World-changing Lithium Deposit Discovered in the US: Impacts on Electric Vehicles, Environment, and Geopolitics

Intan Rakhmayanti Dewi, CNBC Indonesia

Tech

Friday, 19/01/2024 07:35 WIB

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The discovery of “treasure” in the sacred land of America is predicted to change the future of the world. This treasure was found in an ancient volcano on the border between Nevada and Oregon, United States. It is the largest lithium deposit ever discovered in the world.

The hypothesis of the study is that the McDermitt Caldera treasure, contains more than double the concentration of lithium seen in other clay layers, namely about 20 to 40 million tons in total.

The research was funded by a mining company with a planned method for mining the soft, silvery metal. However, this is still full of controversy.

Because many scientists, environmentalists, ranchers and First Nations people (Native American/Indian tribes) are concerned about the US government’s recent decision to approve the Thacker Pass Lithium mine in the McDermitt Caldera. The place is located on sacred land for several Native American (Indian) tribes and contains valuable wildlife habitat.

Today, lithium is like liquid gold for automakers. This component is used to make batteries in electric vehicles, and to meet rapidly increasing demand of up to millions of metric tons by 2040.

A shift away from fossil fuels is of utmost importance, but these climate solutions are not perfect.

In fact, the global push to extract more lithium could have serious adverse impacts on nature and humans. Lithium operations can damage ecosystems, deplete groundwater, and produce large amounts of waste. During battery manufacture, fossil fuels are also burned.

Currently, the US relies heavily on China for its lithium production, so there has been a recent push to mine more on federal land. If all goes well, the Thacker Pass Lithium mine will be the second large-scale mine in the country.

Change the world

The project is owned by Lithium Nevada, LLC, a subsidiary of Lithium Americas Corporation (LAC), which funded the latest research.

According to the company’s latest review, the southernmost rim of the caldera, including Thacker Pass, contains the highest concentrations of lithium in the region.

Experts from Lithium Nevada, the University of Oregon, and the GNS Science research institute in New Zealand, revealed that when an ancient volcano erupted about 16 million years ago, hot liquid magma gushed through cracks and crevices in the ground and enriched the clay with lithium.

Most of the caldera clay is said to contain magnesium smectite which is a source of lithium.

But on the southernmost edge of the caldera, researchers have discovered an unusual type of clay, called illite. Researchers found that illite was concentrated specifically with lithium.

This mining hot spot, according to the team, was likely caused by the resurgence of magma after the caldera’s ancient lake dried up.

The chemical reactions that occur as a result of this event will replace the lithium-smectite in the lake sediments with a richer layer of lithium-illite clay. However, only near Thacker Pass, not throughout the caldera.

“If you believe their estimates, this is a very, very significant lithium deposit,” said Anouk Borst, a geologist who was not involved in the study.

“This could change the dynamics of lithium globally, in terms of pricing, security of supply and geopolitics.” he concluded.

(to/the)

2024-01-19 00:35:00
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