Wealth Minerals Reviews SQM Atacama Brine Report
Suite 2300 – 1177 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC Canada V6E 2K3
Tel 604.331.0096 Fax 604.408.7499 www.wealthminerals.com
NR22-23 December 21, 2022
Wealth Minerals Reviews SQM Atacama Brine Report
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…Vancouver, British Columbia: Wealth Minerals Ltd. (the
“Company” or “Wealth”) – (TSXV: WML; OTCQB: WMLLF; SSE: WMLCL; Frankfurt: EJZN)
provides an analysis of the 2022 Environmental Impact Assessment report (“EIA”) published by
Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (“SQM”) regarding brine extraction at the Atacama
salar1,2. SQM is a leading Chilean chemical company and one of the world’s largest lithium
producers, with production facilities on the Atacama salar 3. Wealth controls approximately
46,000ha of license ground in the Atacama salar (the “Atacama Project”) and conducted a series
of geophysical surveys in 2017 – 2018 to assist with drill targeting for lithium- rich brines. SQM
was asked by Chilean government to produce a study of the Atacama salar’s hydrogeology due to
local government concern about the environmental impact of solar evaporation ( currently in-use
methodology for lithium recovery on SQM’s production facilities at the Atacama salar). Wealth
Minerals has pledged, and has a track record of being committed, to forego solar evaporation in
favor of Direct Lithium Extraction technology (“DLE”), see press releases of November 16, 2017,
October 15, 2019 and March 28, 2022.
Wealth’s CEO, Hendrik van Alphen, commented: “ The SQM report outlines in detail the
hydrogeology of the Atacama salar, and contains relevant information that supports the upside
exploration potential of Wealth’s land position. The SQM report represents third-party
confirmation of what the Wealth team has known since our geophysical surveys in 2017- 2018,
namely that the general brine basin of the Atacama salar, which has been successfully developed
to the south of the Company, extends to the north under the Wealth Minerals Land Position.”
EIA Report and Wealth’s Atacama Studies - Background
SQM commissioned a team of experts to study existing hydrogeological data , including
hydrochemistry, and to provide a conceptual hydrogeological model of the Atacama Salar. This
review covered SQM’s “North Zone ,” which overlaps with a significant portion of Wealth’s
license package in the Atacama salar (the “Project”; Figure 1) 1,2. Wealth’s geophysical work in
this area include s Magneto-Telluric (“MT”) and coincident loop Transient Electromagnetic
(“TEM”) geophysical surveys which delineated conductive features consistent with a porous
media saturated with high-salinity fluids and is considered prospective for lithium-bearing brines
at depth (see press releases of December 14, 2017 and September 17, 2018).
Analysis and Wealth Conclusions
The SQM study covers an area of approximately 240km 2 (the “North Zone”) which overlaps
Wealth’s Atacama license area (Figure 1) 1,2. SQM’s geophysical line L206 extends for
approximately 22km, with 7km on Wealth’s land position (see Figure 1) . The SQL line L206 is
parallel to Wealth’s geophysical line K, which was included in a previous internal analysis of the
Wealth Minerals Ltd. - 2 - December 21, 2022
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Atacama Project’s lithium potential (see press releases of December 14, 2017 and Sept ember 17,
2018).
Figure 1: Map of Wealth Atacama License Package and SQM study area North Zone
Note that information and data including deposits and infrastructure that lie outside of Wealth’s
exploration licences are provided for geological context and are not necessarily an indication that
similar mineralization is present on Wealth’s land position.
SQM’s brine distribution model for the North Zone is shown in Figure 21,2. According to the SQM
model, higher density lithium prospective brines (greater than 1.2g/ml NaCl equivalent) displace
fresh water, transitional and undersaturated brines and occupy lower positions in the Atacama
basin where they are concentrated. The northern portion of the salar is 50 meters higher in elevation
than the south where fresh water migrates into the Salar toward the lowest elevation where is forms
a wedge above more saline waters (Figures 1 and 2). Wealth’s geophysical surveys in 2017 and
2018 suggest there is potential for a substantial brine resource at depth (Figures 2 and 3). The SQM
EIA report represents independent support for this interpretation. Geophysical resistivity cross -
sections taken from SQMs Environmental Impact Assessment (L206) and Wealth Minerals data
(Line K; see press releases of December 14, 2017 and Sept ember 17, 2018) contain resistivity
results down to 400m below surface and indicate that the lithium endowed resistive feature on the
SQM land position dips under the Wealth Minerals land position (Figure 3).
Wealth Minerals Ltd. - 3 - December 21, 2022
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Figure 2: SQM study of freshwater to brine thresholds
Source: SQM1,2
Figure 3: Continuous Line from SQM’s L206 and Wealth’s K Geophysical Data
300-1,200 ppm Li based on drill
holes from this feature1,2 Wealth Minerals Claims SQM Claims
Wealth Minerals Ltd. - 4 - December 21, 2022
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Source: SQM1. Left ohm -m scale is from SQM data (left graphic), Right ohm -m scale is from
Wealth data (right graphic). Magenta and pink colors in both scales are for material with less
than 1 ohm -m. Note that information and data including deposits and infrastructure that lie
outside of Wealth’s exploration licences are provided for geological context and are not
necessarily an indication that similar mineralization is present on Wealth’s land position.
Drill hole data presented by SQM suggest that lithium concentrations associated with the resistive
feature south of Wealth’s ground range from 300 to 1200 ppm 1,3. This large resistivity feature
may represent high salinity fluids in porous media at depth and has excellent potential to contain
lithium brines. This attractive target is interpreted to cover an area of at least 300km 2 within the
Company’s Atacama Project.
References
1 “EIA: Plan de reducción de extracciones en el Salar de Atacama” (EIA: Extraction reduction plan in the
Salar de Atacama). Status: In evaluation. Published : 31 January 2022 Source:
https://seia.sea.gob.cl/expediente/ficha/fichaPrincipal.php?modo=ficha&id_expediente=2154490427
2 ESTUDIO DE IMPACTO AMBIENTAL PROYECTO PLAN DE REDUCCIÓN DE
EXTRACCIONES EN EL SALAR DE ATACAMA. ANEXO 5-1: MODELO HIDROGEOLÓGICO
CONCEPTUAL DEL SALAR DE ATACAMA:
https://seia.sea.gob.cl/elementosFisicos/enviados.php?id_documento=2154490432
3 https://www.sqm.com/en/
Technical Information
All scientific and technical information in this news release has been prepared by, or approved by
Daniel MacNeil , PGeo, Advisor to The Company. Mr. MacNeil is a qualified person for the
purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.
Caution Regarding Adjacent or Similar Mineral Properties
This news release contains information with respect to adjacent or similar mineral properties in
respect of which the Company has no interest or rights to explore or mine. Readers are cautioned
that the Company has no interest in or right to acquire any interest in any such properties, and that
mineral deposits, and the results of any mining thereof, on adjacent or si milar properties are not
indicative of mineral deposits on the Company’s properties or any potential exploitation thereof.
About Wealth Minerals Ltd.
Wealth is a mineral resource company with interests in Canada and Chile. The Company’s focus
is the acquisition and development of lithium projects in South America.
The Company opportunistically advances battery metal projects where it has a peer advantage in
project selection and initial evaluation. Lithium market dynamics and a rapidly increasing me tal
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. In parallel with lithium market dynamics, Wealt h believes other battery metals will
benefit from similar industry trends.
Wealth Minerals Ltd. - 5 - December 21, 2022
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For further details on the Company readers 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, Michael Pound or Henk van Alphen
Phone: 604-331-0096 or 604-638-3886
For all Investor Relations inquiries, please contact:
John Liviakis
Liviakis Financial Communications Inc.
Phone: 415-389-4670
For all Public Relations inquiries, please contact:
Nancy Thompson
Vorticom, Inc.
Office: 212-532-2208 | Mobile: 917-371-4053
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Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared
by management.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward -looking statements and forward- looking information (collectively, “forward -
looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable Cana dian and US securities legislation. All statements, other
than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the anticipated
content, commencement, timing and cost of exploration programs, anticipated exploration program results, the
discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, the Company’s expectation that it will be able to
enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional mineral projects, and the anticipated business plans and timing
of future activities of the Company, are forward- looking statements. Although the Company believes that such
statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking
statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, 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, but
not limited to, the state of the financial markets for the Company’s equity securities, the state of the commodity markets
generally, variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, variations in the
Wealth Minerals Ltd. - 6 - December 21, 2022
NR22-23 – Continued
market price of any mineral products the Company may produce or plan to produce, the inability of the Company to
obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSXV acceptance, for its planned
activities, the inability of the Company to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue
its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other
risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company’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 these materials, including the technical reports filed with respect
to the Company’s mineral properties.