Maps of the lithulium deposit under saltan sea
Executive summary
Public reporting and agency briefs establish that a massive lithium-bearing geothermal brine system lies beneath California’s Salton Sea, but none of the supplied sources include a ready-to-download geological map of the deposit; instead they offer estimates of size, depth and developing mapping efforts that agencies and labs are still compiling [1] [2] [3].
1. The claim: how big and where the deposit is said to be
Multiple outlets summarize Department of Energy and laboratory estimates that place extraordinarily large quantities of lithium in geothermal brines beneath the Salton Sea region—figures reported range from about 3,400 kilotons (3.4 million tonnes) of recoverable lithium to headlines citing 18 million metric tons and valuations near $540 billion—reflecting different studies and interpretations of the data [1] [2] [4] [5] [6].
2. What the technical reporting actually maps (and what it does not)
Scientific and state sources describe the reservoir as geothermal brine located roughly 1–3 km below the surface and threaded under the Salton Sea and adjacent “Lithium Valley” lands, tied to the region’s existing geothermal power infrastructure, but the documents in this packet do not include georeferenced maps or downloadable GIS layers showing precise lateral extent or grade distribution of lithium concentrations [2] [7] [3].
3. Who is mapping it and where to look for maps next
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and state agencies are explicitly named as working to map lithium deposits, and the California Energy Commission’s “Lithium Valley” effort frames the region and resources in planning documents that may host maps or data portals; local studies and company technical filings (for projects like Hell’s Kitchen and private developers) are other likely sources of detailed subsurface maps when released publicly [3] [7] [8].
4. Conflicting estimates and why they matter for mapping
Public estimates diverge because they rely on different methodologies—DOE summaries of resource potential, academic extrapolations and industry assessments—and that variability shows up as large differences in tonnage and economic value in media accounts, which in turn complicates any single “official” map until standardized data and peer-reviewed models are published [1] [6] [4].
5. Commercial projects and mapped footprints in permitting records
At least one major project, Hell’s Kitchen, has proceeded through local judicial and permitting steps and will produce site-specific technical maps as part of environmental review and permitting; those project filings are the most credible near-term source for operational footprints and drill locations, though the broader regional geology remains the subject of scientific mapping efforts [8] [3].
6. Environmental and technical caveats that affect mapping reliability
Reporters and scientists caution that geothermal brine lithium concentrations are variable and that the extraction approach is still being scaled, meaning any map that shows “resource” must be read as a probabilistic model rather than a hard orebody boundary; the extraction technology, reinjection plans and hydrology will all alter how the deposit is spatially characterized and regulated [1] [9].
7. Bottom line for someone seeking maps today
No explicit, shareable map of the Salton Sea lithium deposit is included in the provided reporting; the best next steps are to consult the California Energy Commission’s Lithium Valley materials, watch for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory publications or data releases tied to the DOE study, and review county or project-level permitting documents (Hell’s Kitchen, CTR, BHE Renewables, ESM) that will include technical maps once publicly posted [7] [3] [8] [1]. If a downloadable GIS map exists, it was not included in these sources.