Demand for lithium metal batteries has grown exponentially in the past 20 years, yet scant resources are directly under Western control. Researchers at Stanford University discovered a new lithium source in ancient super volcanoes three years ago. Crater Lake in Oregon is one example of such a geological feature, although there is no evidence the scarce metal is actually there. We share available information as this remarkable discovery unfolds.
Scientific Evidence for This New Lithium Source
The Stanford report dates back a few years ago. More recently, there has been fresh interest in the Smackover Formation limestone deposits that spawned an oil rush in 1922. Vast amounts of oil and gas have been extracted from this huge area since then. It extends across a broad swath of southern North America, through Texas, Southern Kansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and as far as the Gulf of Mexico.
Evidence of the new lithium source follows recent research conducted into the low Smackover mudstone. This is a thick organic-rich series of sediments, including volcanic ash layers containing lithium. Scientists postulate that hydrothermal fluids could have migrated into reservoir rock, suggesting potentially lithium-enriched reservoir brines.
The Economic Potential of This Rare Metal Resource
A tantalizing short Wikipedia article describes this formation as the “only source of commercial bromine in the United States”. A 2022 report estimated the brine contained sufficient lithium to produce lithium batteries for 50 million electric vehicles. But there the trail runs cold, except for a linked article in Green Car Congress.
At that time back in 2022, an Oklahoma company called Galvanic Energy was apparently investigating how to directly extract the metal from the Smackover mudstone. A preliminary study yielded lithium concentrations among the highest known in North American brines. We’d love to learn more about this story, so please write in if you have an update.
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Preview Image: Brown Dense / Smackover in Louisiana
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