A groundbreaking study led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) revealed a potentially massive lithium reserve beneath southwestern Arkansas, which researchers say far exceeds the current worldwide demand.According to the study published in Science Advances, researchers estimate between 5 and 19 million tons of lithium reserves are present in the region. If commercially recoverable, the supply could potentially meet the projected 2030 world demand for lithium in car batteries nine times over, according to a press release Monday by the U.S. agency.
The research, which combined efforts between the USGS and the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment’s Office of the State Geologist, employed a methodology using water testing and machine learning to estimate how much lithium is present in brines within what’s known as the Smackover Formation.
Researchers utilized machine learning—a form of artificial intelligence—to create predictive maps of lithium concentrations throughout the Smackover Formation. Samples from Arkansas were analyzed at the USGS Brine Research Instrumentation and Experimental lab in Reston, Virginia, and compared with historical data from the USGS Produced Waters Database, according to the press release.