Richest, hard-rock, lithium deposits may have formed deeper in the Earth

These deposits may have links to the mantle, rather than near-surface sources, say researchers in Western Australia.

The team from Curtin University and the Geological Survey of Western Australia (WA) think this could dramatically reshape the global search for lithium.

Lead author Professor Hugh Smithies says the research shows lithium-rich magmas likely formed when mantle-derived melts were remelted and channelled along major fault zones, enriching ancient crustal rocks — particularly in WA’s Pilbara and Yilgarn cratons.

'This connection to deep mantle magmas and enriched crustal sources helps explain why WA’s ancient terrains, which lack the sedimentary rocks long thought necessary, host some of the world’s largest lithium deposits. It’s a completely new framework for how lithium pegmatites form – and could expand exploration potential into previously overlooked regions,' explains Smithies.