US’ 19 million-ton lithium jackpot could power world EVs for 6 years
The lithium deposit could “meet projected 2030 world demand for lithium in car batteries nine times over.”
You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
The lithium deposit could “meet projected 2030 world demand for lithium in car batteries nine times over.”
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has hit a jackpot of massive lithium deposits buried deep beneath southwestern Arkansas, U.S.
The study suggests that the region could support 5 to 19 million tons of lithium. This discovery could significantly reduce the U.S.’s reliance on imports.
Lithium is a crucial component in EV batteries and demand for it is expected to increase rapidly as more people adopt electric cars.
“If commercially recoverable, the amount of lithium present would meet projected 2030 world demand for lithium in car batteries nine times over,” the USGS release noted.
This means that the lithium reserves could meet global demand for up to six years.
USGS researchers combined water testing methods with advanced machine learning algorithms to predict the presence and concentration of lithium in the region.
The lithium deposits are particularly concentrated in brines within a geological formation named Smackover Formation.
This ancient formation is a remnant of a Jurassic-era sea that left behind a porous and permeable limestone deposit. It stretches across multiple Southern states, mainly Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.
Article