The data included here were used to evaluate the prospectivity for lithium in brines of playas of the western part of the Basin and Range Physiographic Province of the United States. Prospectivity is derived from the mappable criteria used in the descriptive deposit model published by Bradley and others (2013) and focused mainly from the remote sensing point of view. The playas in the study area have been ranked according to size (compared to Clayton Valley, the only area where lithium from brines is being produced in the country), the presence and abundance of source rocks, vegetation (as an indicator of water), reported prospects, and remote sensing data. The remote sensing products used are from data acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensor because it has regional coverage not available with other sensors. New in this version: Four records in the Playas feature class ( and the corresponding shapefile and csv files) were modified, affecting the Prospects, Score, and Rank fields.

The data included here were used to evaluate the prospectivity for lithium in brines of playas of the western part of the Basin and Range Physiographic Province of the United States. Prospectivity is derived from the mappable criteria used in the descriptive deposit model published by Bradley and others (2013) and focused mainly from the remote sensing point of view. The playas in the study area have been ranked according to size (compared to Clayton Valley, the only area where lithium from brines is being produced in the country), the presence and abundance of source rocks, vegetation (as an indicator of water), reported prospects, and remote sensing data. The remote sensing products used are from data acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensor because it has regional coverage not available with other sensors.

This data release provides quantitative whole rock geochemical results from The Geysers vapor-dominated geothermal field in California. The concentrations of major elements are reported in oxide weight percent by wavelength dispersive x-ray fluorescence (WDXRF), the concentrations for sixty elements are reported in elemental weight percent (pct) or parts per million (ppm) from inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry-mass spectrometry ICP-OES-MS analysis, mercury is reported in ppm by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS), and ammonium in ppm from automated colorimetry analysis. The analyses show significant enrichment of volatile elements and elements such as sulfur, boron, arsenic, and mercury. Mineral scales from the Northwest Geysers are characterized by high concentrations of ammonium and mercury while the mineral scales from the Central and Southeast Geysers are enriched in boron, iron and sulfur. The mineral scales from orifice plates and condensers contain significant concentrations of Cr, Ni, Co, Zn, and W which are common contaminants from rusted steel equipment.

This data release provides quantitative whole rock geochemical results from The Geysers vapor-dominated geothermal field in California. The concentrations of major elements are reported in oxide weight percent by wavelength dispersive x-ray fluorescence (WDXRF), the concentrations for sixty elements are reported in elemental weight percent (pct) or parts per million (ppm) from inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry-mass spectrometry ICP-OES-MS analysis, mercury is reported in ppm by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CVAAS), and ammonium in ppm from automated colorimetry analysis. The analyses show significant enrichment of volatile elements and elements such as sulfur, boron, arsenic, and mercury. Mineral scales from the Northwest Geysers are characterized by high concentrations of ammonium and mercury while the mineral scales from the Central and Southeast Geysers are enriched in boron, iron and sulfur. The mineral scales from orifice plates and condensers contain significant concentrations of Cr, Ni, Co, Zn, and W which are common contaminants from rusted steel equipment.

This data release provides the descriptions of approximately 20 U.S. sites that include mineral regions, mines, and mineral occurrences (deposits and prospects) that contain enrichments of lithium (Li). This release includes sites that have a contained resource and (or) past production of lithium metal greater than 15,000 metric tons. Sites in this database occur in Arkansas, California, Nevada, North Carolina, and Utah. There are several deposits that were not included in the database because they did not meet the cutoff requirement, and those occur in Arizona, Colorado, the New England area, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Wyoming. In the United States, lithium was first mined from pegmatite orebodies in South Dakota in the late 1800s. The Kings Mountain pegmatite belt of North Carolina also had significant production from pegmatites, and the area may still contain as much as 750 million metric tons (Mt) of ore containing 5 Mt lithium metal (Kesler and others, 2012). In 2018, U.S. production of lithium was restricted to a single lithium-brine mining operation in Nevada. In 2018, the U.S. had a net import reliance as a percentage of apparent consumption of more than 50 percent for lithium (U.S. Geological Survey, 2019). The U.S. is not a significant producer of lithium, so the commodity is mainly imported from Chile and Argentina to meet consumer demand. Lithium is necessary for strategic, consumer, and commercial applications. The primary uses for lithium are in batteries, ceramics, glass, metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, and polymers (U.S. Geological Survey, 2019). Lithium has excellent electrical conductivity and low density (lithium metal will float on water), making it an ideal component for battery manufacturing. Lithium is traded in three primary forms: mineral concentrates, mineral compounds (from brines), and refined metal (electrolysis from lithium chloride). Lithium mineralogy is diverse; it occurs in a variety of pegmatite minerals such as spodumene, lepidolite, amblygonite, and in the clay mineral hectorite. Current global production of lithium is dominated by pegmatite and closed-basin brine deposits, but there are significant resources in lithium-bearing clay minerals, oilfield brines, and geothermal brines (Bradley and others, 2017). The entries and descriptions in the database were derived from published papers, reports, data, and internet documents representing a variety of sources, including geologic and exploration studies described in State, Federal, and industry reports. Resources extracted from older sources might not be compliant with current rules and guidelines in minerals industry standards such as National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) or the Joint Ore Reserves Committee Code (JORC Code). The inclusion of a particular lithium mineral deposit in this database is not meant to imply that the deposit is currently economic. Rather, these deposits were included to capture the characteristics of the larger lithium deposits in the United States, which are diverse in their geology and resource potential. Inclusion of material in the database is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The authors welcome additional published information in order to continually update and refine this dataset. Bradley, D.C., Stillings, L.L., Jaskula, B.W., Munk, LeeAnn, and McCauley, A.D., 2017, Lithium, chap. K of Schulz, K.J., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., Seal, R.R., II, and Bradley, D.C., eds., Critical mineral resources of the United States—Economic and environmental geology and prospects for future supply: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1802, p. K1–K21, https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1802K. Kesler, S.E., Gruber, P.W., Medina, P.A., Keoleian, G.A., Everson, M.P., and Wallington, T.J., 2012, Global lithium resources—relative importance of pegmatite, brine and other deposits: Ore Geology Reviews, v. 48, October ed., p. 55—69. U.S. Geological Survey, 2019, Mineral commodity summaries 2019:

Stable isotope compositions (the ratios deuterium/hydrogen, oxygen-18/oxygen-16, and sulfur-34/sulfur-32) are reported for alunite, jarosite, kaolinite, silica, cinnabar, marcasite, and native sulfur from outcrops in and around the workings of the Sulphur Bank mercury mine, Lake County, California, and chemical compositions are reported, from electron microprobe analyses, for alunite and buddingtonite. Isotope analyses are given also for hydrogen sulfide gas from active fumaroles and for soluble sulfate in samples of mine waste. The waste results reflect fine grained material (particles less than 0.063 millimeter in diameter) that were taken from composites, each composite representing a particular waste pile that was active during a particular period of mining.

Stable isotope compositions (the ratios deuterium/hydrogen, oxygen-18/oxygen-16, and sulfur-34/sulfur-32) are reported for alunite, jarosite, kaolinite, silica, cinnabar, marcasite, and native sulfur from outcrops in and around the workings of the Sulphur Bank mercury mine, Lake County, California, and chemical compositions are reported, from electron microprobe analyses, for alunite and buddingtonite. Isotope analyses are given also for hydrogen sulfide gas from active fumaroles and for soluble sulfate in samples of mine waste. The waste results reflect fine grained material (particles less than 0.063 millimeter in diameter) that were taken from composites, each composite representing a particular waste pile that was active during a particular period of mining.

Surface water, springs and wells in Pinnacles National Park (San Benito and Monterey Counties, CA) were sampled in the Fall of 2016 and Spring of 2017. Field parameters such as in situ pH, TDS/conductivity, and temperature were assessed. GPS coordinates for all samples were taken. Comprehensive groundwater chemistry, including major and minor elements, alkalinity, nutrients (and other parameters), Sr isotopes and REE concentrations, was analyzed at the National Water Quality Lab, USGS, Denver CO; and in USGS labs in Menlo Park, CA. One field visit on 8/20/2017 was made to obtain rock samples from the volcanic and sedimentary rocks in and around the park, which were digested and analyzed for whole rock chemistry (XRF, OES, ICP MS) by the Analytical Chemistry Lab (Mineral Resources Program, USGS, Denver CO). Sr isotopes for these samples were analyzed in the Menlo Park Metal Isotope Lab at the USGS. Precipitation was collected in a bulk collector during the winter of 2016-2017 and the chemistry and Sr isotopes of bulk samples was analyzed by ICP-MS or TIMS at the USGS Metal Isotope Lab in Menlo Park, CA.

Surface water, springs and wells in Pinnacles National Park (San Benito and Monterey Counties, CA) were sampled in the Fall of 2016 and Spring of 2017. Field parameters such as in situ pH, TDS/conductivity, and temperature were assessed. GPS coordinates for all samples were taken. Comprehensive groundwater chemistry, including major and minor elements, alkalinity, nutrients (and other parameters), Sr isotopes and REE concentrations, was analyzed at the National Water Quality Lab, USGS, Denver CO; and in USGS labs in Menlo Park, CA. One field visit on 8/20/2017 was made to obtain rock samples from the volcanic and sedimentary rocks in and around the park, which were digested and analyzed for whole rock chemistry (XRF, OES, ICP MS) by the Analytical Chemistry Lab (Mineral Resources Program, USGS, Denver CO). Sr isotopes for these samples were analyzed in the Menlo Park Metal Isotope Lab at the USGS. Precipitation was collected in a bulk collector during the winter of 2016-2017 and the chemistry and Sr isotopes of bulk samples was analyzed by ICP-MS or TIMS at the USGS Metal Isotope Lab in Menlo Park, CA.