Advantage Lithium Mobilizes Rig For Phase 1 Drilling At Cauchari

 

VANCOUVER, BC - Advantage Lithium Corp. reported that a drill rig will be mobilized later this week to its flagship lithium property located in the Cauchari Salar of Jujuy province in NW Argentina. The first hole of a five-hole, Phase One program is expected to be collared. This marks the Company's first step in a systematic, fast-track exploration and development work program. Phase Two drilling is planned for later in 2017 and will comprise a further twelve holes leading to a scoping study by early 2018. Advantage Lithium is increasing its interest in the project from the current 50% to 75% through the expenditure of US$5m or completing a Feasibility Study. 

David Sidoo, CEO said, "In line with our aggressive development timeline, we are commencing work at our flagship Argentina project of Cauchari, just weeks after completing the transaction with our partner, Orocobre. We will be focusing on expanding the existing resource at the project where a large exploration target has been projected. We have engaged Andina Perforaciones, one of Argentina's leading drilling contractors, to undertake the initial phase of what will ultimately be a 17 hole program."

The initial, Phase 1 drill program scheduled to start next week consists of five rotary drill holes targeting the north-west (NW) and south-east (SE) blocks of the property with a surface area of approx. 5,500 hectares These will be deep holes to approximately 400m below the salar surface, with the objective of (1) probing for extensions laterally and to depth below the existing inferred mineral resource in the SE sector and (2) opening a new front in the NW sector which the company believes to be prospective for extensions of lithium-bearing brine below the Archibarca alluvial fan.

Later in 2017, a complementary 12-hole diamond drill (DDH) program will be initiated to provide core for aquifer parameter tests and to also install monitoring holes for pump tests on the primary rotary holes. Additional rotary and/or diamond drill holes will be added as justified by initial results as we proceed towards engineering studies.

Specialized packer instrumentation will be used to collect brine samples for analysis under strict QA/QC protocols monitored by a Qualified Person as required by NI43-101 guidelines. In-hole geophysical profiling and geological logging will provide the basis for determining the most promising aquifer zones for packer tests.

Considerable technical and operating skill is required to successfully complete exploration and brine pumping wells in the unconsolidated sedimentary sequences of the salars and to do so at 4,000m above sea level in a rigorous climatic region with sub-zero winter temperatures. The company is therefore most pleased to have signed a contract and to be working with Andina Perforaciones who have multiple years of practical experience in Cauchari and other salars of NW Argentina. Together with the Company's technical staff and supporting community relations team, the company expects to complete the Phase 1 work program by year-end 2017.