It is larger than the lithium deposits found under the Bolivian salt flats of Uyuni, until now it is considered the largest deposit in the world and contains approximately 21 tons of the white metal.
An interdisciplinary team was discovered which is the largest lithium deposit in the world and is located under a volcano, on the border between Nevada and Oregon, United States
The discovery was reported by volcanologists and geologists from Lithium Americas Corporation, GNS Science and Oregon State University through an article in Science Advances, published on August 31, as reported by Diario Financiero.
The report says that researchers estimate that there are between 20 and 40 million tons of metallic lithium in the deposit, located in the McDermitt volcano, which was formed about 16 million years ago.
It is larger than the lithium deposits found under the Bolivian Uyuni salt flat, until now it is considered the largest deposit in the world and plays approximately 21 tons of the white metal.
“If their rough estimates are to be believed, this is a very significant lithium deposit.” said Anouk Borst, a geologist at KU Leuven University and the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium, according to Fox Business. To this, he added that the discovery “could change the dynamics of lithium around the world, in terms of price, security of supply and geopolitics.”
Analysis of the site revealed that a rare clay, composed of the mineral illite, contained between 1.3% and 2.4% lithium in the volcanic cavity. This is almost double the lithium found in the main lithium-bearing clay mineral, magnesium smectite, which is more common than illite.
Juan Carlos Guajardo, executive director of Plusmining, explained to Diario Financiero that although “this announcement actually points to a major discovery on a global scale and with serious support since it was published by a high class Journal, the study is still hypothetical though with a positive outlook.”
For the expert, the study contains little information on drilling. “This is a deposit that will take advantage of clay soils so that the recovery technology will eventually become an issue. And getting a permit will take several years,” he explained.
“The acquisition process is complicated,” said Daniel Jiménez, the founding partner of the consulting firm iLiMarkets. “Maybe there are more attractive projects in Brazil, Africa and not to mention Argentina and Australia,” he explained.
