Researchers say Arkansas may have 19M tons of lithium critical for battery power

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Lithium Americas president and CEO Jonathan Evans discusses the increased investment in the company’s Thacker Pass mine in Nevada on ‘The Bottom Line.’

A new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) found a large amount of lithium reserves in southwestern Arkansas that could help meet rising demand for lithium in electric vehicle car batteries.

USGS worked with the Arkansas Department of Energy and the Environment's Office of the State Geologist to examine a geological unit known as the Smackover Formation to determine the amount of lithium in brines that are co-produced during oil and gas exploration.

The study estimated that there are between 5 million and 19 million tons of lithium reserves present in the formation. While that estimate was of the amount of lithium in place and didn't assess how much of that is technically recoverable, if the reserves can be recovered commercially, the low-end estimate of 5 million tons would be enough to meet the world's projected 2030 demand for lithium batteries in electric vehicles nine times over.

Lithium is a critical mineral that has seen global demand surge in recent years – a trend that's expected to continue as the transition from fossil fuels to electric and hybrid vehicles accelerates in the years ahead given its use in rechargeable EV batteries. The mineral is also used in the production of glass and aluminum products, and can be found in portable electronic devices, electric tools and has energy grid storage applications.

LITHIUM DEPOSIT FOUND IN US MAY BE AMONG WORLD'S LARGEST, STUDY FINDS

A U.S. Geological Survey map of the Smackover Formation and the area sampled in the USGS lithium study. (U.S. Geological Survey / Public Domain / Fox News)

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