The Lithium Triangle: Geology and Green Tech’s Hidden Nexus

Some of the world’s largest deposits of this useful metal lie in the high plains of the Central Andes.

Some of the largest known deposits of lithium—a soft silvery metal that powers batteries in cell phones, laptops, and electric vehicles—lie in one of the driest places on Earth. Much of the surveyed deposits of this metal are located in the arid salt flats of South America, where Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia meet.

The Altiplano-Puna Plateau and Lithium Formation
The Altiplano-Puna Plateau is an elevated 500,000-square-kilometer area in the Central Andes, and the second highest plateau on Earth after the Tibetan Plateau. Several climatic and geologic factors converged in these dry plains to create large underground lithium deposits.