By Alan Fein

(AXcess News) New York - The recent earthquake in Chile forced Pan American Lithium (TSX.V: PL) to stall its report while investors continued to show positive interest in the sector with Byron Capital Markets Lithium Index rising.

Byron Capital Markets Lithium Index peaked at a gain of 400% in late October and now stands in positive territory of 275% after having dipped to a low of 115% in December.  The robust interest in lithium stocks overall shows the dynamic interest in Canadian and US lithium exploration and development companies in general, many of which are not in the Index, which is comprised of 15 companies currently.

In Chile, the world's largest production and exporter of lithium, Pan American Lithium reported on March 2, 2010 that its resource estimate study of its 100%-owned Laguna Verde salar lake in Atacama Region III, Chile would be delayed by a month thanks to the recent earth quake that rocked the nation  While the epicenter of that quake was 1000 kilometers from PL's project, the quake had disrupted transportation pushing the report back a month.  Normally, investors would have pulled back, but the Company's stock continued to trade in record territory after having reached a new 52-week hi just two weeks ago.

While companies like Pan American Lithium are drawing the interest of more and more investors, the media itself is not overlooking it either.  The New York Times post a story Tuesday that notes that "about a billion in new lithium projects are being started over the next couple of years", highlighting the fact that even Toyota is getting in on Lithium.

It may be that Toyota's recent front-page coverage over its growing safety issues could have spurred the NYTimes story, yet Pan American Lithium had its own day in the sun when it entered into a deal with POSCO (NYSE: PKX) to invest $5 million into the Company's Mexico brine project based on its examination of production levels.  The deal has yet to come to terms, though the proposal was delayed in order to give the world's fourth-largest steel producer time to complete its due diligence.