According to information presented by three volcanologists and geologists
from Lithium Americas Corporation, GNS Science, and Oregon State University,
the McDermitt Caldera, located on the border between Nevada and Oregon, may
contain some of the world's biggest known lithium reserves. Thomas Benson,
Matthew Coble, and John Dilles analyzed sections of the caldera in their
study, which was published in the journal Science Advances. From there, they
devised a theory to explain how so many lithium deposits evolved in the
region.
Lithium has gained significant value over the last few decades mainly
because of its extensive application in various battery types. Scientists at
mining firms like Lithium Americas Corporation have been searching for
sources because of its continuous growth in value.
The dimensions of the McDermitt Caldera are around 45 km long and 35 km
broad. Previous studies have shown that it originated as a component of the
Yellowstone hotspot, which caused a series of calderas to emerge. It was
first created about 19 million years ago.
Another group of researchers discovered data in 2017 suggesting that
Thacker Pass, a section of the caldera, may have some of the greatest
lithium deposits ever discovered. After acquiring a stake in the location,
Lithium Americas started conducting mining operations tests. Locals and
Native American organizations soon began to oppose them, but they finally
prevailed and were allowed to mine at the location.
In an effort to determine the ideal location for the start of significant
mining activities, the research team has been gathering and examining
samples ever since. However, in order to locate it, they—along with a large
number of other specialists in the field—think that they need to figure out
how the lithium got there in the first place. The researchers provide a
theory in their article, which Lithium Americas intends to use when it
starts its mining operations.
According to their idea, the Montana Mountains were formed as a result of a
hydrothermal enrichment that took place after a volcano erupted and caused
magma to force its way to the caldera's core. Due to the cracks, fissures,
and fractures that resulted from it, lithium was able to flow upward toward
the surface. A large portion of the smectite was also converted by this
process into illite, which are various types of clay minerals that end up
around the basin's southern rim. That, they think, explains the high
concentration of lithium in that area.
