Author(s)

Lawrence Stephenson^*

Association of Professional Engineers and Geologists of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.

The current “mega” interest in Lithium resources was spurred by the development of Lithium-Ion batteries to aid in restructuring the world’s reliance on carbon spewing power petroleum reserves. Current resources of lithium recovery have fallen into two main categories—Pegmatite, found worldwide associated with felsic intrusions and Brine Related, and now with development in the Southwest United States of America (SWUS), a third category— Tertiary Volcanic clays, are specifically associated with Tertiary volcanics and major Tectonic Plate interactions. “Active” Plate tectonics is important as both the SWUS, the Lithium Triangle of South America (LTSA) and the Tibetan Plateau of China (TPC) producing tertiary (Miocene) volcanism that is important to the development of Lithium resources. The Tanzanian part of the East Africa Rift System (EARS) has features of both the SWUS, tertiary volcanic related “playas” and Continental rifting, the LTSA, tertiary volcanic related “Brines” and a major Tectonic plate event (subduction of an Oceanic Plate beneath the Continental South American Plate) and the TPC, tertiary volcanics (?) and major tectonic plate event (subduction of the Indian Continental Plate under the Eurasian Continental Plate). As well as the association of peralkaline and metaluminous felsic volcanics with Lithium playas of the SWUS and the EARS (Tanzania) “playas”. These similarities led to an analysis of a volcanic rock in Northeast Tanzania. When it returned 1.76% Lithium, a one-kilometer spaced soil sampling program returned, in consecutive samples over 0.20% Lithium (several samples over 1.0% lithium and a high of 2.24% lithium). It is proposed that these four regions with very similar past and present geologic characteristics, occur nowhere else in the world. That three of them have produced Lithium operations and two of them have identified resources of Lithium clay and “highly” anomalous Lithium clays should be regarded as more than “coincidental”.

Lithium Triangle of South America Southwest United States Tibetan Plateau of China East Africa Rift System Tectonic Continental, Oceanic Plate Subduction Tertiary (Miocene - Holocene) Volcanics Continental Rifting

Stephenson, L. (2023) Tectonic Related Lithium Deposits Another Major Region Found North East Tanzania—A New Area with Close Association to the Dominant Areas: The Fourth of Four. Natural Resources, 14, 161-191. doi: 10.4236/nr.2023.149012.