Solis Minerals Drills Brazil’s Lithium Valley With Three Active Discovery Programmes
Key Takeaways
- Diamond drilling has commenced at Solis Minerals' 100%-owned Campo Grande Lithium Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil, with a maiden five-hole, approximately 1,000m programme targeting a ~500m-long LCT pegmatite corridor.
- Drill targets are underpinned by historical Rio Tinto soil geochemistry and auger data defining a continuous lithium corridor of approximately 1,000m, with overlapping Li, Cs, Ta, and Be anomalies.
- Solis' own field team — the same group credited with discovering Pilbara Minerals' Colina Lithium Project — has mapped three coherent zones of pegmatite outcrop between planned drillholes DHCG-001 and DHCG-004, forming the initial drill focus.
- Mandacaru Lithium Project assay results are the nearest-term catalyst, with seven drillholes already completed and results pending; Campo Grande results will follow as the current programme advances.
- Solis is simultaneously running a maiden copper programme at Cinto in Peru, with confirmed copper mineralisation already reported, and Cucho awaiting drill sequencing — giving investors four concurrent project catalysts across two commodities and two countries.
Drilling underway at Campo Grande as Solis targets Brazil’s Lithium Valley
Diamond drilling has commenced at Solis Minerals’ 100%-owned Campo Grande Lithium Project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The programme comprises five drillholes and approximately 1,000m of diamond drilling, designed to test an approximately 500m-long prospective lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatite corridor.
Campo Grande sits within the Araçuaí Lithium Valley, a district that hosts established lithium producers and advanced development projects including Sigma Lithium, Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS), Atlas Lithium, and Lithium Ionic. The drilling rig and team have been mobilised directly from the Mandacaru Lithium Project, where seven drillholes have been completed and assays are currently underway.
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What is an LCT pegmatite — and why does it matter for lithium investors?
An LCT pegmatite is a coarse-grained igneous rock enriched in lithium (Li), caesium (Cs), and tantalum (Ta). These geological formations are the primary source of hard-rock lithium globally, and a “highly fractionated” LCT system — one that has concentrated these elements to elevated levels — is what exploration teams are specifically targeting.
At surface, geologists look for coincident multi-element geochemical anomalies: overlapping concentrations of Li, Cs, Ta, and beryllium (Be) detected through soil sampling, rock chips, and auger drilling. When several of these elements peak in the same location, it is considered strong validation that a prospective LCT system may exist at depth. Campo Grande displays these signatures across its prospective corridor, which is what underpins the decision to drill.
What’s driving confidence at Campo Grande
Historical Rio Tinto data underpins the target
The drill targets at Campo Grande are not based solely on Solis’ own fieldwork. Detailed interpretation of soil geochemistry, historical auger drilling, and surface mapping completed by Rio Tinto (LSE:RIO) has defined a continuous lithium corridor extending approximately 1,000m, supported by overlapping anomalies of Li, Cs, Ta, and Be.
Solis’ own exploration team subsequently mapped a new pegmatite swarm comprising three coherent zones of pegmatite outcrop between planned drillholes DHCG-001 and DHCG-004. This area forms the initial focus of diamond drilling at Campo Grande, with planned drillhole depths of up to 200m.
A geological comparison to a known discovery
Campo Grande displays geological and geochemical characteristics considered comparable to PLS’ Colina Lithium Project, located approximately 100km to the south-west. Notably, this comparison was made by the Solis management team — the same team responsible for discovering the Colina project — which adds weight to the geological read, though it does not guarantee equivalent outcomes.
CEO Mitch Thomas
“The initial programme will test the continuity, geometry and lithium potential of pegmatites beneath surface, beginning in areas where mapped pegmatites coincide with LCT geochemical anomalies.”
CEO Mitch Thomas
“With active programmes across both lithium and copper, Solis Minerals has multiple opportunities to deliver a significant discovery.”
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Multiple drills turning — Solis runs parallel programmes in Brazil and Peru
While Campo Grande moves into its maiden drill phase, two other programmes are running concurrently. The breadth of activity across lithium and copper projects gives Solis multiple potential discovery catalysts in the near term.
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Mandacaru Lithium Project (Brazil): Seven drillholes completed; assays underway; follow-up drilling scope to be determined on receipt of results.
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Cinto Copper Project (Peru): Maiden approximately five-hole / 2,500m programme progressing; first hole (CI-001-2026) testing the down-dip continuation of a mineralised hydrothermal breccia; proximate to major operating mines and active exploration drilling by Rio Tinto, Anglo American, Vale, and Minsur.
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Cucho Copper Project (Peru): All approvals required to commence drilling have been received; sequencing is under assessment alongside ongoing activities at Cinto.
The table below summarises Solis’ active project portfolio as of the announcement date.
| Project | Commodity | Country | Ownership | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campo Grande | Lithium | Brazil | 100% SLM | Drilling commenced; maiden 5-hole / ~1,000m programme underway |
| Mandacaru | Lithium | Brazil | Undisclosed | 7 drillholes completed; assays underway; follow-up scope pending results |
| Cinto | Copper | Peru | 100% SLM | Maiden ~5-hole / 2,500m programme progressing; first hole CI-001-2026 in progress |
| Cucho | Copper | Peru | Earn-in to 100% | All drilling approvals received; sequencing under assessment |
For investors tracking Solis, the key near-term catalyst is assay results from Mandacaru, which will arrive first and inform whether a follow-up programme is warranted. Campo Grande results will follow as the current programme progresses. On the copper side, Cinto’s first hole is testing a meaningful geological target in a well-established copper district, with Cucho providing additional optionality once sequencing is finalised.
Copper mineralisation at the Cinto Project has since been confirmed, with results from the maiden programme adding a concrete discovery catalyst to Solis’ portfolio alongside the ongoing lithium programmes in Brazil.
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