2025.
2. Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC)
Year-to-date gain: 9.67 percent
Market cap: US$719.1 million
Share price: US$3.29
Lithium Americas is developing its flagship Thacker Pass project in Northern Nevada, US. The project is a joint venture between Lithium Americas at 62 percent and General Motors (NYSE:GM) at 38 percent.
According to the firm, Thacker Pass is the “largest known measured lithium resource and reserve in the world.”
Early in the year, Lithium Americas saw its share rally to a year-to-date high of US$3.49 on January 16, coinciding with a brief rally in lithium carbonate prices.
In March, Lithium Americas secured US$250 million from Orion Resource Partners to advance Phase 1 construction of Thacker Pass. The funding is expected to fully cover development costs through the construction phase. On April 1, the joint venture partners made a final investment decision for the project, with completion targeted for late 2027.
Other notable announcements this year included a new at-the-market equity program, allowing the company to sell up to US$100 million in common shares.
3. Lithium Argentina (NYSE:LAR)
Year-to-date gain: 8.46 percent
Market cap: US$467.28 million
Share price: US$2.90
Lithium Argentina produces lithium carbonate from its Caucharí-Olaroz brine project in Argentina, developed with Ganfeng Lithium (OTC Pink:GNENF,HKEX:1772).
The company is also advancing additional regional lithium assets to support EV and battery demand.
Previously named Lithium Americas (Argentina), the company was spun out from Lithium Americas in October 2023.
While shares of Lithium Argentina spiked in early January to a year-to-date high of US$3.10, the share price has been trending higher since June 19 to its current US$2.90 value.
Notable news from the company this year includes its name and ticker change and corporate migration to Switzerland in late January and the release of the full-year 2024 results in March.
In mid-April, Lithium Argentina executed a letter of intent with Ganfeng Lithium to jointly advance development across the Pozuelos-Pastos Grandes basins in Argentina. The plan includes a project fully owned by Ganfeng as well as two jointly held assets majority-owned by Lithium Argentina.
The company released its Q1 results on May 15, reporting a 15 percent quarter-over-quarter production reduction, which it attributed to planned shutdowns aimed at increasing recoveries and reducing costs.
Overall, the production guidance for 2025 is forecasted at 30,000 to 35,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate, reflecting higher expected production volumes in the second half of the year.
1. Jindalee Lithium (ASX:JLL)
Year-to-date gain: 123.26 percent
Market cap: AU$35.94 million
Share price: AU$0.48
Jindalee Lithium is focused on its McDermitt lithium project, located on the Oregon-Nevada border, which it regards as a potential low-cost and long-life lithium source for North America. On April 22, McDermitt became one of the Trump administration's first 10 resource projects to be designated as a Fast-41 transparency project.
The designation is intended to fast track resource projects important to the US critical minerals supply chain. It secures publicly accessible permitting timelines and enhances interagency cooperation for the project.
Shares of Jindalee Lithium spiked to a year-to-date high of AU$0.565 on April 30, the day after the company released it quarterly activities report for the March 2025 period.
On July 10, Jindalee announced a memorandum of understanding with US-based LiChem Operations, which is developing its lithium-refining process for battery-grade lithium.
Jindalee will initially supply LiChem with 100 kilograms of ore from McDermitt for testwork.
If both companies are satisfied with the result, Jindalee will provide up to 20 metric tons of further ore to LiChem in stages. There is also potential for Jindalee to negotiate for a licence to use LiChem's process in place of the sulfuric acid flowsheet from its prefeasibility study.
2. Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR)
Year-to-date gain: 75.47 percent
Market cap: AU$2.34 billion
Share price: AU$0.93
Liontown Resources has two assets in Western Australia, including the Kathleen Valley mine and processing plant. The mine entered open-pit production during H2 2024, and the plant hit commercial production in January 2025.
The firm is currently transitioning from open-pit to underground mining at Kathleen Valley. Underground production stoping kicked off in April of this year, making Kathleen Valley Western Australia’s first underground lithium mine.
Liontown also owns the Buldania lithium project in the Eastern Goldfields province of Western Australia. The project has an initial mineral resource of 15 million metric tons at 1.0 percent lithium oxide.
On June 30, Liontown announced executive leadership changes, appointing Graeme Pettit as interim CFO and Ryan Hair as COO after CFO Jon Latto and COO Adam Smits stepped down from the positions.
The company released its 2025 fiscal year results on July 29, reporting that Kathleen Valley produced over 300,000 wet metric tons of spodumene concentrate during its first 11 months of operations.
Shares of Liontown reached a year-to-date high of AU$1.03 on July 21.
3. Anson Resources (ASX:ASN)
Year-to-date gain: 57.14 percent
Market cap: AU$145.61 million
Share price: AU$0.11
Anson Resources is developing its flagship Paradox lithium project and its Green River lithium project, both located in Utah's Paradox Basin. It plans to produce lithium from the projects using direct lithium extraction (DLE).
Anson has been progressing at Green River this year. According to its March quarterly activities report, the company completed a DLE pilot program with Koch Technology Solutions, producing 43,000 gallons of lithium chloride eluate with an average lithium recovery of 98 percent from brine extracted from Green River's Bosydaba #1 well.
A June maiden JORC mineral resource estimate for Green River outlines 103,000 metric tons of contained lithium carbonate equivalent in the indicated and inferred categories based solely on drilling at the Bosydaba #1 well.
The prior month, the company negotiated a lower royalty rate agreement with the Utah government.
On July 1, the company signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with POSCO Holdings (NYSE:PKX,KRX:005490) to co-develop a DLE demonstration plant at Green River, which POSCO will fully fund.
Anson shares spiked in mid-July, ultimately climbing to a year-to-date high of AU$0.11 on July 21, following a pair of announcements. On July 14, Anson shipped about 2 metric tons of lithium brine to POSCO in South Korea for test work and due diligence. Two days later, it announced that its polishing system, which is installed at Green River, successfully reduced the minor contaminants from the lithium chloride eluate produced in the KOCH DLE pilot program.
FAQs for investing in lithium
How much lithium is on Earth?
While we don't know how much total lithium is on Earth, the US Geological Survey estimates that global reserves of lithium stand at 22 billion metric tons. Of that, 9.2 billion MT are located in Chile, and 5.7 billion MT are in Australia.
Where is lithium mined?
Lithium is mined throughout the world, but the two countries that produce the most are Australia and Chile. Australia's lithium comes from primarily hard-rock deposits, while Chile's comes from lithium brines. Chile is part of the Lithium Triangle alongside Argentina and Bolivia, although those two countries have a lower annual output.
Rounding out the top five lithium-producing countries behind Australia and Chile are China, Argentina and Brazil.
What is lithium used for?
Lithium has many uses, including the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles, smartphones and other tech, as well as pharmaceuticals, ceramics, grease, lubricants and heat-resistant glass. Still, it is largely the electric vehicle industry that is boosting demand.
How to invest in lithium?
Those looking to get into the lithium market have many options when it comes to how to invest in lithium.
Lithium stocks like those mentioned above could be a good option for investors interested in the space. If you’re looking to diversify instead of focusing on one stock, there is the Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (NYSE:LIT), an exchange-traded fund (ETF) focused on the metal. Experienced investors can also look at lithium futures.
Unlike many commodities, investors cannot physically hold lithium due to its dangerous properties.
How to buy lithium stocks?
Through the use of a broker or an investing service such as an app, investors can purchase lithium stocks and ETFs that match their investing outlook.
Before buying a lithium stock, potential investors should take time to research the companies they’re considering; they should also decide how many shares will be purchased, and what price they are willing to pay. With many options on the market, it's critical to complete due diligence before making any investment decisions.
It's also important for investors to keep their goals in mind when choosing their investing method. There are many factors to consider when choosing a broker, as well as when looking at investing apps — a few of these include the broker or app's reputation, their fee structure and investment style.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Securities Disclosure: I, Gabrielle de la Cruz, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: Jindalee Lithium is a client of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.
Keep reading...Show less
Latest News
Sign up to get your FREE
Prismo Metals Investor Kit
and hear about exciting investment opportunities.
- Corporate info
- Insights
- Growth strategies
- Upcoming projects
GET YOUR FREE INVESTOR KIT
Latest Press Releases
Related News
TOP STOCKS
American Battery4.030.24
Aion Therapeutic0.10-0.01
Cybin Corp2.140.00