A trio of volcanologists and geologists from Lithium Americas Corporation, GNS Science, and Oregon State University (USA) discovered the McDermitt Caldera, an ancient extinct volcano located on the border between Nevada and Oregon, can accommodate part of the deposit lithium The largest known in the world. It is a very valuable mineral for its applications in industry, especially in the production of batteries for mobile phones and electric cars.
In his research published in the journal Science Developments, Thomas Benson, Matthew Coble and John Dilles examined parts of the caldera and believe they have discovered how much lithium is formed in that area. Although the site’s existence has been known for several years, This new study confirms the magnitude of the rates.
In recent years, lithium has become a very valuable soft metal, especially due to its use in industrial applications. a wide variety of battery types. As its value continues to rise, scientists working at mining companies such as the Lithium Americas Corporation are looking for deposits where they can mine this increasingly in-demand material.
McDermitt Caldera is a volcanic formation approximately 45 kilometers long. and 35 kilometers wide. It is probably the oldest of the series of calderas formed by the Yellowstone eruption. A large lava dome was initially formed due to eruptions recorded in the region 19 million years ago. But later this lava dome collapsed and formed a caldera (a type of crater) after an eruption 16 million years ago.
In 2017, another research team found evidence that a section of the caldera called Thacker Pass may be one of the largest sources of lithium ever found. Lithium Americas obtained a license at this location and began mining mining. However, they soon faced opposition from neighbors and Native American groups, but eventually the company was granted the right to mine there.
Since then, the research team has been collecting and analyzing samples. looking for the best place to start mining operations. But experts believe that to find such a place, they first need to find an explanation for how lithium formed there. In their paper, the researchers propose a theory that Lithium Americas plans to use to begin mining operations.
This theory suggests that hydrothermal enrichment occurred after the volcano erupted (creating lithium, among other things): deep, underground magma has now worked its way into the center of the caldera, leading to the formation of the Montana mountains. While this was happening, faults, cracks and fractures formed. Lithium was allowed to leach to the surface. This process also converted most of the smectite into illite (different forms of lithium), which ended up along the southern margin of the basin. They concluded that this was the reason why lithium was so abundant there.
The company hopes to get significant benefits Protests continue by neighbors who fear that the exploitation of this material will destroy this area and threaten the peace of the region.
Reference work: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adh8183
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