Galan Lithium Ltd (ASX:GLN) has defined potential new discoveries of lithium-bearing brines at its Hombre Muerto Lithium Project in Argentina's Catamarca province.
Recent results from a controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotelluric (CSAMT) survey conducted over Galan's western basin targets indicate other areas of brine sources at Hombre Muerto.
The company is advancing contracts for drilling and for camp services and logistics as it awaits final permitting to conduct drilling across the project.
The CSAMT survey was completed in September by Quantec Geoscience Ltd and comprised four lines covering 10.6 kilometres.
These are the first surveys conducted over the targets which cover alluvial fans interpreted by Galan to potentially overlay prospective salar (a salt-encrusted depression that may be the basin of an evaporated lake).
The interpreted inversion models present a good model of sub-surface resistivity, with Quantec reporting that "the 4 CSAMT lines show very conductive and shallow responses that are compatible with units being saturated in brine, which constitute a great potential for lithium exploration".
Quantec continued: "The range of resistivity values is very similar to that observed in the Candelas sector (over the east in Salar de Hombre Muerto), where there are previous CSAMT surveys also having great brine potential."
READ: Galan Lithium's geophysical survey expands lithium potential in Argentina
All four areas surveyed were found to contain highly-conductive layers of materials (sediments containing brine), even below alluvial fans in the salar borders.
The potential brine layers are interpreted to be beyond the salar limits in that they are not just restricted to the area with salt at surface but extend for several hundred metres below the alluvial sediments to a metamorphic basement.
In some cases this basement limit seems sharp and in others shows more transitional behaviour, indicating probable water-mixing phenomena between brines and fresher recharge water.
Surveyed profiles were interpreted to a depth of around 600 metres but the company is cautious with deeper results as the low-conductivity materials can have a diminished response with depth.
CSAMT August-September survey profile locations over aerial image