Lithium Energy has secured a third rig and begun drilling its sixth drill hole at the company’s Solaroz project in Argentina after finding massive intersections of lithium-rich brines in its previous five holes.
The sixth hole lies within a 15km zone where the company has recorded substantial intersections up to 473.5m with lithium concentrations touching 555 milligrams per litre.
Lithium Energy plans to drill to a depth of about 600m based on its interpretation of geophysical surveys. It has three drill rigs at the site as it builds towards defining a maiden mineral resource at the operation.
Earlier this month, the company heralded lithium brine concentrations of more than 500mg/l in initial assay results from the fourth and fifth holes sunk at Solaroz. Management says its latest results have boosted its optimism of recording a potentially world-class lithium resource for its project.
While ongoing drilling is yet to reach its final brine depth, the company says assays show its current program has intersected a massive 401.5m of conductive brines grading up to 508mg/l lithium in the fourth hole. The fifth hole has also returned impressive results, with a total of 369.5m of conductive brines intercepted at 479 mg/l lithium.
Lithium Energy says assay results to date have also confirmed that lithium concentrations are generally increasing at depth, indicating a hydraulically-linked system with heavier lithium-rich brines settling lower into the aquifer. The company says conductive brines are still being intercepted in both holes, with a 74m hit from 575m in the fourth hole and a further 26m intersection from 518m in the fifth hole.
The company’s current campaign will total 10 holes for 5000m in search of the conductive brines. The program is designed to reveal some of the geochemical makeup of the brine and to assist with further targeting by unlocking information on its distribution and the physical parameters of the different hydrogeological units.
Lithium Energy has already outlined a conceptual target at Solaroz, following a comprehensive study of historical geophysical and drilling data related to the zone’s brines. The figure ranges between 1.5 million and 8.7 million tonnes of contained lithium carbonate equivalent, with average grades of between 500 and 700mg/l lithium.
The company’s Solaroz tenements comprise 12,000 hectares within the Salar de Olaroz Basin in the region’s renowned “lithium triangle” in the north-western part of Argentina and neighbouring Chile and Bolivia.
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