Wealth Files NI 43-101 Report on Atacama Lithium Project
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Suite 2300 – 1177 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC Canada V6E 2K3
Tel 604.331.0096 Fax 604.408.7499 www.wealthminerals.com
NR17-06 March 16, 2017
Wealth Files NI 43-101 Report on Atacama Lithium Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE....Vanc ouver, British Columbia: Wealth Minerals Ltd. (the
“Company” or “Wealth”) - (TSXV: WML; OTCQB: WMLLF; SSE: WMLCL; Frankfurt:
EJZN), reports that, in connection with the previously announced grant to Wealth of an option to
acquire a 100% royalty-free interest in and to th e Proyecto Atacama Lithium (the “Project”), it
has filed on SEDAR a Nati onal Instrument 43-101 (“NI 43-101”) technical report titled “NI 43-
101 Technical Report on the Atacama Lithium Pr oject El Loa Province Region II Republic of
Chile” dated March 10, 2017 (the “Report”).
“The Report filed today is an important develo pment for Wealth and th e Project. The Report
provides an independent assess ment of Wealth’s lithium brine exploration model and
comprehensive recommendations for upcoming exploration and Project evaluation,” stated Henk
van Alphen, Wealth’s CEO. “The Salar de Atac ama is the only salar in South America where
lithium is recovered using conventional evapora tion techniques and it hosts approximately 15%
of global lithium resources. We are currently a pplying for permits to move forward with our
exploration plans through the remainder of 2017.”
“We encourage shareholders to review the conten t of this news release and the Report, which
outlines the prospective nature of the Company’ s land position in the Salar de Atacama and the
exploration steps necessary to test the model that lithium-bearing brines exist at depth,” stated
Tim McCutcheon, the Company’s President. “Despite being contiguous with existing production
facilities, the northern portion of the salar has never before been explored for lithium brine
potential, despite the geology and hydrogeology being similar to producing areas.”
Readers are cautioned that lith ium production in the Salar de Atacama is from adjacent
properties and that Wealth has no interest in or right to acquire any inte rest in those producing
areas. Mineral deposits on adjacent or si milar properties and any production thereon or
economics with respect thereto are not in any way indicative of mineral deposits on the Project
or the potential production from or economics of any future lithium extraction on the Project.
Report Summary
The Project consists of 144 expl oration concessions comprising 46,200 hectares in the Salar de
Atacama, 220 km east of the northern Chilean city of Antofagasta. The Project is located
approximately 30km north of the Soquem Quim ica y Minera de Chile (“SQM”) potassium-
lithium operation, and about 50km north of Rockwood Holdings Inc. (“Rockwood”) (the
Albermarle Corporation’s business unit in Chile). Both SQM and Rockwood produce potassium
and lithium from brines at depth in the Salar de Atacama (Figure 1).
Wealth Minerals Ltd. - 2 - March 16, 2017
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Figure 1: Adjacent Landholdings
The Salar de Atacama is host to more than 15% of the world’s known lithium reserves, and yet
exploration and production of lithium has occurred only in the southern portion of the Salar. The
proximity of the Project to existing producers strongly suggests that exploration potential is good
for the discovery of brines in the northern portion of the Salar, underlying the Project.
The principal origin of lithium in the Salar de Atacama is interpreted to be the lithium-bearing
geothermal waters from the El Tatio Geyser Fiel d, located north of the salar. The geothermal
fluids enter the northern part of the Salar de Atacama via surface and subsurface flow. Further,
the chemistry of the salar brines is almost identical to the chemistry of the geothermal fluids of
El Tatio, further strengthening the interpretation that the El Tatio geothermal fluids are the
source of lithium and potassium in the Salar.
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The geology of the Project is si milar to the sedimentary settings of other salars such as
Maricunga, La Isla, Olaroz, and Cauchari, wh ere potentially economic lithium resources have
been reported by other public and private lithium exploration companies. Regional studies of the
Salar de Atacama’s geology, hydrogeology, climate a nd other factors provi de a high-level of
understanding of the lithium brin e processes in the re gion, lending credence to the exploration
potential of the Project.
Wealth Minerals intends to evaluate the brine potential of the Project by utilizing geophysical
methods to better evaluate basin configuration, geologic structure, a nd the hydrogeology of the
concessions, followed by drill testing any targets developed by the initial work (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Schematic Cross Section and Brine Target Concept
In order to test the exploration potential for subsurface lithium-bear ing brines at the Project, the
Report recommends a comprehensive two-phase exploration program. Phase 1 includes
geophysical testing, including time domain elec tromagnetic surveying and potentially gravity
and magnetotelluric techniques, to better defi ne the subsurface environment, including basin
configuration, sedimentary regimes, and possibl e brine presence at depth. Contingent on
positive results, Phase II is recommended to include drill testing and pump testing, metallurgical
testing, permitting, engineering and design, pilot-pl ant testing and development for production.
A Phase I budget of approxima tely US$550,000 is recommended, followed by the contingent
Phase II budget of US$15,500,000.
The Report has been filed by the Company on SEDAR and can be viewed on the SEDAR
website, www.sedar.com, and Wealth’s website www.wealthminerals.com.
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Qualified Person
Mr. John Hiner, a licenced geologist in the stat e of Washington and SME registered member, is
the author of the Report and an independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr.
Hiner has reviewed the scientific and technical information from the Report that forms the basis
of this news release and has approved the disclosure herein.
About Wealth Minerals Ltd.
Wealth is a mineral resource company with inte rests in Canada, Mexico, Peru and Chile. The
Company’s main focus is the acquisition of lith ium projects in South America. To date, the
Company has positioned itself to develop the Aguas Calientes Norte, Pujsa and Quisquiro Salars
in Chile (the Trinity Project), as well as to work alongside existing pr oducers in the prolific
Atacama Salar, in addition to its recently a nnounced Laguna Verde lithium project acquisition.
The Company continues to aggressively pursue new acquisitions in the region. Lithium market
dynamics and a rapidly increasing metal price are the result of profound structural issues with the
industry meeting anticipated future demand. Wealth is positioning itself to be a major beneficiary
of this future mismatch of supply and demand. The Company also main tains and continues to
evaluate a portfolio of precious and base metal exploration-stage projects.
For further details on the Company, reader s are referred to the Company's website
(www.wealthminerals.com) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors of
WEALTH MINERALS LTD.
“Hendrik van Alphen”
Hendrik van Alphen
Chief Executive Officer
For further information, please contact: Marla Ritchie
Phone: 604-331-0096 Ext. 3886 or 604-638-3886
E-mail: [email protected]
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Prov ider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, “forward-
looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the
United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical
fact, included herein including, with out limitation, statem ents regarding the exercise of the Company’s option to
acquire the Project, the anticipated content, commencement, timing and co sts of the recommended exploration
program on the Project and exploration program results from same, the Company’s expectation that it will be able
to enter into agreements to acquire interests in additio nal mineral properties, the discovery and delineation of
mineral deposits/resources/reserves on the Project, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities
of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Alth ough the Company believes that such statements are
reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements
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are typically identified by words such as: “believe”, “exp ect”, “anticipate”, “intend” , “estimate”, “postulate” and
similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that
any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that
actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors,
including, operating and technical d ifficulties in connection w ith mineral exploration an d development activities,
actual results of exploration activities, the estimation or re alization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the
timing and amount of estimated future production, the costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing
of the development of new deposits, requir ements for additional capital, future prices of lithium, changes in general
economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities,
accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays in obtaining governmental approvals,
permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, changes in laws, regulations and
policies affecting mining operations, title disputes, the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits,
consents, approvals or authorizations, including acceptance by the TSX-V, as applicable, the timing and possible
outcome of any pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, and risks related to joint venture operations,
and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Compan y’s latest interim Management Discussion and Analysis
and filed with certain securities commissions in Canada. All of the Company’s Canadian public disclosure filings
may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review thes e materials, including the technical
reports filed with respect to the Company’s mineral properties.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no
obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements in this news release or incorporated by reference herein,
except as otherwise required by law.
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