LE Minerals Confirms Lithium Brine at Depth Across White Plains Eyes Maiden Resource
Key Takeaways
- LE Minerals' 2026 drilling programme confirmed lithium-bearing brines in the Upper Aquifer at White Plains from surface to at least 15m depth across all 12 direct push drill holes, with assay results ranging from 52 to 114 mg/L.
- The headline intercept WP007 returned 114 mg/L lithium — the highest result across the programme — with MT geophysical surveys indicating the Upper Aquifer extends to at least 30m depth across the project area.
- White Plains grades of 52–114 mg/L are comparable to or exceed the 70 mg/L average being targeted by Lilac Solutions, which received a US$100 million DOE award in August 2026 for Great Salt Lake brine lithium production.
- LE Minerals has confirmed its immediate next step is defining a maiden JORC Mineral Resource Estimate for the Upper Aquifer, drawing on 2025 and 2026 drilling, auger, and geophysical datasets already in hand.
- The project holds approximately 5,769 hectares of staked mineral claims plus 2,340 hectares of SITLA leases, with a Deep Aquifer beginning at approximately 200m depth offering additional upside beyond the current JORC work scope.
Upper Aquifer lithium confirmed at depth across White Plains
LE Minerals Limited (ASX:LEL) has confirmed that lithium-bearing brines within the Upper Aquifer at its White Plains Lithium Brine Project in Utah extend from surface to at least 15m depth, with assay results ranging from 52 to 114 mg/L across 12 direct push drill holes.
The 2026 program validates the geological model established through 2025 surface sampling, confirming that lithium mineralisation continues at depth with grades comparable to those found at surface. Previously completed Magnetotelluric (MT) surveys had indicated the Upper Aquifer persists to at least 30m depth across the project area, and the drilling now confirms lithium mineralisation is present to that depth within the aquifer.
The 12 direct push drill holes were completed to 15m depth on an approximate 2km x 2km grid across the White Plains claims area. Each hole intercepted a standing column of brine from surface to the base of the hole. An infill surface auger programme to 2m depth, completed on the same approximate grid, returned lithium grades of 55 to 101 mg/L, consistent with results from the 2025 sampling programme.
The five most southernmost auger sites failed to intercept any surface brines. The company notes that the southernmost claims (Claims 682 to 731) within Toole County were not renewed on 1 September 2026.
The headline intercept was WP007, which returned 114 mg/L lithium, the highest result across the drilling programme. Full assay results from the direct push drill holes are presented in the table below.
| Hole ID | Depth (m) | Lithium (mg/L) | Magnesium (mg/L) | Mg/Li Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WP002 | 15 | 52.5 | 3,710 | 70.7 |
| WP003 | 15 | 79.3 | 4,460 | 56.2 |
| WP004 | 15 | 99.7 | 5,950 | 59.7 |
| WP005 | 15 | 72.4 | 3,430 | 47.4 |
| WP006 | 15 | 69.4 | 4,630 | 66.7 |
| WP007 | 15 | 114 | 5,770 | 50.6 |
| WP008 | 15 | 75.2 | 3,660 | 48.7 |
| WP009 | 15 | 77.8 | 3,650 | 46.9 |
| WP010 | 15 | 63.6 | 3,350 | 52.7 |
| WP011 | 15 | 77.4 | 4,170 | 53.9 |
| WP012 | 15 | 52.1 | 2,980 | 57.2 |
| WP013 | 15 | 65.7 | 3,680 | 56.0 |
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What is lithium brine mineralisation, and why does grade matter?
Lithium brine projects extract dissolved lithium from underground saltwater aquifers. Unlike hard rock lithium mining, there is no blasting or ore processing involved. The lithium is simply pumped from the ground in brine form and processed to extract the metal.
Grade in a brine project is measured in milligrams of lithium per litre of brine (mg/L), rather than the parts per million (ppm) used for hard rock deposits. The distinction matters because brine recovery economics depend on concentration: higher mg/L means more lithium per volume of brine pumped.
Here is why the White Plains grade range is worth paying attention to:
- Lithium brine projects extract dissolved lithium from underground saltwater aquifers, with no blasting or ore processing required
- Grade is measured in milligrams per litre (mg/L) of lithium in the brine
- Lilac Solutions Inc., which was selected in August 2026 for a US$100 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is targeting production from brines averaging 70 mg/L at the Great Salt Lake. White Plains’ Upper Aquifer grades of 52 to 114 mg/L are comparable to that benchmark across most holes and exceed it in several
- Direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology, a processing method that selectively removes lithium from brine without large evaporation ponds, is enabling commercial extraction from grades that were previously considered marginal
- The Great Salt Lake region hosts a cluster of active lithium and potash developers, including Anson Resources (ASX:ASN), Neometals (ASX:NMT), and Mandrake Resources (ASX:MAN), as well as Intrepid Potash’s (NYSE:IPI) operating potash facility at Wendover
The Lilac Solutions DOE award is a third-party reference point, not a direct comparison to White Plains. But it does signal what grade thresholds are attracting institutional capital and US federal support in this region right now.
Maiden JORC resource estimate the immediate next step
With brine continuity confirmed across the Upper Aquifer from surface to at least 15m depth, LE Minerals has stated it will now seek to define a maiden JORC Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for the Upper Aquifer at White Plains.
A JORC Mineral Resource Estimate is a formal, independently verified calculation of the quantity and grade of a mineral deposit, classified by geological confidence. It is the standard that institutional investors and project financiers require before a project can advance toward development studies.
The path to the maiden MRE draws on multiple data sets already in hand:
- Assay results from the 2026 direct push drilling and surface auger programmes
- Assay results from the 2025 surface auger sampling programme
- Results from the 2025 passive seismic and MT geophysical surveys, which indicate the Upper Aquifer extends to at least 30m depth across the project area
Beyond the maiden Upper Aquifer MRE, the company may also undertake further exploration drilling to assess brine distribution and geochemistry in both the Upper and Deep Aquifers; develop 2D/3D geological models of the White Plains basin architecture; and, subject to assay results from drilling, delineate a maiden JORC Mineral Resource in the Deep Aquifer, which begins at approximately 200m depth and is approximately 150m thick. An assessment of relevant mine economic criteria to assist in developing a pathway to feasibility study completion is also noted as a potential further work item.
The announcement does not disclose an expected timeline or size for the maiden resource estimate.
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White Plains in a lithium-active region
White Plains sits approximately 200km west of Salt Lake City, adjacent to US Highway 80 and 15km from the town of Wendover. That infrastructure proximity matters for a project at this stage.
The broader region is one of the most active lithium development jurisdictions in the United States right now. Intrepid Potash (NYSE:IPI) already operates a potash production facility at Wendover. Multiple ASX-listed companies and US-based developers are pursuing DLE projects at or adjacent to the Great Salt Lake. Lilac Solutions’ US$100 million DOE award, announced in August 2026, is the clearest signal yet of US federal commitment to supporting brine lithium production in Utah.
White Plains itself holds a substantial land position: approximately 5,769 hectares of staked mineral claims (717 claims in total) plus approximately 2,340 hectares of SITLA mineral leases from the State of Utah’s School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration. The project’s two-aquifer system, with the Deep Aquifer offering additional potential beyond the current JORC work scope, provides longer-term upside that sits well beyond what the current programme is designed to quantify.
The confirmed brine continuity across the Upper Aquifer sets LE Minerals on a defined path toward resource definition at a project positioned in a jurisdiction with growing institutional support for lithium development.
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