Lithium South completes 400m pumping well in Argentina

Canada’s Lithium South Development Corporation has announced the completion of the first pumping well at the 2,089-hectare Alba Sabrina claim block located in Salta Province, Argentina.

Brine pools for lithium mining.
Brine pools for lithium mining. - Image © Cavan - Adobe Stock.

The Alba Sabrina claim is the largest of the five, salar located claim blocks which total 3,287-hectares of the 5,687-hectare Hombre Muerto North Lithium Project (HMN Lithium Project) package. Pumping well PW23-AS-02 has been completed to 400 meters of depth and has encountered sand layers as the dominant texture throughout. PW23 AS-02 has been piped and graveled in preparation for long term pumping tests, with a screen length of 207 meters.

State-of-the-art down the hole geophysics has been completed by Zelandez (Salta, Argentina), a provider of specialized lithium brine technology. A profile of the well was completed and provides valuable insight into the hole potential. Test work completed by Zelandez includes the measurement of conductivity and temperature of well fluid, well caliber measurement, resistivity measurement, radioactivity measurement, ultrasonic wave measurement and nuclear magnetic resonance of sediment rock/fluid.

Based on this test work, total porosity averaged 21% ranging from 1% to 45%. The Specific Yield throughout the profile averaged 7%, with maximum values of up to 33%. Based on this information, the technical team plans to install a high-capacity pump capable of extracting brine at a rate of between 40 and 50 liters per second. Hole PW23-AS02 is in a key location and could provide substantial brine for production throughput.

“We are excited to announce the successful drill completion of pumping well PW23-AS-02 to 400 meters of depth,” says Adrian Hobkirk, CEO at Lithium South Development. “The geophysical profile conducted by Zelandez confirms the exceptional qualities of this hole location. Once the high-capacity pump test is complete, the company is poised to capitalize on the potential of this claim block.”

Lithium South owns 100% of the HMN Lithium Project located in Salta and Catamarca Provinces, Argentina, in the heart of the lithium triangle.