New Zealand: Lithium Resources from Geothermal Brine in Taupo Volcanic Zone May Not be Economic

Taupo lithium resource potentially economic - GNS (Scoop)

Lithium resources in the Taupo volcanic zone are potentially economic but may require conventional open-cast mining techniques if they are to be developed, delegates at the New Zealand Minerals Forum heard.

Rob Smillie, earth resources and materials manager at GNS Science said investigations of lithium in geothermal brine remains an important area of research for New Zealand.

But GNS suspects the elevated levels of lithium it has discovered around the Wairakei, Tauhara, Ngatamariki and Ohaaki geothermal fields may have been laid down in a similar process to that in Nevada (in the USA).

A lot more work will be needed to understand the area’s mineralogy and where potential deposits may be hosted, Smillie said.

And he noted that at the relatively lower grades seen locally, large, open cast mining could be required to extract it.

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