Editing Lithium (section)

=== Reserves and occurrence ===
[[File:USGS-PP-1802k-K13.png|thumb|right|460px|Scatter plots of lithium grade and tonnage for selected world deposits, as of 2017]]
The small ionic size makes it difficult for lithium to be included in early stages of mineral crystallization. As a result, lithium remains in the molten phases, where it gets enriched, until it gets solidified in the final stages. Such lithium enrichment is responsible for all commercially promising lithium [[ore]] deposits. [[Brines]] (and dry salt) are another important source of Li<sup>+</sup>. Although the number of known lithium-containing deposits and brines is large, most of them are either small or have too low Li<sup>+</sup> concentrations. Thus, only a few appear to be of commercial value.<ref>SGU. Mineralmarknaden, Tema: Litium [in Swedish]. Publication by the Swedish Geological Survey; 2009. ISSN 0283-2038</ref>

The [[US Geological Survey]] (USGS) estimated worldwide identified lithium reserves in 2022 and 2023 to be 26 million and 28 million [[tonne]]s, respectively.<ref name="minerals.usgs.gov" /><ref name="uslit">{{Cite web |url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2025/mcs2025-lithium.pdf |title=Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025 |date=31 January 2025 |website=U.S. Geological Survey |access-date=27 February 2025 |archive-date=27 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250227101655/https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2025/mcs2025-lithium.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> An accurate estimate of world lithium reserves is difficult.<ref name="gold">{{Cite journal |doi=10.1038/nchem.680 |pmid=20489722 |title=Is lithium the new gold? |journal=Nature Chemistry |volume=2 |issue=6 |page=510 |year=2010 |last1=Tarascon |first1=J. M. |author-link1=Jean-Marie Tarascon |bibcode=2010NatCh...2..510T |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name="forbes">{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/toddwoody/2011/10/19/lithium-the-new-california-gold-rush/ |title=Lithium: The New California Gold Rush |last=Woody |first=Todd |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219105058/http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddwoody/2011/10/19/lithium-the-new-california-gold-rush/print/ |archive-date=19 December 2014 |work=Forbes |date=19 October 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> One reason for this is that most lithium classification schemes are developed for solid ore deposits, whereas brine is a [[fluid]] that is problematic to treat with the same classification scheme due to varying concentrations and pumping effects.<ref name="Houston2011">{{cite journal |last1=Houston |first1=J. |last2=Butcher |first2=A. |last3=Ehren |first3=P. |last4=Evans |first4=K. |last5=Godfrey |first5=L. |title=The Evaluation of Brine Prospects and the Requirement for Modifications to Filing Standards |journal=Economic Geology |date=2011 |volume=106 |issue=7 |pages=1225–1239 |doi=10.2113/econgeo.106.7.1225 |bibcode=2011EcGeo.106.1225H |url=http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/17086/1/THE_EVALUATION_OF_BRINE_PROSPECTS_final%20for%20submission.pdf |access-date=28 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720195919/http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/17086/1/THE_EVALUATION_OF_BRINE_PROSPECTS_final%20for%20submission.pdf |archive-date=20 July 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2019, world production of lithium from spodumene was around 80,000t per annum, primarily from the [[Greenbushes, Western Australia|Greenbushes]] pegmatite and from some [[China|Chinese]] and [[Chile]]an sources. The Talison mine in Greenbushes is reported to be the largest and to have the highest grade of ore at 2.4% Li<sub>2</sub>O (2012 figures).<ref>{{cite web |title=Greenbushes Lithium Mine |url=http://www.goldendragoncapital.com/greenbushes-lithium-mine/ |website=Golden Dragon Capital |access-date=18 January 2019 |language=en |archive-date=19 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121438/http://www.goldendragoncapital.com/greenbushes-lithium-mine/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Lithium triangle and other brine sources ====
The world's top four lithium-producing countries in 2019, as reported by the US Geological Survey, were [[lithium mining in Australia|Australia]], [[Chile]], [[Economy of China|China]] and [[Economy of Argentina|Argentina]].<ref name="minerals.usgs.gov" />

The three countries of [[Chile]], [[Bolivia]], and [[Argentina]] contain a region known as the [[Lithium Triangle]]. The Lithium Triangle is known for its high-quality salt flats, which include Bolivia's [[Salar de Uyuni]], Chile's [[Salar de Atacama]], and Argentina's [[Salar de Arizaro]]. {{as of|2018}}, the Lithium Triangle was estimated to contain over 75% of existing known lithium reserves.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Lithium Triangle |url=https://latintrade.com/the-lithium-triangle/ |last=Halpern |first=Abel |work=Latin Trade |date=30 January 2014 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180610055238/http://latintrade.com/the-lithium-triangle/ |archive-date=10 June 2018}}</ref> Deposits found in subsurface brines have also been found in South America throughout the [[Andes]] mountain chain. In 2010, Chile was the leading producer, followed by Argentina. Both countries recover lithium from brine pools. According to USGS, Bolivia's [[Uyuni]] Desert has 5.4 million tonnes of lithium.<ref name="romero" /><ref>{{cite web |publisher=USGS |url=http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/2009/mcs2009.pdf |title=USGS Mineral Commodities Summaries 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614002723/http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/2009/mcs2009.pdf |archive-date=14 June 2010}}</ref> Half the world's known reserves are located in [[Bolivia]] along the central eastern slope of the Andes.  The Bolivian government has invested US$900 million in lithium production and in 2021 successfully produced 540 tons.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dube |first=Ryan |title=The Place With the Most Lithium Is Blowing the Electric-Car Revolution |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/electric-cars-batteries-lithium-triangle-latin-america-11660141017 |access-date=11 August 2022 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=11 August 2022 |language=en |issn=1042-9840 |volume=CCLXXX |number=35 |pages=A1, A8 |archive-date=10 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810225908/https://www.wsj.com/articles/electric-cars-batteries-lithium-triangle-latin-america-11660141017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="romero">{{Cite news |author=Romero, Simon |title=In Bolivia, a Tight Grip on the Next Big Resource |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/world/americas/03lithium.html?ref=world |work=The New York Times |date=2 February 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701054223/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/world/americas/03lithium.html?ref=world |archive-date=1 July 2017}}</ref> The brines in the salt pans of the Lithium Triangle vary widely in lithium content.<ref name="cabello2022" /> Concentrations can also vary over time as brines are fluids that are changeable and mobile.<ref name="cabello2022" />

In the US, lithium is recovered from brine pools in [[Nevada]].<ref name="CRC" /> Projects are also under development in [[Lithium Valley]] in California<ref name="FM 2023-12-12">{{Cite magazine |last=Bernick |first=Michael |date=December 12, 2023 |title=The Jobs Perplex Of The Lithium Valley |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelbernick/2023/12/12/the-jobs-perplex-of-the-lithium-valley/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |magazine=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=5 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205065011/https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelbernick/2023/12/12/the-jobs-perplex-of-the-lithium-valley/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and from brine in southwest [[Arkansas]] using a direct lithium extraction process, drawing on the deep brine resource in the [[Smackover Formation]].<ref name=AR20250311>{{cite web |url=https://www.standardlithium.com/investors/news-events/press-releases/detail/186/smackover-lithium-successfully-completes-derisking-of-dle |title=Smackover Lithium Successfully Completes Derisking of DLE Technology With Final Field-Test at South West Arkansas Project |website=standardlithium.com |date=11 March 2025 |access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref>

==== Hard-rock deposits ====
Since 2018 the [[Mining industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Democratic Republic of Congo]] is known to have the largest lithium [[spodumene]] hard-rock deposit in the world.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 10, 2018 |title=This Congo project could supply the world with lithium |work=[[MiningDotCom]] |url=https://www.mining.com/one-congo-project-supply-world-lithium/ |access-date=26 March 2021 |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414030827/https://www.mining.com/one-congo-project-supply-world-lithium/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The deposit located in [[Manono, Democratic Republic of the Congo|Manono]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|DRC]], may hold up to 1.5 billion tons of lithium spodumene hard-rock. The two largest pegmatites (known as the Carriere de l'Este Pegmatite and the Roche Dure Pegmatite) are each of similar size or larger than the famous Greenbushes Pegmatite in [[Western Australia]]. Thus, the [[Mining industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Democratic Republic of Congo]] is expected to be a significant supplier of lithium to the world with its high grade and low impurities.

On 16 July 2018 2.5 million tonnes of high-grade lithium resources and 124 million pounds of uranium resources were found in the Falchani hard rock deposit in the region Puno, Peru.<ref>{{cite news |title=Plateau Energy Metals Peru unit finds large lithium resources |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/peru-lithium/update-1-plateau-energy-metals-peru-unit-finds-large-lithium-resources-idUSL1N1UC0XF |work=Reuters |date=16 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726204758/https://www.reuters.com/article/peru-lithium/update-1-plateau-energy-metals-peru-unit-finds-large-lithium-resources-idUSL1N1UC0XF |archive-date=26 July 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2020, Australia granted Major Project Status (MPS) to the [[Finniss Lithium Project]] for a strategically important lithium deposit: an estimated 3.45 million tonnes (Mt) of mineral resource at 1.4 percent [[lithium oxide]].<ref name=miningnews20210317>{{cite news |title=Australia grants MPS for Core Lithium's Finniss lithium project |url=https://www.miningmetalnews.com/20210317/1786/australia-grants-mps-core-lithiums-finniss-lithium-project |last=Matthis |first=Simon |work=MiningMetalNews |date=17 March 2021 |access-date=13 October 2022 |archive-date=13 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013033439/https://www.miningmetalnews.com/20210317/1786/australia-grants-mps-core-lithiums-finniss-lithium-project |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=primero20221013>[https://primero.com.au/projects/finniss-lithium/ CORE Lithium : Finnis Lithium] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013033439/https://primero.com.au/projects/finniss-lithium/ |date=13 October 2022 }}, retrieved 13 October 2022</ref> Operational mining began in 2022.<ref name=miningtech202201>{{cite news |title=Finniss Lithium Project, Northern Territory, Australia |url=https://www.mining-technology.com/projects/finniss-lithium-project/ |work=Mining Technology |date=13 January 2022 |access-date=13 October 2022 |archive-date=13 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013033440/https://www.mining-technology.com/projects/finniss-lithium-project/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

A deposit discovered in 2013 in Wyoming's [[Rock Springs Uplift]] is estimated to contain 228,000 tons.{{clarify|date=September 2023}} Additional deposits in the same formation were estimated to be as much as 18 million tons.<ref>{{cite web |first=John C.K. |last=Daly |publisher=OilPrice.com |date=26 April 2013 |title=Researchers Have Stumbled On A Massive Lithium Mine That Could Meet All US Demand |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/new-wyoming-lithium-deposit-could-meet-all-us-demand-2013-4 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503085509/http://www.businessinsider.com/new-wyoming-lithium-deposit-could-meet-all-us-demand-2013-4 |archive-date=3 May 2013 |website=[[Business Insider]] |location=New York City, U.S.}}</ref> Similarly in Nevada, the [[McDermitt Caldera]] hosts lithium-bearing volcanic muds that consist of the largest known deposits of lithium within the United States.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Benson |first1=Tom |title=Lithium enrichment in intracontinental rhyolite magmas leads to Li deposits in caldera basins |journal=Nature Communications |date=16 August 2016 |volume=8 |issue=1 |page=270 |doi=10.1038/s41467-017-00234-y |pmid=28814716 |pmc=5559592}}</ref>

The [[Pampean Pegmatite Province]] in Argentina is known to have a total of at least 200,000 tons of [[spodumene]] with [[lithium oxide]] (Li<sub>2</sub>O) [[ore grade|grades]] varying between 5 and 8 wt %.<ref name=minerals>{{Cite journal |title=The Li-Bearing Pegmatites from the Pampean Pegmatite Province, Argentina: Metallogenesis and Resources |journal=Minerals |publisher=[[MDPI]] |last1=Galliski |first1=Miguel Ángel |last3=Roda-Robles |first3=Encarnación |last4=von Quadt |first4=Albrecht |doi=10.3390/min12070841 |year=2022 |last2=Márquez-Zavalía |first2=María Florencia |volume=12 |issue=7 |page=841 |bibcode=2022Mine...12..841G |doi-access=free}}</ref>

In Russia the largest lithium deposit Kolmozerskoye is located in [[Murmansk]] region. In 2023, Polar Lithium, a joint venture between Nornickel and Rosatom, has been granted the right to develop the deposit. The project aims to produce 45,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate and hydroxide per year and plans to reach full design capacity by 2030.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polar Lithium awarded right to develop Russia's largest lithium deposit |date=9 February 2023 |url=https://metals-news.com/breaking-news/polar-lithium-awarded-right-to-develop-russias-largest-lithium-deposit/ |access-date=22 July 2023 |archive-date=22 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722162141/https://metals-news.com/breaking-news/polar-lithium-awarded-right-to-develop-russias-largest-lithium-deposit/ |url-status=live}}</ref>