Geologists have made a remarkable discovery that could potentially hold the world’s largest lithium deposit. Hidden within an ancient supervolcano along the Nevada-Oregon border in the US, they have found clay containing up to 40 million metric tons of lithium. This amount is nearly double what Bolivia’s salt flats, which held the previous record for the most lithium deposits, have yielded. Although no drilling has taken place yet, scientists have been observing high concentrations of lithium in the region since the 1970s.
Based on estimates, the lithium content could be worth a staggering $1.48 trillion, considering the average battery-grade lithium carbonate price of $37,000 per metric ton in 2022. Lithium Americas Corporation, a Canada-based company, plans to begin mining activities as early as 2026 and continue for the next 40 years, with a commitment to backfill the mining pit afterward. However, this plan has faced criticism due to concerns about the environmental impact and claims that the site holds sacred value for Native American tribes.
Lithium is a critical component used in batteries for various applications like smartphones, electric vehicles, and solar panels. For decades, China has dominated the lithium market as it refines 90 percent of the metal mined worldwide. The McDermitt Caldera has the potential to hold the largest lithium deposit globally. The caldera, formed 19 million years ago, stretches along the Nevada-Oregon border. The extraction process is expected to involve leaching clay to extract lithium, which would require only water.
Anouk Borst, a geologist at KU Leuven University not involved in the study, stated that if the estimates are accurate, this deposit would be highly significant for lithium. It could potentially impact the global lithium dynamics in terms of price, supply security, and geopolitical implications. The McDermitt Caldera, which formed through an eruption 16 million years ago, is believed to have pushed lithium-rich smectite clay to the surface. Faults and fractures resulting from the explosion provided pathways for lithium to rise to the crater’s surface.
The research study published in Science Advances explains that the high lithium tonnage is a result of consistently high concentrations of lithium in lake sediments, exceeding 1000 parts per million. Previous drilling in the nearby Thacker Pass, owned by Lithium Americas, revealed 13.7 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent, making it the largest known deposit in the US before this recent discovery. To identify the supervolcanoes with the best lithium sources, researchers measured the original lithium concentration in the magma. Since lithium is volatile and easily transitions between solid, liquid, and vapor states, direct measurement is challenging, and the original concentrations are poorly understood. By analyzing tiny pieces of magma trapped in crystals, called melt inclusions, researchers determined the original lithium concentrations in the caldera.
The study also noted the abundant presence of lithium-bearing clay minerals, specifically trioctahedral magnesian smectite clay minerals, in the caldera. Tom Benson, a geologist with Lithium Americas and Columbia University, began studying the McDermitt Caldera in 2012 to understand the different deposits present. He explains that lithium occurs widely throughout the caldera and shifted his focus to deciphering the origin of the lithium deposit. According to Benson, the lithium-bearing sediments are located close to the Earth’s surface, making the mining operations less impactful compared to other mines. Most lithium deposits worldwide are found within brine, requiring drilling and pumping the underground brine to evaporation ponds. Benson describes the mining process as strip mining, involving digging a small hole to reach the resource and gradually migrating the pit eastward over five years. As the pit progresses, it will be backfilled with benign material that has only interacted with water, thereby improving the environmental conditions. Once the 40-year mine life is completed, the pit will be entirely backfilled and revegetated.
This discovery holds significant implications for the US as it transitions to electric vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, the US relies heavily on other countries, particularly China, for the materials needed for lithium-ion batteries. Developing a domestic lithium supply would enhance the nation’s self-reliance, which has been a long-standing goal. The US currently has only one active lithium mine in Clayton Valley, near Silver Peak, Nevada, but efforts are underway to establish more mines. The US imported hundreds of millions of lithium-ion batteries annually, and the volume continues to increase. A study suggests that global demand for lithium could increase eightfold by 2040, requiring approximately one million metric tons. Establishing sustainable and diverse supply chains is crucial to meeting lower-carbon energy and national security goals. Volcano sedimentary lithium resources have the potential to fulfill this requirement as they are shallow, high-tonnage deposits with low waste-to-ore strip ratios.
However, the discovery poses challenges for Native American tribes who consider the land sacred. The Paiute, Shoshone, and Bannock communities are opposing the mining project, highlighting the authorized disturbance of almost 100 acres from 267 exploration drills. The debate between economic benefits and cultural preservation continues as stakeholders navigate this complex situation.
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