Notes:
| (A) | n = number of samples |
| (B) | Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) is reported in g/L |
| (C) | Remaining concentrations in mg/L |
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The work described in this Section, other than the 2024 VES survey, was done for Exar and reported by LAR prior to the creation of LAR in 2023.
The following exploration programs have been conducted to evaluate the lithium brine and freshwater development potential of the Project area:
| · | Surface Brine Program – Brine samples were collected from shallow pits throughout the salars to obtain a preliminary indication of lithium occurrence and distribution. |
| · | Seismic Geophysical Program – Seismic surveying was conducted to support delineation of basin geometry, mapping of basin-fill sequences, and siting borehole locations. |
| · | Gravity Survey – A limited gravity test survey was completed to evaluate the utility of this method for determining depths to basement. |
| · | TEM Survey – TEM surveying was conducted to attempt to define freshwater / brine interfaces around the salar perimeter. This work was conducted by Quantec Geoscience. |
| · | VES Survey – A VES survey was conducted to attempt to define freshwater and brine interfaces, and extensive freshwater occurrences. |
| · | Surface Water Sampling Program – An ongoing program is conducted to monitor the flow and chemistry of surface water entering the salars. |
| · | Pumping Test Program – Pumping and monitoring wells were installed, and pumping tests were conducted at five locations, to estimate aquifer properties related to brine recovery and freshwater supply. |
| · | Reverse Circulation (RC) Borehole Program – Dual tube reverse circulation drilling was conducted to develop vertical profiles of brine chemistry at depth in the salars and to provide geological and hydrogeological data. |
| · | Diamond Drilling (DD) Borehole Program – This program was conducted to collect continuous cores for geotechnical testing (RBRC, grain size and density) and geological characterization. Some of the boreholes were completed as observation wells for future brine sampling and monitoring. |
Samples were representative and no known biases were introduced due to sampling procedures. Details of the drilling programs are discussed in Section 7.16.
In 2009, a total of 55 surface brine samples were collected from shallow hand-dug test pits excavated throughout the Project area. Results from this early program indicated favourable potential for significant lithium grades at depth. Additional exploration work was initiated on the basis of these results. A full description of the Surface Brine Program is provided in the Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate Report for the Project (King, 2010a).
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| 7.3 | Seismic Geophysical Program |
A high-resolution seismic tomography survey was conducted primarily on the Cauchari Salar and to a lesser extent on the Olaroz Salar, during 2009 and 2010. The survey was contracted to Geophysical Exploration Consulting (GEC) of Mendoza, Argentina. Measurements were conducted along 12 survey lines, as shown in Figure 7.1. Nine lines are oriented east-west (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 11, and 12), two lines (7 and 10) have a north-south orientation, and Line 8 is a northeast trending diagonal line parallel to the western property boundary and covering the Archibarca Fan. A total of 62,500 m of seismic survey data was acquired.
The survey configuration utilized a five-meter geophone separation, and a semi-logarithmic expanding drop-weight source array symmetrically bounding the central geophone array. The geophone array comprised 48 mobile measurement sites utilizing Geode Geoelectrics 8 Hz geophones. Symmetrically surrounding the 48 geophones were accelerated, 150 kg drop-weight sites moving away from the geophone array as follows: 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 250, 500, 750, and 900 m. Based on standard methods for depth resolution, the outer drop-weight positions would provide sufficient velocity detail to depths on the order of 500 to 600 m. The seismic survey data supported the identification of drilling sites for the RC and DD Programs in 2009 and into 2010. The seismic inversions are shown in Figure 7.2.
The maximum interpreted depth of the salars for each of the twelve seismic lines ranged from approximately 300 to 600 m. This variance in the apparent depth of the basin is attributed to two factors: 1) actual basin depth, and 2) property limitations which restricted the placement of the source hammer, and therefore the depth of exploration.
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