Galan Lithium Ltd (ASX:GLN) has encountered the upper levels of a brine-bearing aquifer in the fifth drill hole C-05-19 at its Candelas Lithium Brine Project on the Hombre Muerto salar in Argentina.
Conductivity measurements from brine samples taken from packer testing an interval from 280 to 320 metres exceeded the 200 millisiemens per centimetre limits of the field instrument.
READ: Galan Lithium confirms high-grade brine at Candelas with low impurities
Galan managing director Juan Pablo Vargas de la Vega said the discovery of further brines confirmed that there was consistent brine coverage over a large area in the northern part of the Candelas channel.
De la Vega said: “The result reinforces our view that the project has the potential to host a significant lithium resource on one of the world’s premier salars at Hombre Muerto.
“We look forward to finalising the hole and confirming that grades and impurity levels are consistent with those already observed in this area.”
Locations of drill holes and Galan's tenure at salar Hombre Muerto
READ: Galan Lithium confirms brines over 2.5 kilometres of strike at Candelas
The geological sequence encountered largely replicates that observed in other holes, incorporating a thick layer of ignimbrite lying below surficial alluvial cover.
A sequence of sands and clays is then found, hosting salty waters which then turned to brines hosted within a permeable breccia-conglomerate.
READ: Galan Lithium identifies conductive brines over 154 metres at Candelas Lithium Brine Project
The hole is about 2.4 kilometres southwest of the maiden drill hole and 1.8 kilometres west of hole C-03-19, which intersected 192 metres at 802 milligrams per litre lithium and 143 metres at 784 milligrams per litre lithium, respectively.
Galan sampled the upper brine section by Packer testing from 280 to 320 metres.
Galan’s drilling program is ongoing and on-track, with down-hole geophysics logging and further packer tests to collect analysis samples planned once drilling is complete.