World's largest hard-rock lithium deposit lies unmined in Maine; geologists think New England may have many more

Mary Freeman holds a spodumene crystal, which contains lithium.
(Photo by Garrick Hoffman, The Maine Monitor)

Gem hunters Mary and Gary Freeman found the world's largest lithium deposit in Newry, Maine, "at a time when the material is desperately needed for the clean energy transition," but it will remain unmined for now because of state law, report Alana Semuels of Time magazine and Kate Cough of The Maine Monitor. The deposit sits in the Plumbago North reserves; it is spodumene, crystals rich in lithium. "This is one of the few lithium deposits in the U.S. currently found in hard rock, which means it is higher-quality and faster to process than lithium mined from brine. . . . Geologists say there's also likely a lot more lithium in spodumene deposits across New England. Communities that haven't had working mines in years may soon find themselves a key source for lithium and other minerals needed for car batteries, solar panels, and many of the objects people will need more of to transition themselves off fossil fuels."

In Silver Peak, Nev., lithium is extracted with brine evaporation
pools. (Photo by David Calvert, The Nevada Independent)

For the U.S. to exit a fossil-fuel economy, massive amounts of lithium are needed, and yet, "There is only one operational lithium mine in the U.S., in Nevada, and one operational rare-0earth element mine, in Mountain Pass, Calif., meaning that the U.S. is dependent on other countries for the materials essential for clean energy technologies like batteries, wind turbines, and solar panels," Semuels and Cough write. "Even after they're mined, those materials currently have to be shipped to China for processing since the U.S. does not have any processing facilities." Corby Anderson, a professor at the Colorado School of Mines, told Time: "If we're talking about critical metals and materials, we're so far behind that it's crazy. . . . The only one we mine and refine in this country is copper."

Newry (Wikipedia map)

The Freemans would like to mine their lithium. "Though it is five miles from the nearest town, Maine is going through an extensive review process to decide whether to let the couple keep digging," Semuels and Cough report. "Many geologists agree that the Freemans’ proposal would not be as disruptive as other proposed mines across the country. Other metals (like nickel, silver, and zinc) typically occur in bands of rock deep below the surface that contain iron sulfides, which create sulfuric acid when exposed to air and water, polluting waterways for decades, a phenomenon known as acid mine drainage. . . . But like just about everywhere in the U.S. where new mines have been proposed, there is strong opposition. Maine has some of the strictest mining and water quality standards in the country and prohibits digging for metals in open pits larger than three acres. There have not been any active metal mines in the state for decades, and no company has applied for a permit since a particularly strict law passed in 2017. As more companies begin prospecting in Maine and searching for sizable nickel, copper, and silver deposits, towns are beginning to pass their own bans on industrial mining."