Si6 Metals is gearing up for its third drilling program in Brazil’s renowned “Lithium Valley”, with plans to plunge 20 auger holes as the company zeroes in on lithium and rare earths soil anomalies. The drilling follows up on a 103 parts per million lithium hit and a 710ppm total rare earth oxides (TREO) strike in the Padre Paraiso prospect area.
Located in the north of Brazil’s Minas Gerias region, about 500km north of Rio de Janeiro, Padre Paraiso is part of Si6’s Lithium Valley tenement holding. The auger program aims to provide data on thorium anomalies uncovered by previous soil sampling, drilling holes at a spacing of 400m and an average depth of 12m.
Si6 Metals managing director Jim Malone highlighted the project’s proximity to major lithium discoveries, including Sigma Lithium Corp’s Grota Do Cirilo project, just 40km away. The company has three drilling programs concurrently ongoing in Brazil, with two clay-hosted rare earths drill campaigns at the Poços de Caldas alkaline complex.
Recent rare earths hits at Poços de Caldas included high-grade results, with magnetic rare earth oxides critical for electric vehicle motors comprising up to 94% of the sought-after elements. Si6’s upcoming focus on Padre Paraiso comes after securing a rare earths-prospective license at Caldera. The Caldera project is near other significant projects like Meteoric Resources’ Caldeira and Viridis Mining & Minerals’ Colossus.
As Si6 awaits assay results from the upcoming drilling program, it remains at the forefront of exploring Brazil’s Lithium Valley for valuable minerals essential for clean energy technologies and the electric vehicle industry.