Pre- and post-eruptive geochemical and isotopic fingerprints of rhyolites parental to volcano-sedimentary lithium brine and clay resources in the western USA & central Andes
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Abstract
Lithium is a high-demand, critical element used not only in lightweight rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, but also in nuclear applications and industries producing ceramics, aluminum, and medical products. It is extracted primarily from pegmatites and volcano-sedimentary brines and clays in arid, closed lacustrine or caldera basins. Lithium brines of the central Andean salars in the AltiplanoPuna Plateau contain around ~70% of the world’s lithium resources. In contrast, Clayton Valley, Nevada is the only current producer of lithium brines in the United States and accounts for ~6% of current global lithium production. Clayton Valley hosts a newly defined Li-clay resource where locally exposed rhyolite tuffs have been proposed as a lithium source. Identifying magma evolution processes and determining the importance of syn- and post-eruptive processes on the source, mobility, and distribution of lithium is an ongoing area of research. These two regions illustrate distinctive magmatic-tectonic regimes for volcano-sedimentary lithium enrichment and therefore represent ideal regions to explore the key geological processes critical to the enrichment of lithium resources.
Study Area
| Publication type | Conference Paper |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Conference Paper |
| Title | Pre- and post-eruptive geochemical and isotopic fingerprints of rhyolites parental to volcano-sedimentary lithium brine and clay resources in the western USA & central Andes |
| Volume | 3 |
| Year Published | 2025 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits |
| Contributing office(s) | Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center |
| Description | 4 p. |
| First page | 920 |
| Last page | 923 |
| Conference Title | 18th SGA Biennial Meeting |
| Conference Location | Golden, CO |
| Conference Date | August 3-7, 2025 |
| Country | Argentina, United States |
| Other Geospatial | Clayton Valley, Puna Plateau |