The tempo-spatial characteristics and forming mechanism of Lithium-rich brines in China

ABSTRACT With the technological development of exploitation and separation, the primary sources of lithium have gradually changed from ore to brine, which has become the main raw material, accounting for more than 80% of the total production. Resources of lithium-bearing brine are abundant in China. This paper has summarized the spatial and temporal distribution, characteristics, and formation mechanism of the lithium-rich brine in China, aiming to provide a comprehensive set of guidelines for future lithium exploitation from brines. Lithium-rich brines usually exist in modern saline lakes and deep underground sedimentary rocks as subsurface brines. The metallogenic epoch of China’s lithium-rich brine spans from the Triassic to the Quaternary, and these brines exhibit obvious regional distribution characteristics. Modern lithium-rich saline lakes are predominately located in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In comparison, the subsurface lithium-rich brines are mainly distributed in the sedimentary basins of Sichuan, Hubei, Jiangxi provinces and so on in south Block of China, and some are in the western part of the Qaidam Basin in Qinghai province in northwestern China. Lithium-rich saline lakes are belonging to chloride-enriched, sulfate-enriched, and carbonate-enriched, while the deep lithium-rich brines are mainly chloride-enriched in classification. On the whole, the value of Mg/Li in deep brine is generally lower than that of brine in saline lakes. The genesis of lithium-rich brines in China is not uniform, generally there are two processes, which are respectively suitable for salt lakes and deep brine.