California's Salton Sea wombs US' largest ‘white gold’ deposit worth up to $540 billion

The Salton Sea could provide enough lithium for 382 million electric vehicles, with economic benefits for Imperial County.

California’s Salton Sea has just made it onto the map of the planet’s largest ‘White gold’ aka lithium deposits, with a value of up to $540 billion.

With $540 billion in lithium, California's Salton Sea could transform U.S. lithium production, benefiting the local economy. REUTERS/Joel Angel Juarez(REUTERS)

This could be a game changer for the U.S., bringing lithium production closer to self-sufficiency and making the country less reliant on imports.

Where is the Salton Sea? The Saudi Arabia of Lithium

The Salton Sea in Imperial County is known as a long-troubled environment. The U.S. Department of Energy came up with recent studies that found there were about 18 million tons of lithium in the region, far more than was previously believed. It could provide enough batteries to power 382 million EVs, more than all the vehicles on the roads in the States now.

“This is one of the largest lithium brine deposits in the world. This could make the United States completely self-sufficient in lithium and stop importing it through China,” Michael McKibben, a geochemistry professor at UC Riverside, told Daily Galaxy.

Governor Gavin Newsom has dubbed the Salton Sea the ‘Saudi Arabia of lithium,’ with lithium demand soaring due to the global push for EVs.

Lithium mining cautions 180,000 strong Imperial County

Imperial County, one of California’s poorest regions, could see an economic boost. Officials have rebranded it as ‘Lithium Valley,’ hoping mining will generate jobs and local revenue. Mining revenue will be assigned to area development, 80%, potentially transforming the place.

But toxic dust has become a public health issue since the Salton Sea receded. The 180,000 people who live in the area could be affected by mining operations making it worse.

Extracting lithium here involves drilling deep to access lithium-rich brine and pumping the liquid back underground for geothermal energy generation. Lithium extraction is also water-intensive, which could worsen shortages in the already struggling Colorado River.

Local Native American tribes are also fearing damage to sacred sites like Obsidian Butte.