China’s battery factories could be sitting right on top of vast lithium deposits

Lithium deposits formed by ancient volcanic activity may lie beneath parts of China’s battery manufacturing heartland, particularly along the southeastern coast, according to a new study.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, geologist Duan Zheng said that “potential targets for clay-type lithium deposits in southeastern China overlap with lithium battery industrial clusters in East and South China”.

“Local supplies could significantly reduce transport costs and supply-chain risks,” added Duan, who is from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences’ Institute of Geology and one of the authors of the study.