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
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
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