en.Wedoany.com Reported - Australian company Patagonia Lithium (ASX:PL3) has commenced drilling at Well No. 8 of the Cilon lithium project in Jujuy Province, Argentina.
The company stated that drilling has advanced to a depth of 38 meters, with 30 meters of steel casing inserted and cemented to maintain vertical alignment.
The first packer test is planned at a depth of 70 meters, with a target well depth of 600 meters.
Executive Chairman Phillip Thomas said the team's target drilling progress is 25 meters per day, with each packer test scheduled for 8 hours.
Thomas noted that core samples are critical for upgrading the mineral resource estimate, and porosity performance has been favorable so far.
Core samples retrieved from depths of 30 to 38 meters show loose, well-sorted fine to very fine brown sand, primarily composed of rounded quartz grains and minor mafic minerals, with high apparent porosity.
The company has completed and submitted responses to the Jujuy Provincial Mining Department regarding its license application and environmental impact assessment requirements for the planned demonstration plant.
Patagonia also held a community meeting in Olaroz, with meeting minutes submitted to the Jujuy Provincial Mining Department as a prerequisite for the Mining Environmental Management Unit's community and government meeting to obtain construction approval.
Patagonia holds a mineral resource estimate of 551,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent at its Formentera/Cilon project, including 14,800 tonnes of indicated resources at a grade of 393 mg/L and 536,600 tonnes of inferred resources at a grade of 292 mg/L.
The company plans to conduct a 72-hour pumping test after installing slotted PVC casing in the wellbore.
Patagonia intends to use the drilling results to support an update of the mineral resource estimate for the project.
Patagonia Lithium focuses on its primary lithium brine projects in Argentina, while also exploring ion-adsorption rare earth element clays, niobium, antimony, and lithium in its Brazilian assets.
