Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Aug 16;8(1):270.
doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00234-y.

Lithium enrichment in intracontinental rhyolite magmas leads to Li deposits in caldera basins

Thomas R Benson  1 , Matthew A Coble  2 , James J Rytuba  3 , Gail A Mahood  2
Affiliations

Lithium enrichment in intracontinental rhyolite magmas leads to Li deposits in caldera basins

Thomas R Benson et al. Nat Commun. .

Abstract

The omnipresence of lithium-ion batteries in mobile electronics, and hybrid and electric vehicles necessitates discovery of new lithium resources to meet rising demand and to diversify the global lithium supply chain. Here we demonstrate that lake sediments preserved within intracontinental rhyolitic calderas formed on eruption and weathering of lithium-enriched magmas have the potential to host large lithium clay deposits. We compare lithium concentrations of magmas formed in a variety of tectonic settings using in situ trace-element measurements of quartz-hosted melt inclusions to demonstrate that moderate to extreme lithium enrichment occurs in magmas that incorporate felsic continental crust. Cenozoic calderas in western North America and in other intracontinental settings that generated such magmas are promising new targets for lithium exploration because lithium leached from the eruptive products by meteoric and hydrothermal fluids becomes concentrated in clays within caldera lake sediments to potentially economically extractable levels.Lithium is increasingly being utilized for modern technology in the form of lithium-ion batteries. Here, using in situ measurements of quartz-hosted melt inclusions, the authors demonstrate that preserved lake sediments within rhyolitic calderas have the potential to host large lithium-rich clay deposits.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Global lithium resources and total 2015–2050 estimated consumption. Estimates for global Li resources are ~45 Mt Li and include brine, pegmatite, and clay resources, . Global Li reserves (the amount of the resource that is currently economically extractable) are estimated at ~14 Mt Li, primarily from brine and clay deposits, . Future Li consumption (2015–2050) estimates range anywhere from 3–35 Mt Li, depending on the efficiency of Li extraction and projections for electrification of the automobile industry, –, highlighting the need to explore for new resources of Li
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Location maps of global lithium resources and McDermitt Volcanic Field. a Map of worldwide Li brine, clay, and pegmatite resources larger than 100 kt Li, , and locations of volcanic systems analyzed in this study (black squares). b McDermitt Volcanic Field calderas and associated caldera-forming ignimbrites analyzed in this study. Also shown are outcrops of caldera lake sediments, and locations of the Kings Valley Li deposit and Ga, U, and Hg resources in the McDermitt Caldera
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Measured and vapor-loss-corrected Li concentration in homogenized melt inclusions in quartz. a Li covaries with the strongly incompatible element Rb, consistent with it being incompatible in minerals crystallizing within rhyolite magmas, and indicating that it will be enriched by fractional crystallization. Gray line indicates 25 and 50% fractionation of a sample with 1000 ppm Li and 200 ppm Rb, assuming complete incompatibility. Also shown is a cathodoluminescent image (CL) of a quartz phenocryst with analyzed glass inclusions (black blebs) from the Soldier Meadow Tuff of the High Rock Caldera Complex, and locations of SHRIMP-RG pits for indicated data points. b Li vs. F/Cl measured in melt inclusions. Inclusions that have F/Cl greater than the smallest measured value for a given sample have lost vapor and Li prior to entrapment. The amount of Li and vapor loss for each inclusion, compared to the inclusion with the smallest F/Cl, was calculated (see Methods section, Supplementary Fig. 5) and the resulting range of corrected Li values for each sample are indicated by vertical colored bars. Arrows indicate examples of correction for individual analyses, with the associated calculated vapor loss by wt. % shown
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Li enrichment as a function of amount of felsic crustal material incorporated in the rhyolitic magma. a Li concentration (Livc, corrected for vapor loss) vs. Zr in melt inclusions. Li is highest in magmas in intracontinental settings that assimilate thick felsic crust. Inset box illustrates expected trends with increasing differentiation in the presence of zircon and in its absence. b Whole-rock εNd vs. 87Sr/86Sri of rhyolites with possible components (M: depleted mantle, AT: field for accreted island arc terranes, SB: Steens basalt, YB: Yellowstone basalt, CG: Cretaceous granite of the Santa Rosa Range, Nevada). The sizes of rhyolite data points correspond to average Livc in melt inclusions. Simple isotopic mixing curves (gray lines) for Yellowstone and McDermitt demonstrate that these moderately Li-enriched magmas incorporated ~10% and ~50% felsic crust, respectively. Isotopic and concentration values and data sources appear in Supplementary Data 1 and 3
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Schematic model for the formation of caldera-hosted Li clay deposits. Rhyolitic magmas in continental settings have elevated Li concentrations such that eruptions voluminous enough to result in caldera collapse produce volcanic products with sufficient total Li to form economic deposits. Post-caldera magmatism contributes additional Li via lavas and outgassing of intrusions; it also generates hydrothermal systems focused along caldera ring fractures. Li is leached from ignimbrite and caldera-related lavas by meteoric and hydrothermal fluids and is deposited in hectorite clays formed within ash-rich caldera lake sediments
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. International Panel on Climate Change. Renewable Energy Sources And Climate Change Mitigation 230 (IPCC, 2011).
    1. American Physical Society. Energy Critical Elements: Securing Materials for Emerging Technologies 28 (APS, 2008).
    1. Graedel TE, Harper EM, Nassar NT, Nuss P, Reck BK. Criticality of metals and metalloids. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2015;112:4257–4262. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1500415112. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chakhmouradian AR, Smith MP, Kynicky J. From ‘strategic’ tungsten to ‘green’ neodymium: a century of critical metals at a glance. Ore Geol. Rev. 2015;64:455–458. doi: 10.1016/j.oregeorev.2014.06.008. - DOI
    1. Kesler SE, et al. Global lithium resources: relative importance of pegmatite, brine and other deposits. Ore Geol. Rev. 2012;48:55–69. doi: 10.1016/j.oregeorev.2012.05.006. - DOI

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources