Scientists Find a Hidden Treasure Worth $540 Billion at the Bottom of California's Largest Lake

Lithium, one of the rarest elements on Earth, was first noticed by the Swedish chemist while he was exploring the soils of a remote island and saw crimson flames erupting from a mineral rock. This was in 1817, but lithium had existed on Earth for a much longer time, from the crushed stars that exploded during Big Bang. Ever since, the silvery-white metal has been used by businessmen to produce everything from casserole plates to electric batteries, cooking panels, and optician’s glasses. The potency of lithium is recognized by even mystics and therapists who use it to treat mental disorders and raise spiritual awareness.

But since the metal sits deep and sparsely in the planet’s crust, companies are now flocking to Salton Lake. The reason is a report, published in EScholarship, according to which, this lake cradles an immense bounty of lithium, so much that it would sell for a whopping $540 billion. Bubbling in a remote valley in California's lower Colorado Desert, Salton Lake is the largest lake in the state. However, the reduced agricultural runoff has turned it into a stark contrast of blue waters and barren landscapes pummelled with powdery shorelines and cracked mud flats that are blighted with the carcasses of fish that were killed by its extreme salinity.

As fierce winds rise above this lake, they lift off enormous mounds of dust from the surrounding mountainous terrain, often triggering dust storms in nearby towns. These storms are so aggressive that they are known to knock out electricity, flatten forests, and shroud the entire region in an amber haze. But this research tweaked people’s perspective and made them look at its tremendous potential for humanity’s future. This study was led by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as part of research funded by the Department of Energy. They revealed that they may be able to extract 18 million metric tons of lithium, a.k.a. “white gold,” from the heated pool of the lake. 

Alex Prisjatschew from the U.S. Department of Energy told the Los Angeles Times that all this lithium would be “roughly the equivalent of 382 million electric vehicle batteries.” According to 2022 statistics, there are about 283.4 million registered vehicles in the US. So, finding this hulking amount inside the lake is, no wonder, a big deal. LA Times reported that companies had been attempting, for many years, to tap into the hot waters of this lake to generate geothermal electricity, a climate-friendly way to produce power. 

After this research, the lake has become an even more valuable wellspring for implementing climate-friendly projects. If scientists are able to extract all this lithium, it would result in a breakthrough for America. The nation would cease to derive its lithium production from countries like China and would become an independent producer itself, as one of the study authors, Michael McKibben from the University of California, told Indy100. Sadly, however, extracting this hoard of white gold isn’t a doddle. The lake is no longer a pristine oasis as it was years ago.

According to Phys, when Colorado River floodwaters blasted an irrigation canal in Southern California, it spilled into a basin forming this lake in 1905. It is next to impossible to dive into the lake as its hydrogen-sulfide-infested waters now smell like “rotten eggs.” And even if it was possible to reach its depths, the drilling process would require so much water that the water supply of thousands of residents would have to be cut off, per SFGate. So despite being discovered, the treasure of white gold sits untouched at the salty lake’s bottom, until probably some futuristic robot is powerful enough to scoop it out.