Mining

Galan Lithium boosts resource potential at Hombre Muerto West

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By Robin Bromby - 
Galan Lithium ASX GLN Hombre Muerto West Lithium Project extensional drilling Argentina

Galan Lithium will aggressively drill potential resource expansion zones across HMW throughout the rest of 2022.

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Argentine brine developer Galan Lithium (ASX: GLN) has extended the resource potential of its flagship Hombre Muerto West (HMW) project in Argentina following a drill hole at the Pata Pila licence.

Results from the hole confirm that the HMW project mineral resource extends to the east at depth, delivering further resource and potential production upside.

This result will be incorporated into a revised HMW mineral resource estimate to be completed in the third quarter of 2022.

The key purpose of the diamond drill hole was to extend knowledge in the Pata Pila licence area to build-out the hydrogeological models required to confirm reserve estimates at the HMW project.

‘Unlocked’ the potential of brine resource

The hole was drilled to a 450m depth and was designed to provide key geological data for testing extension to the existing HMW project mineral resource, in both horizontal and vertical dimensions, from the salar limits.

HMW lies within the Catamarca province, and is located in the Salar de Hombre Muerto — within what is known as the lithium triangle in South America that includes sections of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.

Galan managing director Juan Pablo Vargas de la Vega said this latest exploration diamond hole has unlocked the potential of the lithium brine resource at HMW.

“The results have enhanced our hydrogeological modelling, a key to confirmation of reserve estimates, and delivered further mineral resource upside at HMW,” he added.

Extensions to be drilled over rest of 2022

Galan will now drill these additional resource expansions zones over a period from the present quarter until the end of the year.

The diamond drill hole at Pata Pila extends brine potential a further 800m to within 1km of the neighbouring tenement boundary owned by Philadelphia-based Livent.

Meanwhile, Galan advises that brine filling of the first evaporation pond, covering about 3,000 square metres, is almost complete and the company is now ready to begin evaporation testing.

The Salar del Hombre Muerto is the source of what Livent has described as the purest lithium brine.

The salar is located in the high Andes (4,000m above sea level) about 1,300km northwest of Buenos Aires.