Anson Resources granted additional claims at Paradox Brine Project in Utah

Anson Resources Ltd (ASX:ASN) (FRA:9MY) has had its application approved for an additional area of 1,360 acres (5.5 square kilometres) adjacent to existing claims at the Paradox Brine Project in Utah, US. The additional land grant has been approved by the School and Institutional Trust Land Administration (SITLA), a Utah State government authority. Granting of the lease as ‘Other Business Arrangements’ (OBA) demonstrates the State Government’s support for the Paradox Brine Project. Near Anson wells The additional area includes 80 acres as the ‘Little Utah State’ claim and is near the Long Canyon #2 well, previously re-entered and tested by Anson. The two other claims total 1,380 acres, the ‘Gemini’ claims, and are close to the Mineral Canyon Fed 1-3 well, where Anson has lodged a Plan of Operation (PoO) with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to re-enter and test for lithium, bromine, boron, iodine and other minerals. “Strategically important areas” Anson’s executive chairman and CEO Bruce Richardson said: “Anson has developed an excellent working relationship with the Utah State Government authority, SITLA, and its support in the development of the Paradox Project by the granting of this additional area under OBA provisions, greatly adds to the value of the project. “This lease adds strategically important areas to increase the JORC resource and as the future location of re-entry programs, drilling of production wells and brine extraction activities. “In particular, the Little Utah State area provides the company with a location on the main geological feature in the area, Robert’s Rupture, which it is understood is the cause for the abnormally high pressure resulting in the brine flowing to surface under its pressure. “The company plans to continue to add area to the project as it continues to seek opportunities to increase its indicated and inferred JORC resource estimate, further growing the project and adding shareholder value.” In target areas of influence Anson has upgraded its JORC Code (2012)-compliant mineral resource estimate for its Paradox Brine Project to accommodate the reduction in a number of unpatented placer claims at the northern end of the project and the granting of the new SITLA blocks. The dropped claims were categorised as either an inferred resource or an exploration target. The newly acquired SITLA blocks are within the indicated, inferred and exploration target areas of influence. The updated inferred and indicated resource areas & the 2-kilometre area of influence of Mineral Canyon Fed 1-3 well. Multi-revenue stream strategy OBA provisions are one of two leasing arrangements utilised by SITLA. An OBA is used for special consideration to bring projects into production and the majority of leases are granted through a competitive sealed bid auction process. Anson has now included all available State Government administered lands within the area of interest of the Paradox project. The lease to Anson includes rights to extract potash and mineral salts and enables the company to produce potassium salts as well as salts of lithium, boron, bromine, magnesium, sodium and calcium. Anson has a multi-mineral/multi-revenue stream strategy but is primarily focused on the extraction of bromine and lithium from the Paradox brines.