WELLINGTON, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand and international researchers have found a newly characterized type of lithium deposit in an extinct supervolcano in Nevada of the United States, which could place the site among the largest known lithium reserves in the world.
The site contains extremely high concentrations of lithium, more than double that of other claystone lithium resources around the world, according to a study released on Thursday in the Journal "Science Advances."
The mine is situated at the southern portion of McDermitt Caldera, where claystone lake sediments of volcanic origin, bearing clay minerals such as smectite and illite, have been enriched with lithium, the study showed.
The uniquely dense lithium enrichment of the sediment is a result of previously unidentified hydrothermal processes, which has not been previously identified in other volcano-sedimentary lithium resources, said researchers from New Zealand's GNS Science, Canada's Lithium Americas Corporation, as well as the Columbia University and the Oregon State University of the United States.
Research suggests that lithium enrichment occurred during and after the caldera's formation around 16.4 to 16.1 million years ago.
Matthew Coble, research scientist at GNS Science, said the study highlights the unique combination of geological and volcanological conditions necessary to concentrate lithium and form extremely high-grade deposits.
"While many calderas worldwide, including New Zealand, have similar caldera lake sediments and can contain lithium at various concentrations, they do not contain the same unique sequence of events that appear to be a prerequisite for forming the extremely high-grade lithium deposits found at Thacker Pass in Nevada," said Coble, also an author of the study.
To meet the growing demand for lithium-ion batteries as the energy and transportation sectors decarbonize, mining companies and researchers are rushing to identify additional lithium resources. ■
