Northern Puna Plateau-scale survey of Li brine-type deposits in the Andes ofNW Argentina

MARIA GABRIELA GARCIA; MARIA GABRIELA FRANCO; PABLO CAFFE; MARIA GABRIELA GARCIA; MARIA GABRIELA FRANCO; PABLO CAFFE; ROMINA LOPEZ STEINMETZ; YESICA PERALTA ARNOLD ; ORNELA CONSTANTINI; ROMINA LOPEZ STEINMETZ; YESICA PERALTA ARNOLD ; ORNELA CONSTANTINI; STEFANO SALVI; DIDIER BÉZIAT; FRANCISCO CORDOBA; STEFANO SALVI; DIDIER BÉZIAT; FRANCISCO CORDOBA

JOURNAL OF GEOCHEMICAL EXPLORATION

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2018 vol. 190 p. 26 - 38

0375-6742

Salars of the Andean Plateau in the Central Andes are the largest lithium deposits on Earth. The most notoriousare the Chilean Salar de Atacama, and Uyuni in the Bolivian Altiplano. Despite the relevance of the regionconcerning the lithium resources, there is still scarce scientific literature on the hydrochemistry of lithium de-posits in the Argentine portion of the Andean Plateau. In this article we present new hydrochemical data fromthe first regional-scale reconnaissance exploration of the four major salars in the northernmost Argentine Andes.Data revealed that brines in the studied salars are characterized by mean Li concentrations ranging between 82and 1014 mg L−1, and mean Li:Mg ratios from 0.92 to 0.54. The size of the study salars becomes a potentiallimitation for the whole Li resources in comparison with the giant Atacama and Uyuni. Nonetheless, whenconsidering the Li grade and the Li:Mg ratio of brines, the Northern Puna salars turn out to be very remarkablelithium prospects. Data emerged from this survey represent a valuable tool for: 1) private investment projects bydefining Li mining targets, 2) for the administration of natural resources and the definition of the State´s politics,and 3) for scientific purposes, especially in investigations meant to better understand the processes involved inthe formation of Li brine deposits, salars, and endorheic basins