Solis Minerals Ltd (TSX-V:SLMN, ASX:SLM, OTCQB:SLMFF, FRA:08WA) has moved its exploration team onto site at its newly acquired Brazil Lithium Project, with work under way to refine targets and prepare for an initial drilling campaign at the Mandacaru and Campo Grande prospects.
The company said field activities are now focused on finalising land access, advancing surface mapping and positioning drill collars ahead of a planned June start for diamond drilling, marking the next phase of its push into the Araçuaí–Salinas Lithium Valley in Minas Gerais.
Araçuaí–Salinas Lithium Valley located in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
The two priority targets, located about 18 kilometres apart, were defined through historical work by Rio Tinto and are considered drill-ready following a detailed technical review. Both show strong lithium mineralisation at surface alongside lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) pathfinder signatures, a key indicator of spodumene-bearing pegmatite systems.
“The quality and scale of the work previously completed by RT gives us a genuine advantage,” chief executive Mitch Thomas said, pointing to coherent geochemical anomalies and structural indicators comparable to early-stage data seen prior to the Colina lithium discovery in the same region.
SLM priority lithium exploration targets, Mandacaru and Campo Grande, overlaid with SLM’s licences and RT soil sample geochemistry assays.
Drill-ready targets with scale potential
Mandacaru is set to be the initial focus of drilling, with soil sampling defining a multi-kilometre lithium anomaly peaking at 362 parts per million (ppm) lithium. Auger drilling has also returned values up to 338 ppm, supported by elevated rubidium, caesium, tin and tantalum — elements typically associated with evolved pegmatite systems.
Importantly, lithium grades at Mandacaru increase with depth in auger holes, suggesting proximity to a bedrock source rather than transported surface material — a pattern often seen ahead of hard-rock lithium discoveries.
Mandacaru target, soil samples, rock-chips and auger drill-hole locations and assay results.
At Campo Grande, soil anomalies reach up to 276 ppm lithium, while auger drilling has delivered values as high as 294 ppm, including a broad mineralised interval between 6 and 7 metres’ depth. Pathfinder elements also show strong fractionation trends, indicating increasing pegmatite fertility along strike.
Both prospects sit within structural corridors consistent with known lithium-bearing pegmatites elsewhere in the valley, with surface mapping identifying pegmatite float and associated intrusive rocks.
Campo Grande target, soil samples and auger drill-hole locations and assay results.
Parallel exploration and pipeline growth
Solis is advancing work at both targets in parallel, aiming to generate consistent exploration news flow while maximising the chance of an early discovery. The initial drilling program will test the core of the strongest anomalies, confirm pegmatite geometry and provide vectoring data for follow-up campaigns.
Beyond the first-pass drilling, the company is also launching a broader regional exploration program across its 93,000-hectare landholding to identify additional targets.
Targets within the Brazil Lithium Project tenement package, soil sample locations and assays overlaid.
This work will focus on:
- Geological mapping to locate pegmatites and granitic intrusions
- Soil and rock-chip sampling across prospective structures
- Pathfinder geochemistry to assess pegmatite fertility
- Structural interpretation along NE–SW trends
- Systematic ranking of targets for follow-up drilling
The approach mirrors the exploration strategy that led to the Colina discovery, prioritising coherent geochemical trends rather than isolated high-grade samples.
Solis Minerals’ exploration team commencing field activities at Mandacaru, Brazil.
Positioning in a globally significant lithium district
The Brazil Lithium Project sits within one of the world’s most active hard-rock lithium regions, home to producing and emerging operations including Sigma Lithium’s Grota do Cirilo and Pilbara Minerals-backed projects.
Solis’ tenure is adjacent to ground previously explored by its own leadership team, which the company says provides a technical and operational advantage through familiarity with the geology, discovery models and local stakeholder environment.
With lithium prices recently exceeding US$2,500 per tonne for spodumene concentrate, the company is positioning itself to test these targets at a time of renewed market interest in high-quality hard-rock deposits.
Drilling is scheduled to begin in June, subject to final preparations, with assay results expected to follow from July and further regional exploration updates planned through the September quarter.