Current known lithium reserves are under tremendous pressure due to soaring demand driven by the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries. A recent study by the USGS estimates that there may be approximately 5.1 to 19 million tons of lithium in Southern Arkansas, with the latter representing almost 136% of the United States' current lithium resource estimate.
Delving into the details, this lithium concentration is projected to be in the Smackover Formation brines of Arkansas. The Smackover Formation is a vast and permeable limestone aquifer—a formation of porous limestone rock that can carry water—dating back to the Jurassic geologic era. Importantly, this region is full of mineral-rich brine or salt water. As you may have guessed, these estimates refer not to lithium rocks but to lithium dissolved in brine.
