Lithium

Primary Applications

Rechargeable batteries, ceramics and glass, lubricating greases, specialty alloys

Mining Significance

Lithium is produced principally from hard-rock pegmatites, continental brines, and a growing range of clay and geothermal-brine resources. In hard rock, spodumene is a major lithium mineral; brine resources contain lithium in dissolved form rather than a discrete mineral. Resource type strongly controls processing, with hard-rock concentration and conversion differing fundamentally from evaporation or direct-lithium-extraction approaches for brines.

Industries

None listed

Lithium

6.94

Key Properties

Lightest metallic element and least dense solid metal.
Highly reactive alkali metal that readily forms compounds.
High electrochemical potential and low atomic mass make it valuable in rechargeable batteries.
Occurs in minerals and brines rather than as native metal.
Lithium compounds can impart useful thermal and chemical properties to glass and ceramics.

Mining Targets

This element is often found in the following Deposit Types and Mineral targets.

Deposit Type: LCT Pegmatite - Lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites enriched in rare elements and commonly associated with granitic systems.

Mineral: Spodumene - LiAlSi₂O₆ - Spodumene is one of the principal lithium ore minerals in lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites.