Hits High-Grade Zone At The 3Q Project
Neo Lithium Corp. (TSXV:NLC; OTCQX:NTTHF) has successfully intercepted a new deep brine aquifer as a result of the current drilling programme at the 3Q Lithium Project, Catamarca Province, Argentina.
The new discovery is located outside the area of the 2018 “Updated Mineral Resource Estimate Technical prepared by Groundwater Insight Inc.
The well PP1-R-26 is located off-strike and approximately 250m east of the 3Q Project lake (in the alluvial fan) outside the previous resource volume that ended at the rim of the 3Q Project lake. Brine was found in the sediments at 11m deep all the way to the bottom of the well at 362m deep. This is the deepest well drilled in the northern high-grade sector of the deposit and is also outside of the previous resource estimate calculation.
The previous resource estimate high-grade zone in the northern portion of the Salar only went down to 100m. The rocks found in the hole are interlayered sands, gravel, and clays from surface to 264m and coarse sand from 264 to 362m.
President and CEO, Waldo Perez, said this lower brine aquifer made of coarse sand that runs at depth is new and had not been detected in previous drilling of the high-grade zone because the deepest hole in the north was PP1-R-25 that went to a depth of 268m.
PP1-R-26 was finished with blind casing with cement and clay pellets from surface to 264 metres to isolate the upper known aquifers from the lower aquifer of the well, and eight inches PVC screen from 264 metres to 362 metres. The well was pumped for 24 hours at 30 cubic metres per hour, and the following 24 hours at 40m3 per hour to collect six brine samples, one every six hours approximately. The flow at the well has been strong, with very little depression of the brine water table even at those high pump rates.
The company is currently working towards completing a piezometer numbered PP1-D-26 to be able to run pump tests in this new deep aquifer.
Well number PP1-R-24 expanded this high-grade zone to 167m deep, well number PP1-R-25 expanded the high-grade zone to 268n deep and now PP1-R-26 expanded the aquifer down to 360m deep.
In light of this discovery, the company has engaged Groundwater Insight Inc. as an independent contractor to work on a new resource estimate using the results from the three new wells. The Company anticipates these results, which were not included in the previous resource estimate, will have a positive impact in the new resource estimate.
The company anticipates the new resource estimate to be announced in the second quarter of 2021, as chemical results arrive for this new well (PP1-R-26) and a new volume is already being measured taking into account the new holes that intercepted mineralisation.
“We are pleasantly surprised with the result of our drilling and the manner in which the northern high-grade zone extends both deeper and off-strike,” Mr Perez said.
“We are keen to see the results of the new resource estimate, further highlighting the quality and size of our project.”
