A lithium deposit discovered in a volcanic crater along the Nevada-Oregon border may contain up to 40 million metric tons of the rare metal, possibly the largest ever recorded in the world, which could have a massive impact on the electric vehicle industry, according to a report. new study.
The deposit hidden within the McDermitt Caldera is estimated to contain between 20 and 40 million metric tons, which would be almost double the current record of about 23 million metric tons found during the summer beneath a Bolivian salt flat, the researchers reported. researchers at Science Advances.
It would also greatly increase America’s overall lithium reserves, which were previously estimated at a paltry million metric tons.
Belgian geologist Anouk Borst said that if the estimate proves true, the sudden glut of American lithium (the metal sought by electric vehicle makers) could have global impacts.
A deposit estimated to contain between 20 and 40 million metric tons of lithium has been discovered in the McDermitt Caldera crater along the Nevada-Oregon border. Thomas Benson/Scientific Advances
A construction worker builds an oil pipeline for Lithium Nevada Corp at the Thacker Pass reservoir. AP
“It could change the dynamics of lithium globally, in terms of price, security of supply and geopolitics,” Borst told Chemistry World. “The United States would have its own supply of lithium and industries would be less scared by supply shortages.”
Electric vehicle makers have complained about estimates that supplies of “white gold” will be tight by 2025, with China, the United States and several South American countries racing to locate large deposits to meet growing demand.
Paul A. Jacobson, GM’s chief financial officer, told investors in mid-June that they “already run that risk” of not getting enough lithium, explaining that GM has bought stakes in mining operations.
As electric vehicle makers seek to shore up America’s lithium mines, members of Native American tribes are protesting the country’s turmoil in search of white gold. AP
Current US lithium reserves amount to just 1 million metric tons. AP
“We have to partner with people who can get us lithium in the form we need,” Jacobson said.
The rush to acquire white gold has also been exacerbated by President Biden’s clean energy agenda, which calls for electric vehicles to account for about 50% of all cars sold by 2030.
The administration has pushed to invest $7.5 billion in electric vehicle charging stations across the country.
A sign near McDermitt, Nevada, asks not to mine lithium. AP
Thomas Benson, a geologist at Lithium Americas Corporation and co-author of the new study, hopes mining can begin at McDermitt Caldera by 2026.
Researchers from Lithium Americas Corporation, GNS Science and Oregon State University explained that the unique conditions of the McDermitt Caldera explosions 16 million years ago created the ideal state for lithium-rich particles to form.
Nevada itself has been a hotbed of lithium deposits, but the sites have faced opposition, with conservationists, Native Americans and even NASA pushing to block mining in the area.
The McDermitt Caldera Mine is located next to the Thacker Pass Mine, which has seen protests by the native Paiute tribe and court challenges over the past three years.
Meanwhile, NASA in June expressed opposition to mining Railroad Valley’s flat surface because its unaltered position is key to calibrating measurements from hundreds of satellites orbiting Earth.
With post cables
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Source: vtt.edu.vn