Large Lithium Deposit Likely At Zinnwald Site

ALTENBERG, GERMANY - DECEMBER 13: Thomas Dittrich, a geologist working for Deutsche Lithium GmbH, walks through a shaft rich in Zinnwaldite, a silicate mineral that contains lithium, in a former tin and wolfram mine on December 13, 2017 in Zinnwald near Altenberg, Germany. Deutsche Lithium GmbH has teamed up with Bacanora Minerals and is seeking to mine lithium from a deposit under Zinnwald that Deutsche Lithium CEO Armin Mueller claims will produce 10 thousand tons of lithium compound per year for the next 25 to 30 years. The site straddles the German-Czech border in the Ore Mountains, a region with a long history of mining for tin and other elements going back centuries. Mining in Zinnwald ceased in 1945. While the Zinnwald lithium deposit, which Mueller estimates at 500 thousand tons of lithium coumpound equivalents, is small by global standards, it is among the biggest deposits in Europe and could prove a crucial addition for meeting European demand for lithium in batteries that power electric cars, laptops and other popular devices. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)