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Woooah can you see cities being destroyed by demon-rats A Hidden Reserve of Lithium Was Just Discovered — And It's Simply MassiveIt's enough to power electric vehicles globally for 6 years. It changes everything.A new study reveals that ancient brines beneath southern Arkansas may contain between 5.1 and 19 million tons of lithium—enough to meet nine times the expected global demand for car batteries in 2030. Using machine learning models, researchers mapped lithium concentrations within the Smackover Formation, a porous limestone aquifer already used for bromine extraction. If tapped, this lithium resource could significantly reduce U.S. dependence on imports and bolster domestic battery production for electric vehicles (EVs).While the potential to extract lithium alongside existing bromine operations presents a less invasive alternative to traditional mining, environmental experts caution that even this method carries unknown risks. Lithium demand is skyrocketing, with EV batteries accounting for 85% of global lithium use in 2023. As the U.S. looks to scale up production to meet rising demand, balancing environmental concerns with resource extraction will be essential. The study, published in Science Advances, highlights the role of science in advancing sustainable solutions for the transition to green energy.Image: USGS