** Shares of Kali Metals KM1.AX up 17.4% to A$0.135

** Stock rises as much as 21.7% earlier in the session to hit its highest level since Jan. 6

** Lithium explorer identifies increased gold-in-soil anomaly at its Marble Bar Gold-Lithium Project in Western Australia (WA)

** More than 426,800 shares change hands by 0326 GMT, 2.9 times the 30-day average volume of shares

** Stock down 4.2% this year, as of last close

(Reporting by Manasi Dasa Sundeep in Bengaluru)

((Manasi.DasaSundeep@thomsonreuters.com;))