Arcadia Minerals has declared the assay results from its Bitterwasser Lithium Clays and Brines Project unreliable after two accredited laboratories delivered significantly different results from the same samples.
The Bitterwasser Project consists of four Exclusive Prospecting Licenses (EPLs)—7614, 8101, 8102, and 8103—held by Arcadia’s subsidiary, Brines Mining Exploration Namibia. It is located in Namibia’s Hardap Region, approximately 190 km southeast of Windhoek.
In January 2024, Arcadia drilled six holes across three sites to a total depth of 567 meters, using Hydrasleeve sampling bags to collect brine samples.
Initial grab samples were analyzed by a single laboratory using MobiLab 130 Li Magnetic Resonance Technology, a method widely employed in lithium-brine exploration.
The results, received in February 2024, showed lithium concentrations of up to 84 ppm, with indications that grades increased with depth.
Following these promising results, a detailed sampling program was conducted, with samples taken at 10-meter intervals down to the basin depth.
The samples were then analyzed by two accredited laboratories using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
However, the assays from these two labs showed significant discrepancies, with lithium content variances exceeding 200%.
Additionally, the new results contradicted previous findings, showing a significantly lower overall lithium concentration, even at greater depths where mineralization was initially expected to increase. Other mineralization elements remained relatively stable.
Arcadia Minerals attributes these inconsistencies to known spectral and physical interferences associated with ICP assay methods in some brine samples.
Given the unreliability of the results, the company now plans to reassess its sampling and assay methodologies. It may introduce an alternative sampling method instead of solely relying on Hydrasleeves to ensure more accurate mineralization assessments.
