Scientists have discovered $540 billion worth of ‘white gold’ sitting underneath a huge lake.
Located in southern California, the Salton Sea is the largest in the state and sits on a lithium reservoir.
While scientists knew that the chemical element was present, they didn’t know how much lithium was beneath the lake—and the true amount is astounding.
Millions of tons of lithium have been found beneath the Salton Sea.
Last year, it was shown that there could be a staggering 18 million tons of lithium – also referred to as ‘white gold’ due to its value and appearance – rather than the previously thought figure of four million tons.
For context, this would adequately power approximately 382 million batteries for electric vehicles.
The true figure was discovered in a study funded by the Department of Energy (DOE). The study researched the Salton Sea to explore just how much lithium is underneath the massive body of water.
California Governor Gavin Newsom told the Salton Sea it is ‘Saudi Arabia of lithium mining.’ It’s now understandable why.
In light of the discovery makes the California-based reservoir the largest in the world.
It’s been called the ‘Saudi Arabia’ of lithium mining.
As of last year, one metric ton of lithium was worth around $29,000.
With that figure in mind, the Salton Sea could be atop $540 billion worth of goods.
Salton Sea Holds Lithium Treasure Trove
One of the study’s 22 authors, Michael McKibben, a geochemistry professor at the University of California, Riverside, told of their findings: “This is one of the biggest lithium brine deposits around the world.
“This could make the United States completely self-sufficient in lithium and prevent importing it through China.”
Others in the industry have hailed the finding as ‘huge.’
Sammy Roth, the climate columnist for the Los Angeles Times, said on KJZZ radio’s The Show: “It is been known for a very long time that there is a whole bunch of lithium in this heated underground pool, kind of deep underneath the southern end of the Salton Sea.”
Lithium is called ‘white gold’ from its white, sand-like appearance.
Roth continued: “There have been companies for decades that have been trying to get lithium out of there, especially in the last decade as electric vehicles and energy storage on the power grid become such a big need.
“But this new report out of the federal government is a popping number. They found sufficient lithium beneath to supply batteries for 382 million electric vehicles. It is more vehicles than on the road in the United States nowadays.
“So, if we could get all that lithium, that would be huge.”
Massive Metal Found Under Moon’s Surface
The scientists have made a fascinating discovery using NASA equipment under the moon’s surface.
Scientists have discovered a gigantic metal structure on the moon and are now trying to determine what it is.
It is probably not an alien space base before you begin to wonder whether we have been observed for millennia like ants.
It is more probable that the metal… thing or whatsovever has occurred naturally. Although it is still very weird and interesting.
It also rams home that even though we have been up to the moon a few times. There is still plenty up there that might stun us and that we know precious little about.
This area of metal is huge, too.
It is buried beneath the moon’s South Pole-Aitken basin. A huge crater and one of the biggest preserved within our solar system.
The structure weighs more than 2.18 billion kilograms and measures more than 300 kilometers in depth and 2,000 kilometers in length.
That is 186 miles deep and 1,243 miles long for those working in different measurements.
The US-based scientists who made the discovery suspect that the ‘anomaly’—as they called it—could be leftover from an asteroid or oxides from the crystallization of a magma ocean.
Sounds cool.
That theory suggests that an asteroid that struck the crater ingrained itself into the moon, which is not scary.
The lead author of this research, Peter B. James from Baylor University in Houston, released a word that said: “One of the reasons of this additional mass is that the metal from the asteroid that initiated this crater is still embedded in the Moon’s mantle.”
Moon’s South Pole Hides Gigantic Metal Anomaly
Concerning the extent of the metal area, he described: “Imagine taking a pile of metal five times bigger than the Big Island of Hawaii and burying it underground.
“That is roughly how much unexpected mass we detected.”
Yikes.
NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission made the fascinating find possible. This mission monitors the moon’s gravitational field and collects data to study its internal makeup.
The South Pole-Aitken basin is of particular interest simply because of its unique nature, and—now—a massive load of metal is buried beneath it.
No doubt they will focus more on it after this recent discovery.
There’s still a great deal that we don’t know about our closest neighbor in the solar system.
