Surge Battery Metals (TSXV:NILI) has announced that the first drill hole in the eight-hole reverse circulation drill program confirmed the potential for a high-grade lithium deposit at its Nevada North Lithium Project. Drilling used a buggy-mounted system from O’Keefe Drilling Company. Samples confirmed highly anomalous lithium values in the silty clay unit. The company now believes there is significant potential for a lithium deposit in an area of Nevada not historically known for lithium potential.

Surge Battery Metals owns 100% of 95 mineral claims in Elko County, Nevada. Nevada North is in the Granite Range southeast of Jackpot Nevada. The project was first identified in the public domain stream sediment geochemical data, and follow-up sediment sampling and geological reconnaissance returning assay results for lithium ranging from 29.1 ppm to 5,120 ppm.

Surge also has a Property Option Agreement to earn an 80% interest in 16 other mineral claims over 640 acres in Nevada’s San Emidio Desert, called the Galt Property. Recent mineral exploration at the Galt claim group includes 51 playa sediment samples collected for chemical analysis at ALS Geochemistry in Vancouver, B.C. Results of aqua regia leaching of the samples show 68 to 852 parts per million lithium (mean 365 ppm), 5.3 to 201 ppm cesium (mean 72 ppm) and 35 to 377 ppm rubidium (mean 180 ppm). Results from two seven-foot-deep auger holes show lithium, cesium, and rubidium concentrations in the range of 143.5 to 773 ppm Li, 56.8 to 102.5 ppm Cs and 155 to 272 Rb.

Highlights from the first hole are as follows:

Six representative and randomly selected samples of silty clay, taken from varying depths (see table below) in drill hole NN22-01, range from a low of 1,790 ppm to high of 4,500 ppm lithium (average 3,093 ppm lithium). Full drill results will be announced once received from the lab, expected in two to three weeks.

Table 1. Lithium sample results vertical drill hole NN22-01, total depth 82.3m (270ft).

• 3170ppm from 3.0m to 4.6m, (10 to 15ft); tan clay with fine tuff sand
• 4500ppm from 9.1m to 10.7m, (30ft to 35ft); blue green silty clay
• 1790ppm from 16.8m to 18.3m, (55ft to 60ft); blue green silty clay
• 1990ppm from 59.5m to 61m, (195ft to 200ft); dark blue-grey silty clay
• 2980ppm from 61.0m to 62.5m. (200 ft to 205ft); dark blue-grey silty clay
• 4130ppm from 62.5m to 64m, (205ft to 210ft); dark blue-grey silty clay

Initial results from drill hole NN22-01 confirm that significant surface lithium soil values of up to 5,120 ppm lithium also continue to a depth of over 64m (200 ft). Drilling in all holes encountered similar silty clay units ranging in drilled depths of up to 91.5m (300ft) in most holes and up to a depth of 160m (525 ft) in drill hole NN22-07.

The maiden drilling program was implemented to test an area of about 1,700 meters east-west occurring in two bands, each about 300 to 400 meters wide that outlined a highly anomalous zone containing abundant sample points greater than 1,000 ppm lithium.

Mr. Greg Reimer, Company President & CEO commented in a press release: “The initial drill sample results have confirmed that highly anomalous lithium values persist to depth in the silty clay unit that appears to underlie the better soil values observed in samples collected last year and earlier this summer. Our maiden drilling program has identified significant potential for a lithium deposit in an area of northern Nevada not previously recognized for its lithium potential. We look forward to seeing the completed assay results from the eight-hole program as they are received over the next few weeks. The Company plans to continue work at this exciting new discovery in the months ahead and we are well financed to do so.