Amid a global “white gold” rush, a new study suggested one southern state could have enough recoverable reserves to meet worldwide demand nine times over.
Under then-President Donald Trump, the passage of the Energy Act of 2020 mandated the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintain a List of Critical Minerals, tracking production, demand, and imports. Now, after working with the Office of the State Geologist from the Arkansas Department of Energy and the Environment, a new study found the Natural State had a significant amount of lithium reserves.
Estimated to be somewhere between 5 million and 19 million tons of lithium, critical for the production of electric vehicle batteries, the USGS study suggested the Smackover Formation in southwestern Arkansas has enough of the mineral to meet the global demand for EVs through 2030.
What if we told you there’s enough lithium beneath Arkansas to meet the global demand for car batteries 9 times over by 2030? It’s possible! Learn about this groundbreaking USGS study: https://t.co/4kn3HSrmsi#UnleashTheScience #Lithium #RenewableEnergy #CriticalMinerals pic.twitter.com/buQkmS7ELY
— USGS (@USGS) October 22, 2024
“Our research was able to estimate total lithium present in the southwestern portion of the Smackover in Arkansas for the first time,” said hydrologist Katherine Knierim, principal researcher for the study. “We estimate there is enough dissolved lithium present in that region to replace U.S. imports of lithium and more.”
“It is important to caution that these estimates are an in-place assessment. We have not estimated what is technically recoverable based on newer methods to extract lithium from brines,” she added.
According to the USGS, the United States currently imports over 25% of its lithium, and between 2019-2022 that amounted to 51% from Argentina, 43% from Chile, 3% from China, and 2% from Russia.
In addition to Arkansas which has been tapped for oil and bromine, the Smackover Formation stretches out beneath the surface of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. The estimated reserves rival the current largest known reserves in Chile at 9.3 million tons.
Bolivia and Argentina exceeded Chile as far as measured and indicated lithium at 23 million and 22 million tons respectively. While other uses include the manufacturing of ceramics, glass, lubricating greases, and more, 87% of lithium is used for batteries.
“Lithium is a critical mineral for the energy transition, and the potential for increased U.S. production to replace imports has implications for employment, manufacturing, and supply-chain resilience. This study illustrates the value of science in addressing economically important issues,” said USGS Director David Applegate.
The USGS detailed that the study was made possible through machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence, that combined lithium concentrations in brines with geological data from historic samples to generate maps with predictions on total lithium concentrations.
“The USGS — and science as well — works best as a partnership,” said Knierim, “and this important research was possible because of our strong partnership with the Office of the Arkansas State Geologist.”
Last month, the Biden-Harris administration announced that $3 billion would be awarded to 25 different domestic battery manufacturers in an effort to increase production in a market cornered by China.
“Since Day One of this Administration, President Biden and Vice President Harris have acknowledged that taking action on climate change and rebuilding our domestic manufacturing capacity are mutually reinforcing goals,” a statement from White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi read. “Nowhere is that more true than in the supply chain for a clean energy economy — whether that’s batteries for electric vehicles, energy storage, or a range of other applications.”
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Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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