19 million tons of lithium may be buried under Arkansas

According to researchers, Arkansas could hold massive deposits of lithium, an essential ingredient in the rechargeable batteries found in cell phones and electric vehicles. The state might be sitting on as much as 19 million tons of the mineral, Science Advances reported.

The scientists say they had “calculated that there are 5.1 to 19 million tons of lithium in Smackover Formation brines in southern Arkansas,” making up “35 to 136 percent of the current US lithium resource estimate.” In a Monday release from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the group explained the origins of that deposit: “the Smackover Formation is a relic of an ancient sea that left an extensive, porous, and permeable limestone geologic unit that extends under parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida.”



The USGS calls lithium a critical mineral that can be obtained from brines or salt flats that evaporate. The International Energy Agency estimates that the demand for lithium could expand by more than 40 times by 2040, The Hill noted.

The article explained how the researchers used a mechanical device that could access “published and newly collected brine lithium concentration data,” to produce “a map of predicted lithium concentrations in Smackover Formation brines across southern Arkansas.”

The results are a combination of the work of both the USGS and the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment’s Office of the State Geologist, the USGS release states.

“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,” USGS Director David Applegate said in the release.