A volcanic crater found on the border between Nevada and Oregon could contain up to 40 million tons of lithium.

Buried beneath an ancient volcanic crater on the Nevada Oregon border sits an enormous deposit of lithium rich clay. Scientists now think this quiet landscape may hold enough lithium to influence the global battery market for decades.

A new study argues that McDermitt caldera may host about 20 to 40 million metric tons of lithium, likely the largest deposit yet identified.

Using the recent United States’ average contract price for lithium carbonate, about 37,000 dollars per ton, that estimate comes out to be nearly $1.5 trillion.

  • MyTurtleSwimsUpsideDown@fedia.io
    23·
    12 hours ago

    Well there goes the US’s chances of being a player in the sodium ion battery race. Our gov won’t support technological advancement while some rich fuck can milk an extant cash cow.

    I mean we’ll still need lithium to transportation for its energy:weight properties but still. Hopefully this turns out to be a good thing.

    Any bets on whether Musk or an oil company is gonna get the first subsidies to start a mine there?

    Sorry for being a downer. I’ve been in a mood this year.