November BRGS Meeting: Overview of U.S Lithium Resources

Join us Friday, November 8, 2024

as Chris McLindon

presents

An Overview of U.S. Lithium Resources

Abstract

Lithium was designated as a critical mineral by the U.S. Department of Interior in 2018.  It is an essential component of lithium-ion batteries that have been used in consumer electronics since the 1990s.  Future demand for lithium will come mainly from electric vehicles and utility-scale energy storage.  Global lithium production currently comes primarily from Australia, Chile, Argentina and China.  The U.S. is a minor producer at present but has significant undeveloped resources.

An overview of the chemical properties and natural occurrence of lithium will provide a basis of the review of four of the major U.S. resources – King’s Mountain, North Carolina (pegmatite), Thacker Pass and Rhyolite Ridge, Nevada (volcanic-sourced clay), Silver Peak, Nevada (salar aquifer brine) and the Smackover Formation of East Texas and south Arkansas (deep reservoir brine).  Recovery methods, processing and total potential for each resource area will be discussed.  These four major resource types account for nearly all of the global lithium reserves.

Biography 

As Director of Energy Education and Outreach at the Louisiana State University (LSU) Center for Energy Studies, Chris McLindon oversees the development and implementation of educational programs aimed at preparing the next generation of energy leaders.  He also engages with key stakeholders, including policymakers, industry professionals and the general public to promote awareness and understanding of key energy issues.   He was previously founder and President of McLindon Geosciences, LLC, a subsurface geophysical interpretation consulting firm.

Chris worked for four decades as a geologist in the upstream oil and gas industry, and more recently as a geologist in the carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry. The latter experience included exploration and development of new sites for CO₂ sequestration in Louisiana and Texas, development of geological models for CO₂ injection simulation, and geological site characterization for Class VI permit applications for CCS projects in Louisiana and Texas.