en.Wedoany.com Reported - Berkeley Energia has discovered critical minerals lithium and rubidium at the "Conchas" project in the Salamanca province of Spain, as part of the project's first Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE). The company announced this information through a statement submitted to the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), holding 100% ownership of the project as part of its critical mineral exploration program in Spain. The research permit for "Conchas" covers a 31-square-kilometer area in the southwestern part of Salamanca province, near the Portuguese border, located in the municipalities of Espeja and Fuentes de Oñoro, 21 kilometers from Ciudad Rodrigo and 110 kilometers from the city of Salamanca, accessible via established roads.
Studies indicate the presence of shallow, thick lithium and rubidium mineralization zones within the exploration area, along with accessory minerals such as tin (Sn), cesium (Cs), beryllium (Be), niobium (Nb), and tantalum (Ta), hosted in muscovite granite units. The statement notes that mineralization extends from the surface and remains open at depth, supporting the potential for resource growth. The MRE is suitable for open-pit mining, with a substantial volume of material. Additionally, preliminary metallurgical tests show very high recovery rates for lithium and rubidium using flotation and magnetic separation methods, with acceptable grades.
Berkeley stated that the MRE indicates "Conchas" hosts a globally significant rubidium oxide resource. Rubidium is a critical raw material for industrial and high-tech applications in key sectors such as defense and military, aerospace, communications, medical, and renewable energy. The United States, Japan, and New Zealand have classified rubidium as a critical mineral due to its strategic importance and growing demand in high-tech applications. According to Europa Press, rubidium also holds strategic importance in Europe and Canada. Lithium has been designated by the European Union as a critical and strategic material because batteries are essential for decarbonization, energy security, and industrial competitiveness.
The "Conchas" research permit is located in the Central Iberian Zone. Lithium mineralization in this region is commonly found in a mineral belt approximately 500 kilometers long, trending north-northwest to south-southeast. Mineralization types mainly include aplite-pegmatite bodies, less commonly associated with quartz and phosphate veins, with a genesis linked to the differentiation of peraluminous melts produced by partial melting of metasedimentary rocks during the Variscan orogeny. Based on paragenetic associations and chemical composition, pegmatite fields and lithium mineralization associated with granite domes exhibit the highest degree of differentiation. The deposit is located in the Central Iberian Zone of the Iberian Massif, characterized by pegmatite fields and lithium enrichment at the tops of highly differentiated granite intrusions. Mineral occurrence is related to the eastern outer boundary of the Guarda granite batholith, where muscovite-rich granites contain economic elements (Rb, Li, Cs, Be, Ta, Sn, Nb) explored through geochemical, geophysical, and general geological exploration techniques.
Berkeley CEO Robert Behets commented that this estimate is a significant milestone for the company's critical mineral exploration program in Spain and clearly demonstrates the project's immense potential. This milestone follows two successful drilling campaigns. The company will continue to systematically advance project development, conducting additional infill drilling to improve resource classification and undertaking a second phase of metallurgical testing to optimize flotation and magnetic separation processes.
