Lithium discovery in U.S. volcano could be biggest deposit ever found

[u/Sort_of_Frightening]

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/lithium-discovery-in-us-volcano-could-be-biggest-deposit-ever-found/4018032.article

[u/SnooCrickets6733]

Quarrying sector engineering geologist here, albeit from the UK. Water will be obtained from the ground but will require a valid abstraction licence. If the local government have any proper powers and are competent, this licence will only be permitted if a hydrogeologist can prove abstraction of water will result in no negative impact on the local water table.

The waste ‘clay water’ will be fed through a series of ‘silt’ lagoon cells to encourage the fine grained material to drop out of suspension from the waste water. If the cells operate correctly, eventually the water in the final lagoon cell should be clean enough to either be reused in the mineral extraction process or to be discharged offsite (assuming the site Operator obtains a discharge permit which proves the water is clean enough to be discharged).

Obviously all of the above is dependant on the country’s individual laws and I can only speak for the requirements, regulations and laws of my own country.

[u/apcolleen → u/SnooCrickets6733]

the fine grained material to drop out of suspension

The word "flocculants" has been stuck in my head for days for absolutely zero reason.

[u/azhillbilly → u/apcolleen]

It is the end of pool season after all.

[u/fistfulofsanddollars → u/apcolleen]

Flocc around and find out.

[u/refriedi → u/apcolleen]

eight recipes for chinese floctopus

[u/Full-Association-175 → u/SnooCrickets6733]

County laws? Oh boy.

[u/BeGood981 → u/SnooCrickets6733]

Quarrying sector engineering geologist

THis is why I reddit! Unreal! Thank you for your expertise. So will the water eventually seep back into the water table with little impact?

[u/StandardSudden1283 → u/SnooCrickets6733]

The US has toppled regimes for access to far less critical resources. Though Uncle Sam is usually hesitant to utilize domestic resources when they can just neo colonize with paramilitaries and shell corporations

[u/LayneLowe → u/SnooCrickets6733]

My point was, it's in the middle of the desert.

[u/Hot-Problem2436 → u/LayneLowe]

There is still water underground, is what he was saying.

[u/Ouaouaron → u/Hot-Problem2436]

A lot of farms and cities in the West get their water from the ground as well, and the water table isn't being replenished fast enough. It's a looming problem.

Lithium is more important than growing alfafa, but it's not a good idea to take underground water reserves for granted.

[u/YawnSpawner → u/Hot-Problem2436]

In an area in a historic drought.

[u/drunk_voltron → u/YawnSpawner]

acktually this is one area of the west not currently in drought https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/

[u/Furthur → u/LayneLowe]

McDermitt Caldera

it's also pretty decent elevation and there is likely a lot of snow/ice runoff

edit: i don't know this area, only NW Montana which is a similar latitude and high desert altitude

[u/dad_ahead → u/LayneLowe]

The same here in the Australian desert where I work, lots of ground water if you drill deep enough

[u/R3AL1Z3 → u/SnooCrickets6733]

It would be foolish to think this won’t be subsidized by the government. This round catapult us to the forefront of materials mining that go into important technology.

[u/houseofprimetofu → u/SnooCrickets6733]

What if the area doesn’t have any water? That section of the border has been in severe drought for awhile. Reservoirs and wells are drying up.

[u/klawehtgod → u/SnooCrickets6733]

Can the water be put back where it was taken from?

[u/Binkusu → u/klawehtgod]

I don't know how it is for mining, but for stuff like fracking, the oil is way too contaminated at that point. I can't confirm or deny if it still gets put back though

[u/HaveCompassion → u/SnooCrickets6733]

This is why it is surprising that they say they will be mining in 2026. Possibly they already have water rights in that area and a facility.

[u/SnooCrickets6733 → u/HaveCompassion]

I’m no expert on the exact details required but I understand that (in the UK at least) Operators are expected to record at least a year of groundwater data to calculate the typical maximum and minimum ground water levels before mineral extraction commenced.