Presence and Distribution of Lithium in Borate Deposits and Some Recent Lake Waters of West-Central Turkey

The presence and distribution of lithium, which is used in a variety of applications in current technology and will be a strategic component in near future technology, has been investigated within the scope of some of Turkey's borate and non-borate Neogene basins and recent lakes. Clay samples from the Turkish borate deposits, Soma lignite basin, and Beypazari trona basin, and water samples from Acigöl, Salda, Yarisçi, Burdur, Egirdir, Tersakan, Bolluk, Karapinar (Acigöl), and Tuzgölü lakes were studied. Analytical results show that the lithium values obtained from clays of borate deposits vary between 0.17 and 0.58% Li2O, and lake water samples contain between 0.30 and 325 mg/l Li+. Lithium is mostly bounded in the clay minerals at the borate deposits. While, the Beypazari trona deposit has lithium between 10 and 46 ppm, the Soma lignite basin does not contain lithium. Therefore, lithium is mainly related to evaporatic formations. These lithium amounts indicate that both the waters of Tuzgölü lake and the clays associated with borate deposits are potential lithium resources, and that they may be considered for economic use in the near future. In western Turkey, geothermal sources mostly depend on the graben faulting system; they also contain minor amounts of lithium.