Lithium is the mineral du jour. As a vital component of many rechargeable batteries, tech companies are clamouring for more of the mineral, driving demand to an all-time high.
Currently, the US imports more than half the lithium it needs – but that could all be about to change based on new research released by the US Geological Survey (USGS).
A team of USGS geologists has found that the Appalachian region of the eastern United States contains an estimated 2.3 million metric tonnes of undiscovered, economically recoverable lithium oxide. This is enough to replace 328 years of US imports at last year’s level.
Of that lithium, 1.43 million metric tonnes are believed to be held in the Southern Appalachians, concentrated in the Carolinas. A further 900,000 metric tonnes is in the Northern Appalachians, predominantly in Maine and New Hampshire.
The lithium is found in pegmatites, large-grained rocks similar to granite.
