Lithium cycle
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The lithium cycle is the movement of lithium among rocks, soils, water, oceans, sediments, and Earth's interior. Lithium is released mainly by weathering of silicate minerals and volcanic or hydrothermal activity.
Rivers transport dissolved lithium to the oceans, while clays and secondary minerals remove part of it during weathering. Lithium isotopes are therefore used to study chemical weathering and long-term changes in the carbon cycle.
In marine systems, lithium is incorporated into sediments, altered oceanic crust, and hydrothermal minerals. Subduction carries some lithium into the mantle, while volcanic activity returns it toward the surface.
Mining of brines and hard-rock deposits, battery production, industrial use, and waste disposal create rapidly growing human pathways. Because lithium is highly mobile in water, extraction can also affect local water and salt balances.
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- Source / publisher: Wikipedia
- URL type: WWW
- Credits: Wikipedia
- URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_cycle