Anson Resources Ltd (ASX:ASN) has delivered a 25% increase in lithium grade from expansion drilling of the targeted Mississippian Units at Long Canyon No. 2 well within the Paradox Lithium Project in Utah, USA.
The results provide a strong indicator of the upside potential of the company's planned JORC resource upgrade.
Assay results returned a value of 100 parts per million (ppm) of lithium and 2,460 ppm of bromine, higher than the previously recorded historical value of 80 ppm, which was used as the minimum lithium grade for the Mississippian Units in the project's exploration target.
Plan showing the well locations that drilled into the Mississippian Units at the Paradox Lithium Project.
The Mississippian Units within the Paradox Project area host a massive brine aquifer with a thickness between 70 metres and 170 metres, situated about 500 metres below the Clastic Zones, but have not been included in the current JORC resource.
The targeted drilling is designed to deliver a significant JORC resource upgrade.
Flow model
Diamond core plugs from wells that sampled the Mississippian Units.
Anson previously announced that the exploration target for the Mississippian supersaturated brine consisted of 1.3-1.8 billion tonnes grading 80-140 ppm lithium and 2,000-3,000 ppm bromine.
The supersaturated brines in the Mississippian Units have a similar composition to that of the previously assayed brines in the Paradox Formation clastic zones, which were used in the current JORC resource estimation.
Historic drilling logs from a number of wells in the area will be combined with the logs from the exploration re-entry programs, as well as other test work, and will be processed using the ARANZ Leapfrog Hydro software to update the original 3D geological model to further determine volume metrics.
This conceptual model will then be used to design a flow model for the brine, and calculate the number of supply wells and piping network required to provide sufficient brine to feed the planned lithium/bromine production facility at the project.