A recent study by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with the Arkansas Office of the State Geologist, has revealed a surprising finding: the Smackover Formation, a vast geological unit underlying parts of the southern United States, hosts a significant amount of lithium in their brines. This discovery has important implications for domestic lithium production and the transition to clean energy.
The Smackover Formation, a remnant of an ancient Jurassic sea, is known for its abundant oil and bromine deposits. However, this study has shown that it also contains a valuable resource that until now had gone unnoticed, lithium dissolved in brines.
Using a novel methodology that combines sample analysis with machine learning, a type of Artificial Intelligence, USGS researchers have managed to estimate for the first time the total amount of lithium present in the southwestern part of the Smackover Formation in Arkansas.
The results are astonishing, because the amount of lithium estimated in this region could be enough to replace US imports of this mineral, crucial for the manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles and other energy storage technologies.
This finding is especially relevant in the current context of growing global demand for lithium, driven by the transition to renewable energy and the electrification of transport. The US, which currently imports more than 25% of the lithium it consumes, could benefit enormously from the exploitation of this domestic resource.
Extraction of lithium from the brines of the Smackover Formation offers a unique opportunity to obtain this strategic mineral in a more sustainable waysince a byproduct of oil and gas operations that would otherwise be considered waste would be used.
It is important to highlight that The study’s estimates refer to the total amount of lithium present in the geological formation, not the amount that can be extracted in a technically and economically viable way.. More research is needed to evaluate the feasibility of extraction and determine the best technologies to recover lithium from brines.
The discovery of lithium in the Smackover Formation opens new possibilities for the national production of this critical mineral, contributing to energy security and the development of clean technologies.
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