Affiliation:
1. SRK Consulting (UK) Limited
2. SRK Consulting (Chile) SpA
3. SRK Consulting (Argentina) S.A.
Abstract
There are three broad types of economic lithium deposit: 1) peralkaline and peraluminous pegmatite deposits and their associated metasomatic rocks; 2) Li-rich hectorite clays derived from volcanic deposits; 3) salar evaporites and geothermal deposits. Spodumene-bearing pegmatites are the most important and easily exploitable Li deposits, typically containing 0.5 Mt Li. Salar deposits hold the largest Li reserves, can reach up to 7 Mt Li, but are more difficult to exploit. Allowing for recycling, the current predicted demand up to the year 2100 is 20 Mt Li; world resources are currently estimated at more than 62 Mt Li. Thus, abundant resources exist, and no long-term shortage is predicted.
Publisher
Mineralogical Society of America
Subject
Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous),Geochemistry and Petrology
Cited by
75 articles.
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