Geology, Geochemistry, and Hydrogeology of Lithium Brines

摘要

Global demand for lithium has been increasing since the mid-1900s. In particular, the past few decades have shown that the demand for lithium has been elevated because it is a critical and technologically important element used extensively in the production of batteries for electric cars and portable electronic devices. Lithium is found in three main deposit types: 1) pegmatites, 2) continental brines, and 3) clays. Continental brines provide approximately three-fourths of the world's produced lithium due to the relatively low production cost, and are becoming even more important with the development of new extraction technologies. Understanding the genesis of Li-brine deposits is essential to improving exploration models for discovery of new deposits. This short paper will summarize the geology, geochemistry and hydrogeology of these systems.