USGS: Lithium in Carolinas Could Replace Imports for a Century or More

The lithium is concentrated in the Carolinas, according to estimates in a new USGS scientific paper published in Natural Resources Research, companion to a similar study that estimated 900,000 metric tons of lithium oxide in the northern Appalachians. The lithium is present in pegmatites, large-grained rocks similar to granite.

World lithium production has grown more than 40 times in the past 30 years, driven by the need for lithium-ion batteries that power computers, military equipment, vehicles, phones, electric tools, and energy-grid storage, as well as in aerospace alloys. The USGS study estimated the undiscovered total that could be produced at current prices to meet lithium demand.

Before the boom in lithium demand, North Carolina's Kings Mountain and Hallman-Beam mines produced lithium from pegmatites but closed in the 1990s when production shifted to lower-cost sources such as lithium from dried lakebeds in South America and pegmatites in Australia. At the time, lithium was principally used for ceramics, glass and lubricating grease.

"This research shows that the Carolinas contain enough lithium to help meet the nation's growing needs - a major contribution to U.S. mineral security, at a time when global lithium demand is rising rapidly," said USGS Director Ned Mamula. "USGS mineral science is the leading edge in the effort to restore America's mineral independence by mapping our nation's mineral resources. Everything else follows on the science: permitting reform and other policy changes to support investment in clean, responsible mining to 21^st century standards, and mining workforce training for new American jobs. The United States was the dominant world producer of lithium three decades ago when North Carolina's lithium mines were active, and while the USGS is assessing many other lithium resources, this research highlights the abundant domestic potential."

The estimated 1.43 million metric tons of lithium oxide in the southern Appalachian region would be enough lithium for batteries in:

• 1 million grid-scale batteries large enough to stabilize an electric grid

• 80 million electric vehicles

• 110 billion laptops, or a 600 year-supply of laptops for the world (at 2025 levels)

• 300 billion cellphones, or 36 cellphones for each person on earth

The United States has one sole producer of lithium and relied on imports for more than half the lithium used last year, factors that contributed to its inclusion on the 2025 List of Critical Minerals published by the USGS. The United States also imports lithium indirectly, in the form of lithium-ion batteries inside finished products. While Australia is the world's largest producer of lithium, China is second, and accounts for the majority of world lithium refining and consumption.

The USGS projects that world production capacity for lithium will double again by 2029, driven by increasing demand. Lithium supply security has become a priority for technology companies.