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(9) stories found containing 'smackover formation'


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  • Two gentlemen in suits holding ceremonial shovels in front of banner.

    Stardust refinery breaks ground in Oklahoma

    Shane Lasley, Mining News|Updated Jan 23, 2025

    Muskogee Oklahoma facility will produce enough battery-grade lithium for 1 million EVs annually. On Jan. 22, Stardust Power Inc. broke ground on its lithium refinery in Muskogee, Okla., marking a critical milestone in the U.S. energy transition and reinforcing Oklahoma's literal and figurative position at the center of the nation's critical mineral supply chains. "Stardust Power's decision to break ground on its lithium refinery in Muskogee is a significant step forward for...

  • Tablet with Metal Tech News webpage open and the words Top 10 stories 2024.

    Top 10 Metal Tech News articles of 2024

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 31, 2024

    From space tech-enabled copper exploration in Australia to nuclear fuel made in America, MTN counts down the most popular articles of 2024. Over the past year, Metal Tech News writers delivered more than 500 articles with deep insights into the scientific breakthroughs, mining initiatives, government policies, and market conditions that are shaping the future for technology metals and mining technologies. These articles took readers from material science discoveries in the...

  • Flags of France, Italy, Canada, Japan, UK, Germany, U.S. in a row.

    US, Allies seek critical mineral standards

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    With ambitious technological and financial cooperation, Western allies could produce enough critical minerals to meet climate goals. In the aftermath of the COVID pandemic, nations quickly discovered the perils of an uneven distribution of production and processing capabilities in the guise of globalization. Phrases like "near-shoring" and "friend-shoring" led discussions of a green economy as remedies to the trade imbalance between the United States and the People's Republic...

  • Arkansas oil well sits idle surrounded by pine trees and blue sky.

    An Arkansas lithium royalty battle brews

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    Tapping the massive underground resource will hinge on landowner royalty agreement. The promise of lithium beneath Arkansas and five neighboring states cannot be overstated. Arkansas' little corner of the Smackover Formation – a massive permeable limestone geological extending from Florida to Texas – was estimated earlier this month by the U.S. Geological Survey to host between five and 19 million tons of lithium reserves. With such a massive lithium discovery and big names ea...

  • Composite photo of Arkansas flag and barrel of white lithium powder.

    Arkansas sits atop a sea of lithium

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    USGS estimates the Smackover Formation under Arkansas hosts enough lithium for more than 625 million EVs. By applying next-generation machine learning to old-fashioned water sampling, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that there is enough lithium dissolved in salty waters beneath Arkansas to keep America supplied with this critical battery metal for decades. Arkansas happens to sit atop a particularly lithium-rich area of the Smackover Formation, the relic of an ancient sea...

  • Rendering of various electrical apparatus connected to giant battery.

    U.S. invests in domestic minerals, jobs

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    "Investing in America" agenda is expected to generate $16 billion for onshoring critical minerals, processing and battery tech. As part of the Biden-Harris Administration's Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy announced it will be funding over $3 billion to 25 selected projects across 14 states to boost domestic production of batteries and battery materials. The portfolio of selected projects is intended to support projections of over 12,000 battery...

  • Tabletop covered in tools, brine samples and research materials.

    Wastewater brines host a wealth of lithium

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 5, 2024

    The USGS has developed tools to help companies and researchers find them all. United States Global Survey (USGS) reports have long demonstrated that while there is technically plenty of lithium found in the Earth's crust to meet demand, extracting this battery metal in the usual fashion (hard rock mining and brine evaporation) hasn't been very sustainable or cost-effective, requiring large amounts of energy, water, or infrastructure. The highest concentrations of lithium are...

  • Gloved hand sprinkles white lithium powder into a barrel.

    Arkansas taps into its lithium riches

    K. Warner, Metal Tech News|Updated Oct 2, 2024

    U.S. lithium production is ready to tap a massive aquifer that crosses six southern state lines. Global lithium consumption reached 180,000 metric tons in 2023, according to the United States Geological Survey, but the U.S. produces less than 1% of the world's supply. While most of the world's lithium still comes from countries like Australia, Chile, and China, the future of lithium production in the U.S. is ramping up in California, Nevada, and now Arkansas as companies like...

  • ExxonMobil and American flags flying in front of skyscrapers.

    Does lithium boom loom on US horizon?

    Rose Ragsdale, For Metal Tech News|Updated Dec 16, 2023

    The start of ExxonMobil's new lithium production unit in southwestern Arkansas in mid-November highlights rapidly growing industry interest in producing the white mineral from the briny aquifers that proliferate in this region of the United States. Lithium is a crucial component in the manufacture of batteries needed for electric vehicles, and demand for the white mineral is projected to quadruple by 2030. ExxonMobil said its new unit is expected to begin producing the white...