Editing Lithium (section)

=== Terrestrial ===
{{See also|:Category:Lithium compounds|l1=Lithium compounds|:Category:Lithium minerals|l2=Lithium minerals}}
Although lithium is widely distributed on Earth, it does not naturally occur in elemental form due to its high reactivity.<ref name="krebs">{{Cite book |last=Krebs |first=Robert E. |date=2006 |title=The History and Use of Our Earth's Chemical Elements: A Reference Guide |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, Conn. |isbn=978-0-313-33438-2}}</ref> The total lithium content of seawater is very large and is estimated as 230 billion tonnes, where the element exists at a relatively constant concentration of 0.14 to 0.25 parts per million (ppm),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ioes.saga-u.ac.jp/ioes-study/li/lithium/occurence.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502142924/http://www.ioes.saga-u.ac.jp/ioes-study/li/lithium/occurence.html |archive-date=2 May 2009 |title=Lithium Occurrence |access-date=13 March 2009 |publisher=Institute of Ocean Energy, Saga University, Japan}}</ref><ref name="enc" /> or 25 [[micromolar]];<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Extraction of metals from sea water |date=1984 |publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg |doi=10.1007/3-540-13534-0_3 |volume=124 |pages=91–133 |series=Topics in Current Chemistry |last1=Schwochau |first1=Klaus |title=Inorganic Chemistry |isbn=978-3-540-13534-0 |s2cid=93866412}}</ref> higher concentrations approaching 7 ppm are found near [[hydrothermal vents]].<ref name="enc" />

Estimates for the Earth's [[crust (geology)|crustal]] content range from 20 to 70 ppm by weight.<ref name="kamienski" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/lithium-chemical-element |title=lithium |website=Britannica encyclopedia |access-date=4 August 2020 |archive-date=5 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805231540/https://www.britannica.com/science/lithium-chemical-element |url-status=live}}</ref> In keeping with its name, lithium forms a minor part of [[igneous rock]]s, with the largest concentrations in [[granite]]s. Granitic [[pegmatite]]s also provide the greatest abundance of lithium-containing minerals, with [[spodumene]] and [[petalite]] being the most commercially viable sources.<ref name="kamienski" /> Another significant mineral of lithium is [[lepidolite]] which is now an obsolete name for a series formed by polylithionite and trilithionite.<ref>{{cite book |title=Shriver & Atkins' Inorganic Chemistry |edition=5th |publisher=W. H. Freeman and Company |place=New York |date=2010 |page=296 |isbn=978-0-19-923617-6 |author=Atkins, Peter}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.mindat.org/ |title=Mindat.org – Mines, Minerals and More |website=www.mindat.org |access-date=4 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110422205859/http://www.mindat.org/ |archive-date=22 April 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> Another source for lithium is [[hectorite]] clay, the only active development of which is through the Western Lithium Corporation in the United States.<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Moores, S. |title=Between a rock and a salt lake |journal=Industrial Minerals |date=June 2007 |page=58 |volume=477}}</ref> At 20&nbsp;mg lithium per kg of Earth's crust,<ref>Taylor, S. R.; McLennan, S. M.; The continental crust: Its composition and evolution, Blackwell Sci. Publ., Oxford, 330 pp. (1985). Cited in [[Abundances of the elements (data page)]]</ref> lithium is the 31st most abundant element.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Emsley |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j-Xu07p3cKwC&dq=%2231st+most+abundant+element%22&pg=PA238 |title=Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements |date=2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-850340-8 |language=en}}</ref>

According to the ''Handbook of Lithium and Natural Calcium'', "Lithium is a comparatively rare element, although it is found in many rocks and some brines, but always in very low concentrations. There are a fairly large number of both lithium mineral and brine deposits but only comparatively few of them are of actual or potential commercial value. Many are very small, others are too low in grade."<ref>Garrett, Donald (2004) ''Handbook of Lithium and Natural Calcium'', Academic Press, cited in ''[http://www.meridian-int-res.com/Projects/Lithium_Microscope.pdf The Trouble with Lithium 2] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714074508/http://www.meridian-int-res.com/Projects/Lithium_Microscope.pdf |date=14 July 2011 }}'', Meridian International Research (2008)</ref>

Chile is estimated (2020) to have the largest reserves by far (9.2 million tonnes),<ref name="uslit" /> and Australia the highest annual production (40,000 tonnes).<ref name="uslit" /> One of the largest ''reserve bases''<ref group=note name=res>[http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/2011/mcsapp2011.pdf Appendixes] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106013449/http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/2011/mcsapp2011.pdf |date=6 November 2011 }}. By USGS definitions, the reserve base "may encompass those parts of the resources that have a reasonable potential for becoming economically available within planning horizons beyond those that assume proven technology and current economics. The reserve base includes those resources that are currently economic (reserves), marginally economic (marginal reserves), and some of those that are currently subeconomic (subeconomic resources)."</ref> of lithium is in the [[Salar de Uyuni]] area of Bolivia, which has 5.4 million tonnes. Other major suppliers include Australia, Argentina and China.<ref name="minerals.usgs.gov">{{citation |title=Lithium Statistics and Information |date=2018 |url=http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/lithium/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175050/http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/lithium/ |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |access-date=25 July 2002 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="meridian">{{cite web |url=http://www.meridian-int-res.com/Projects/Lithium_Microscope.pdf |title=The Trouble with Lithium 2 |work=Meridian International Research |date=2008 |access-date=29 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714074508/http://www.meridian-int-res.com/Projects/Lithium_Microscope.pdf |archive-date=14 July 2011}}</ref> As of 2015, the [[Czech Geological Survey]] considered the entire [[Ore Mountains]] in the Czech Republic as lithium province. Five deposits are registered, one near {{ill|Cínovec|cs|Cínovec (Dubí)}} is considered as a potentially economical deposit, with 160 000 tonnes of lithium.<ref>{{cite book |author=Czech Geological Survey |title=Mineral Commodity Summaries of the Czech Republic 2015 |url=http://www.geology.cz/extranet-eng/publications/online/mineral-commodity-summaries/mineral_comodity_summaries_2015.pdf |location=Prague |publisher=Czech Geological Survey |page=373 |date=October 2015 |isbn=978-80-7075-904-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106015520/http://www.geology.cz/extranet-eng/publications/online/mineral-commodity-summaries/mineral_comodity_summaries_2015.pdf |archive-date=6 January 2017 |author-link=Czech Geological Survey}}</ref> In December 2019, Finnish mining company Keliber Oy reported its Rapasaari lithium deposit has estimated proven and probable ore reserves of 5.280 million tonnes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kitco.com/news/2019-12-06/Ore-Reserve-grows-its-Finland-lithium-deposit-by-50.html |title=Ore Reserve grows its Finland lithium deposit by 50% |work=Kitco News |date=2019 |access-date=10 December 2019 |archive-date=10 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210073525/https://www.kitco.com/news/2019-12-06/Ore-Reserve-grows-its-Finland-lithium-deposit-by-50.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

In June 2010, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that American geologists were conducting ground surveys on [[Dry lake|dry]] [[salt lake]]s in western [[Afghanistan]] believing that large deposits of lithium are located there.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?pagewanted=1&hp |title=U.S. Identifies Vast Riches of Minerals in Afghanistan |access-date=13 June 2010 |work=The New York Times |first=James |last=Risen |date=13 June 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617204210/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?pagewanted=1&hp |archive-date=17 June 2010}}</ref> These estimates are "based principally on old data, which was gathered mainly by the [[Soviet Union|Soviets]] during their [[Soviet occupation of Afghanistan|occupation of Afghanistan]] from 1979–1989".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article7149696.ece |location=London |work=The Times |title=Taleban zones mineral riches may rival Saudi Arabia says Pentagon |first1=Jeremy |last1=Page |first2=Michael |last2=Evans |date=15 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514140029/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article7149696.ece |archive-date=14 May 2011}}</ref> The [[The Pentagon|Department of Defense]] estimated the lithium reserves in Afghanistan to amount to the ones in Bolivia and dubbed it as a potential "Saudi-Arabia of lithium".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hosp |first=Gerald |title=Afghanistan: die konfliktreichen Bodenschätze |url=https://www.nzz.ch/wirtschaft/afghanistan-die-konfliktreichen-bodenschaetze-ld.1642056 |access-date=2021-09-01 |website=[[Neue Zürcher Zeitung]] |date=30 August 2021 |language=de |archive-date=8 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908222650/https://www.nzz.ch/wirtschaft/afghanistan-die-konfliktreichen-bodenschaetze-ld.1642056?reduced=true |url-status=live}}</ref> In [[Cornwall]], England, the presence of brine rich in lithium was well known due to the region's historic [[Mining in Cornwall and Devon|mining industry]], and private investors have conducted tests to investigate potential lithium extraction in this area.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bliss |first1=Dominic |title=National Geographic |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/science-and-technology/2021/05/in-cornwall-ruinous-tin-mines-are-yielding-battery-grade-lithium-heres-what-that-could-mean |website=In Cornwall, ruinous tin and copper mines are yielding battery-grade lithium. Here's what that means. |access-date=June 13, 2021 |date=May 28, 2021 |archive-date=13 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613173804/https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/science-and-technology/2021/05/in-cornwall-ruinous-tin-mines-are-yielding-battery-grade-lithium-heres-what-that-could-mean}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Cornwall lithium deposits 'globally significant' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-54188071 |access-date=June 13, 2021 |agency=BBC |date=September 17, 2020 |archive-date=13 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613173803/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-54188071 |url-status=live}}</ref>