Geochemical characterization of Lithium-bearing brines from Guaranda, Ecuador

Abstract

Lithium is considered a critical metal for its technological use. It was proposed to carry out the geochemical prospecting study in favorable environments to host possible lithium mineralization, in specific sectors of Ecuador. This would be important, as no anomalies of economic interest have been discovered to date. The content of Li in solid samples and hydrothermal waters in brines in the Guaranda sector, Bolívar province, was evaluated. Likewise, a mineralogical analysis of the solid samples and a multivariate statistical analysis of the data was carried out. The values of sub-anomalies of Li (median 222.46 mgL-1 in brines and Li in solids from Guaranda (median 201.5 ppm), may be comparable to exploitable Li deposits worldwide, which is interesting for its possible economic use. Based on the multivariate statistical analysis, chemical and mineralogical results, Li is associated with Be, and Na mainly in the solids analyzed, this is evidenced by the detection of aponite and fluoroferroleakeite. The chemical composition of the sampled waters could be the result of several processes that include: the dissolution of minerals by water-rock interaction, hydrothermal fluids related to active volcanism and/or recharge by meteoric waters.