With the release of the recent report, "Characterizing the Geothermal Lithium Resource at the Salton Sea" by Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, the first formal assessment of the much-touted lithium resource there is quantified.
As we discovered in our earlier Creative Frontline KPFK Radio broadcast with Imperial Valley's Luis Olmedo of Comite Civico Del Valle, there are three questions of note.
In plain English–
The first is "How much Lithium is available?"
The second is "How long will it last?"
The third is "Will it trigger earthquake swarms on the San Andreas Fault?"
The first two are answered in depth.
The third is anybody's guess.
According to the report, "Seismicity rates to the W of the fault increase moderately during the period of geothermal operations, whereas those to the E of the fault increase significantly."
They relegated the question to page 163, Injection, as in Oklahoma fracking is associated with seismic events–earthquakes.
In summary, the report says, "The detailed subsurface response to the expected increase in injection and production is still unclear, and further study is needed to forecast the seismicity ratio and magnitude."
"Will Lithium Extraction Set Off a Major Earthquake in California?"
