Posted on 04/08/2025 5:20:03 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
A vast, ancient crater in the western United States may be home to one of the most significant mineral discoveries of the century. Published in the journal Science Advances, researchers have identified a geological formation beneath this site that could dramatically reshape the global landscape for clean energy technology.
A Supervolcano’s Legacy Becomes a Resource Powerhouse
The McDermitt Caldera, measuring 45 by 35 kilometers, was formed 16.4 million years ago following a catastrophic volcanic eruption. Over time, a lake developed inside the caldera, collecting thick layers of volcanic ash and mineral-rich sediments.
These conditions gave rise to lithium-bearing clay minerals, including smectite and, uniquely, illite. What distinguishes this site from other claystone lithium deposits is the exceptional concentration of lithium found in the illite layer at Thacker Pass.
Drill samples revealed lithium concentrations reaching up to 2.4 weight percent, well above the global average for this type of deposit, which typically falls below 0.4 weight percent.
Geologists link this extreme enrichment to a rare, two-stage process. First, lithium-rich volcanic glass was leached by alkaline lake waters, forming magnesian smectite clays.
Later, during a magmatic resurgence about 16.3 million years ago, hydrothermal fluids rich in potassium, fluorine, rubidium, and cesium altered these clays into illite. These fluids traveled through fractures and porous sediment layers, triggering mineral transformation and concentrating lithium levels in the process.
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(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
“The Lithium craze ends when the EV fad is over.”
Flat out no, EVs are only a small fraction of the high density power cell market. The modern world in its current form cannot exist without the energy density of lithium ion cells. Your pocket supercomputer cannot exist without them, your handheld tablet, laptop nope they would cease to exist without the energy density of lithium ion cells. Handheld and implanted medical devices, drones of any form and size, remote underwater vehicles, remote sensing bouys, remote sensing stations...The list goes on and on. The modern world exists BECAUSE OF the energy density of lithium ion cells not in spite of it. There is a multiple trillion dollar market for power cells and a tiny fraction of that is EVs.
Welcome to the 21st century it’s gonna be a great one we boffins are just getting warmed up with advanced tech all of it requires high density power storage to run it.
I am a Ops Geo from time to time we now use multi spectral gamma to steer wells and even realtime triple combo logs with MWD, really high end operators have look ahead active 3D seismic now too. I mostly focus on SWD, brine production and do pro bono in Africa and Latin America for potable water drilling. My third master’s is in Hydro Geology, the first was Petroleum Geosci, second was Remote Sensing specifically 3D seismic inversions so really a geophysics master’s renamed.
Well, there you have it. Good luck in your future endeavors. My career is winding down. I am a prospect generator. None of these private equity companies want to drill with any risk involved. They just want to count sticks on the map and evaluate type curves.
So much truth in that, they want to drop sticks via GIS at XXXX foot laterals and have a Geo then tell them by near by type curves how much $$$$ the two sections has under it. It’s not exploration anymore it’s exploitation at it’s final level. I have done stuff with a company out of S.A. That just drops horizontal well plan sticks and then just drills to plan not even using a Ops Geo to steer the wells they just put monster fracs to the well and expect them to reach all over the payzone they adjust the size of the frac by the type curve of the first two wells on the megapad it’s crazy but it works...most of the time.
I tell all of the younger geologists that you might as well buy a pick because you are miners. I have never done Ops work but I was always told that you put your lateral in the best pay in the section. A millidarcy is better as a flow path than a microdarcy.
I still have my first rock hammer its tip long ago blunted! I keep it to remind me of what my first geology professor said.
“If you didn’t grow it, you mined it”
Later on my sed strat prof said...
“Mine once...use many”
talking about metals and minerals.
I miss them both they passed on years ago.
As pointed out in another thread you are wrong again.
Lithium ion cells make the modern world possible. Your pocket supercomputer, tablet ,laptop, medical devices, sensor packages, drones of all sizes, underwater vehicles, handheld powertools, handheld anything that needs electrons to work.
EVs are a small fraction of the multiple trillion dollar market of high density ppeer cells that the modern world can only exist because of them. There is three more generations of ppwer cells coming the DOD is already using aluminum.graphene cells that can charge in seconds at 66C rates with triple the energy density of lithium. Why drones and robotics.
So no you are just flat out wrong for so many reasons. Lithium is just the first in a host of high density power cells that fundamentally changed the world we live in there is no going back. Lithium will.give way to sodium, potassium, magnesium, and aluminum with the last two being 2+ and 3+ electron shells vs lithium 1+ they double and triple energy held per atom. This is the 21st century. Even if EV didn’t exist there is still a trillion plus dollar market for power cells.
Hint the largest auto market in the world China has already passed 51% electric drivetrains in July of 2024 they are not going back either. China is petroleum poor electricity rich, they are also building 150+ new reactors and have huge solar fields in the deserts connected by HVDC and 1 million volt AC lines. China is kicking butt and taking names in infrastructure projects.
I have a simple question for you: If FOR ANY REASON there was a war with China whose side would you be on?
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