The deposit model is summarized from Munk et al. (2016) and Houston et al. (2011).

Lithium is found in four main types of deposits:
• Pegmatites;
• Continental brines;
• Hydrothermally-altered clays;
• Oil-petroleum deposits within salty and brine waters underneath hydrocarbons reservoirs.

Continental brine deposits typically share the following characteristics:
• Located in semi-arid, arid, or hyper-arid climates in subtropical and mid-latitudes;
• Situated in a closed basin with a salar or salt lake. Salars or salt crusts are common where brines exist in subsurface aquifers;
• Occur in basins that are undergoing tectonically-driven subsidence;
• Basins show evidence of hydrothermal activity;
• Have a viable lithium source (e.g., high-silica volcanic rocks, pre-existing evaporites and brines, hydrothermally-derived clays, and hydrothermal fluids). The nearly 5,900-m-high resurgent dome of the Cerro Galán caldera may be an important recharge area for Salar del Hombre Muerto at ~4,000 m elevation;
• Have an element of time-stability to allow the leach, transport, and concentration of lithium in continental brines.

The majority of important lithium-rich brines are located in the “lithium triangle” of the Altiplano–Puna region of the Central Andes of South America and are classified either as “immature clastic” or “mature halite” types.

Houston et al. (2011) note that a key input is th ........

Brine operations are not conventional mining operations — the resource is recovered by pumping from deep wells rather than recovering the mineral as a solid ore. The East Wellfield will be located directly above the east sub-basin of the Salar del Hombre Muerto, over the salt pan. The brine distribution will traverse the salar towards to where the evaporation ponds will be located. The production plant will be sited adjacent to Stage 1´s evaporation ponds that will be directly situated to the south on colluvial sediments. The waste disposal areas will surround the evaporation ponds to the north, east, and southeast.

Mobile equipment will be required for plant and pond operations. Some transport services would be supplied to Galaxy under contract with local companies; however, in most cases the equipment would be owned and operated by Galaxy. Galaxy will provide fuel and servicing for all vehicles, with the exception of reagent and product logistics.

Wells and Wellfields
There are two wellfields being considered for production: one in the East and one in the Southwest. For Stage 1, only wells from the East Wellfield will be used, while Stage 2 will utilise the Southwest Wellfield. All production wells will be connected through pipelines to centrally positioned booster ponds. Stage 1 will utilise nine wells, eight of which will be operational during peak brine pumping season, with one on standby.

The production well locations were selecte ........

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