Critical minerals research is urgent for aiding the global transition to clean energy, and for ensuring the required elements are extracted in a sustainable way. Our scientists study how lithium—a key component of batteries—moves and evolves within geologic environments in order to identify new methods of lithium extraction. We also lead large-scale resource assessments, such as the first comprehensive effort to quantify the amount of lithium present in the geothermal brines beneath California’s Salton Sea. Located in California’s so-called “Lithium Valley,” the Salton Sea geothermal field potentially holds enough lithium to exceed America’s domestic rechargeable battery needs.

EGD scientists are also developing a machine learning framework to quickly identify and characterize areas rich in rare earth elements and critical minerals in the waste from the mining and utilization of coal and sulfide.