Usha Resources Enters Hard-Rock
Lithium Space with Acquisition of Significant Ontario Land Package
with Highly Evolved LCT-Pegmatites
Vancouver, British Columbia -- March 28,
2023 -- InvestorsHub NewsWire -- Usha
Resources Ltd. ("USHA" or the "Company") (TSXV: USHA) (OTCQB: USHAF) (FSE: JO0), a North American
mineral acquisition and exploration company focused on the
development of drill-ready battery and precious metal projects, is
pleased to announce that, subject to the approval of the TSX
Venture (the "Exchange"),
the Company has executed an option (the "Option Agreement") with 2758145 Ontario
Ltd. ("2758145" or the
"Vendor") of Atikokan,
Ontario, for the right to purchase an undivided 100% interest in
712 unpatented mining claims located in the Thunder Bay Mining
Division of Ontario (the "White
Willow Property" or the "Property"). To facilitate the
acquisition, the Company has also entered into an assignment
agreement (the "Assignment
Agreement") with Grid Metals Corp. (the "Assignor") of Toronto, Ontario, whereby
the Assignor permitted the Company to negotiate the Option
Agreement in exchange for certain consideration.
The White Willow
Lithium-Tantalum Property is the first acquisition of Usha's
planned expansion into the hard-rock pegmatite space. The Company
believes that the acquisition is highly complementary to its 100%
owned flagship Jackpot Lake Lithium Brine Project, where it
recently tripled its land position (see the Company's news release
dated February
28, 2023) and is undertaking its maiden drill program
with a goal of defining a 43-101 resource (see the Company's news
release dated February
16, 2023), and will be an asset as part of its decision
to pursue an listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (see the
Company's news release dated March
9, 2023).
White Willow Property
The acquisition
of the White Willow Lithium-Tantalum Property, located in the
Thunder Bay Mining Division near Atikokan, Ontario, presents a
unique and timely opportunity to capitalize on the rapidly growing
lithium metal and green energy markets in Canada. Spanning 15,510
hectares, the property is situated 170 kilometres west of Thunder
Bay (Figure 1) in proximity to other lithium projects in the
region, such as the Seymour Lake Lithium Project, the Georgia Lake
pegmatite field, and the Separation Rapids Lithium deposit,
showcasing the region's rich lithium potential.
-
Access is excellent
with Highway 11 running adjacent to the Property and logging roads
present throughout. A main power transmission line runs through the
Property.
-
The Property is under
explored with over 75 outcropping white pegmatites identified in
limited exploration, almost all of which have not been sampled.
Indicator minerals such as red and orange garnets, green apatite
and beryl have been noted over 8 kilometres in strike
length.
-
The Property is
confirmed to host a fertile lithium-cesium-tantalum ("LCT") system
with the presence of two highly evolved LCT-pegmatite dikes, one of
which has the "Maple Leaf Showing" (Figure 2). These dikes have
been the focus of the limited exploration work completed thus far
with samples assaying as high as 0.5% Li2O
and 14.64% Ta2O5
in and around the
dikes.
-
The LCT-pegmatite
dike hosting the "Maple Leaf Showing" appears to be at least 50
metres wide and outcrops for approximately 350 metres along strike.
In addition to the tantalite showing with 14.64%
Ta2O5,
very coarse
mineralization is present in its vicinity including up to 100 cm
feldspar crystals, 11 cm beryl crystals and the coarse-grained
tantalite present at MLS (Figure 3). Coarse-grained tantalite is
only known to be found at one other locality in Ontario which is
the North Aubrey pegmatite at Green Technology Metals (GT1) Seymour
Lake Project where GT1 has identified a 9.9 Mt resource at 1.04%
Li2O.
-
In addition to the
above, limited surface sampling has identified very anomalous
lithium values in numerous samples above 300 ppm with several
samples assaying above 0.40% Li2O.
Similarly, very anomalous tantalum and cesium is present throughout
the property with two further showings assaying 3.41% and 3.78%
Ta2O5.
The high-grade tantalite along with the very anomalous lithium
indicates the potential for higher-grade lithium to be present at
the property in adjacent zones within the LCT-system.
-
The Property is on
trend to the east of GT1's Wisa Lake Lithium Project where GT1 has
prepared an exploration target of 8 to 10 Mt at 0.8–1.5%
Li2O.
Grab samples at Wisa Lake have assayed over 1%
Li2O
and as high as 6.38% Li2O.
-
The property lies
within the Quetico Subprovince 6 kilometres south of the Quetico
Fault Zone. This deep-seated regional
structure has been recognized to play a role in LCT pegmatite
mineralization. In nature, LCT pegmatites are derived from a
parental granitic source, whereby the granite melts into
metasedimentary or metavolcanic host rock during a continental
collision. For this reason, it is common to find LCT pegmatites
near subprovince boundaries. LCT pegmatites are the last to
crystalize components of granitic melts; a halo of pegmatites
surrounds the granite, with these pegmatites exhibiting increased
fractionation and complexity the further away from the granitic
source. The presence of beryl, tantalum, and cesium indicates that
the White Willow pegmatites are highly fractionated and very
prospective for the presence of lithium as this zone is the "outer
zone" that is most distal from the granitic source.
"The rising global
demand for lithium, driven by the green energy revolution and the
exponential growth of electric vehicles, makes the acquisition of
the White Willow Lithium-Tantalum Property an attractive
investment. This acquisition promises to position the Company at
the forefront of the burgeoning lithium market, offering
significant growth opportunities," said Deepak Varshney, CEO of
Usha Resources. "The geological characteristics of the property and
the historical data on mineral occurrences make it an exceptional
opportunity for exploration and potential development. By making
these strategic acquisitions, we are positioning Usha at the
forefront of the evolving lithium market, thereby securing a
foothold in the rapidly expanding green energy sector. Many
companies have recently staked properties in Ontario and Quebec
based on map geology, but the White Willow property not only has a
significant number of mapped pegmatites, it is a confirmed highly
evolved LCT-system with high-grade tantalum that shows excellent
potential for high-grade lithium bearing pegmatites. We are very
pleased to have been able to assemble this highly prospective land
package at a low cost."
Figure 1 -
Regional map overlaying the location of Usha's White Willow project
with respect to other significant projects in the area.
Figure 2 - Local
map showing the location of the White Willow project and adjacent
claim owners. The two highly evolved LCT-pegmatite dikes, one of
which has the "Maple Leaf Showing" are shown. These dikes have been
the focus of the limited exploration work completed thus far with
samples assaying as high as 0.5% Li2O and 14.64% Ta2O5 in and
around the dikes. The LCT-pegmatite dike hosting the "Maple Leaf
Showing" appears to be at least 50 metres wide and outcrops for
approximately 350 metres long strike and has coarse-grained
tantalite present. The coarse-grained tantalite is only known to be
found at one other locality in Ontario which is the North Aubrey
pegmatite at Green Technology Metals (GT1) Seymour Lake Project
where GT1 has identified a 9.9 Mt resource at 1.04%
Li2O.
Figure 3 – Very
coarse mineralization is present in and in the vicinity of the
Maple Leaf Showing including up to 100 cm feldspar crystals, 11 cm
beryl crystals (left) and the coarse-grained tantalite (top and
bottom right). These minerals indicate fertile granitic melts and
fractionation, which are essential processes for lithium-bearing
pegmatite deposition. The coarse-grained tantalite is only known to
be found at one other locality in Ontario which is the North Aubrey
pegmatite at Green Technology Metals (GT1) Seymour Lake Project
where GT1 has identified a 9.9 Mt resource at 1.04%
Li2O.
Figure 4 -
Generalized exploration model for LCT pegmatites. Pegmatites
exhibit a high degree of zonation, whereby different portions of
the pegmatite body may contain different minerals. Mineralization
is spatially related to the source; barren pegmatites are more
likely to occur at the granitic source, but as one moves more
distal, the pegmatites are expected to increase in tantalum, then
lithium, and then cesium. The presence of beryl, tantalum, and
cesium indicates that the White Willow pegmatites are highly
fractionated and very prospective for the presence of lithium as
this zone is the "outer zone" that is most distal from the granitic
source. Source: USGS (modified from Trueman and Cerny,
1982).
The Terms of the Agreements
Pursuant to the
Option and Assignment Agreements (collectively, the "Agreements"), the Company may acquire a
100% interest in the Property by paying a total of $220,000 and
issuing an aggregate of 3,600,000 common shares in the capital of
the Company as indicated in the table below:
|
Vendor
|
Assignor
|
Total
|
Payment
|
Cash
|
Shares
|
Cash
|
Shares
|
Cash
|
Shares
|
Signing
|
$50,0001
|
500,000
|
$20,0001
|
350,000
|
$70,000
|
850,000
|
1st Anniversary
|
$50,000
|
500,0002
|
-
|
500,0002
|
$50,000
|
1,000,000
|
2nd
Anniversary
|
$50,000
|
500,0002
|
-
|
750,0002
|
$50,000
|
1,250,000
|
3rd
Anniversary
|
$50,000
|
500,0002
|
-
|
-
|
$50,000
|
500,000
|
Total
|
$200,000
|
2,000,000
|
$20,000
|
1,600,000
|
$220,000
|
3,600,000
|
Notes
|
-
Payable within five (5) days from receipt of approval to the
Agreements from the Exchange (the "Approval").
-
Shares of the Company are to be issued at a deemed value based on
the Discounted Market Price at the time of issuance.
|
The Company has
granted to each of the Vendor and Assignor a 1.5% net-smelter
returns royalty (the "NSR"). The Company may purchase
two-thirds of the net-smelter returns royalty (the "NSR") from the Vendor and Assignor at
any time for consideration of $1,250,000 and $1,000,000,
respectively.
The Assignment
Agreement, the Option Agreement and the transactions contemplated
in each agreement, including the issuance of Shares, remains
subject to the approval of the Exchange.
Qualified person
The technical
content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr.
Andrew Tims, P.Geo., a qualified person as defined by National
Instrument 43-101.
About Usha Resources
Ltd.
Usha Resources
Ltd. is a North American mineral acquisition and exploration
company focused on the development of quality battery and precious
metal properties that are drill-ready with high-upside and
expansion potential. Based in Vancouver, BC, Usha's portfolio of
strategic properties provides target-rich diversification and
consist of Jackpot Lake, a lithium project in Nevada; Nicobat, a
nickel-copper-cobalt project in Ontario; and Lost Basin, a
gold-copper project in Arizona. Usha trades on the TSX Venture
Exchange under the symbol USHA, the OTCQB Exchange under the symbol
USHAF and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol JO0.
USHA
RESOURCES LTD.
"Deepak Varshney"
CEO and Director
For more information, please call Tyler
Muir, Investor Relations, at 1-888-772-2452, email
tmuir@usharesources.com, or visit
www.usharesources.com.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its
Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies
of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the
adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-looking statements:
This news release
may include "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian
securities legislation. Such forward-looking information reflects
management's current beliefs and are based on a number of estimates
and/or assumptions made by and information currently available to
the Company that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known
and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause
the actual results and future events to differ materially from
those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information.
Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking information are
neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to known and
unknown risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to,
general business, economic, competitive, political and social
uncertainties, uncertain and volatile equity and capital markets,
lack of available capital, actual results of exploration
activities, environmental risks, future prices of base and other
metals, operating risks, accidents, labour issues, delays in
obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in
the mining industry.
The Company is
presently an exploration stage company. Exploration is highly
speculative in nature, involves many risks, requires substantial
expenditures, and may not result in the discovery of mineral
deposits that can be mined profitably. Furthermore, the Company
currently has no reserves on any of its properties. As a result,
there can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will
prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could
differ materially from those anticipated in such
statements.
No Offer or
Solicitation to Purchase Securities in the United States
This press release does not
constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase
or subscribe for securities in the United States. The securities
referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or
with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other
jurisdiction in the United States, and may not be offered or sold,
directly or indirectly, within the United States or to, or for the
account or benefit of, U.S. persons, as such term is defined in
Regulation S under the Securities Act ("Regulation S"), except
pursuant to an exemption from or in a transaction not subject to
the registration requirements of the Securities Act.