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World’s Largest Amount Of Lithium Discovered In United States, Here’s Why It’s A BIG Deal

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A massive deposit of lithium was discovered near the Nevada-Oregon border that many experts believe is the world’s largest.

A group of volcanologists and geologists from GNS Science, Lithium America, and Oregon State University made the new findings and published them in Science Advances.

The massive deposits of Lithium were found in McDermitt Caldera which is close to 28 miles long and 22 miles wide.

An early estimation from researchers places the deposits at nearly 40 million metric tons of lithium which is more than Australia and Chile combined.

Here’s what Fox Business shared:

A deposit of lithium recently discovered along the Nevada-Oregon border may be among the world’s largest, having potentially huge implications for the transition to electric vehicles.

Volcanologists and geologists from Lithium Americas Corporation, GNS Science, and Oregon State University reported their findings in a paper for Science Advances, published August 31.

The deposit exists in the McDermitt Caldera, a caldera approximately 28 miles long and 22 miles wide. It is believed that the caldera contains around 20 to 40 million metric tons of lithium – a figure that would dwarf deposits in Chile and Australia.

Belgian geologist Anouk Borst told Chemistry World that the findings “could change the dynamics of lithium globally, in terms of price, security of supply and geopolitics.”

Geopolitical strategist Peter Zeihan told FOX Business that the geology “appears promising” but cautioned that there hasn’t “been significant prospecting in the area.”

Here’s what New York Post reported:

A lithium deposit discovered in a volcanic crater along the Nevada-Oregon border may hold up to 40 million metric tons of the rare metal — possibly the largest ever in the world, which could have a massive impact on the electric vehicle industry, according to a new study.

The deposit hidden within the McDermitt Caldera is estimated to hold between 20 million and 40 million metric tons, which would be nearly double the current record of about 23 million metric tons found over the summer beneath a Bolivian salt flat, researchers reported in Science Advances.

It would also greatly boost America’s overall lithium reserves, which were previously estimated at a paltry 1 million metric tons.

Belgian geologist Anouk Borst said that if the estimate proves true, the sudden overabundance of American lithium — the metal sought after by electric vehicle makers — could have global impacts.


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