This project was funded (or partially funded) by The University of Texas at Dallas Office of Research and Innovation and Southwest Research Institute through the SPRINT grant program.
Background
This project, a collaboration between Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), addressed the tectonic and geochemical controls on lithium accumulation in Clayton Valley, Nevada. The work was motivated by a national need to secure domestic lithium supply chains to support renewable energy storage and electrification. Global demand for lithium is rising sharply, with projected growth of >40% annually through 2030 as clean energy storage and electric vehicle adoption accelerate. At present, nearly all global lithium production comes from China, Chile, Argentina, and Australia, with the United States producing just 1–2% of global supply and heavily dependent on imports. Clayton Valley provides a unique natural laboratory, being the site of the only active closed-basin lithium brine mine in the United States and hosting promising volcano-sedimentary clay deposits. Despite decades of study and production, fundamental questions remain regarding the sources of lithium, the role of fault and fracture systems in fluid transport, and the structural evolution of the basin. This project was designed to close key knowledge gaps, generate testable hypotheses, and build a collaborative foundation for larger external funding proposals.
Approach
The study objectives were to: (1) characterize the fault and fracture networks in Clayton Valley, and integrate field observations with subsurface information to develop structural cross sections and a basin-scale tectonic framework; (2) evaluate deformation style and timing, the relationship of faulting to sediment deposition, and the influence of structural features on lithium brine migration and accumulation; and (3) refine conceptual models of lithium deposit formation by constraining the timing of faulting relative to sedimentation and lithium-brine circulation. To meet these objectives, the team employed a multi-disciplinary approach that included (1) systematic field mapping and sampling; (2) drone-based photogrammetry to generate high-resolution digital elevation models, orthomosaics, and 3D photogrammetric models; (3) zircon and calcite uranium-lead (U-Pb) geochronology; (4) calcite clumped-isotope thermometry; (5) bulk and trace-element geochemistry of clays; and (6) integration and interpretation of seismic reflection profiles.
Accomplishments
Two field campaigns yielded a comprehensive dataset including more than 130 bedding, fault, and fracture orientation measurements, 35 samples for zircon U–Pb dating, 17 clay samples for bulk geochemistry, four calcite vein samples for U–Pb analysis, and approximately 4,400 aerial images for photogrammetric reconstruction of key focus areas. Photogrammetry produced digital elevation models and orthomosaics at ~3 cm ground resolution, which were used to refine fault mapping and structural geometries. Geochronology established that exposed volcano-sedimentary units in Clayton Valley are time-equivalent to reservoir-hosting intervals in the subsurface with zircon U–Pb ages ranging from ~160 Ma to ~1.5 Ma. Calcite U–Pb analyses provided the first direct ages for fault-hosted fluid flow in Clayton Valley, with robust results around 4.2 ± 2.3 Ma. Clumped-isotope thermometry on calcite veins indicated precipitation temperatures from ~25 °C to ~140 °C, consistent with multiple fluid sources and fault-controlled circulation pathways. Bulk clay geochemistry revealed substantial enrichment, with lithium concentrations from 25 to 3,880 parts per million, demonstrating that lithium enrichment is present across the study area, but variable. Integration of seismic reflection profiles allowed refinement of cross sections and identification of deeper extensional basins in the lower part of the Esmeralda Formation. Compilation of thermochronology and published mapping enabled reconciliation of conflicting basin models, resulting in a unified tectonic framework that links surface and subsurface data, and provides a context for evaluating lithium source, transport, and storage.
Presentations
Cawood, A., Ferrill, D., Rangel-Landeros, I., Butler, K., Sickmann, Z., Blake, M., Ibarra, D., Swanson, B., Munk, L., Boutt, D., Stockli, L., Stockli, D., and Gagnon, C., 2025, Geochemical constraints on lithium transport in fault and fracture systems: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 57, No. 6, Paper No. 272-9. GSA Connects 2025 – Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas.
Rangel, I., Cawood, A., Butler, K., Sickmann, Z., Blake, M., Swanson, B., Ibarra, D., Gagnon, C., Munk, L., Boutt, D., Ferrill, D., and Smart, K., 2025, Revised tectonic framework for the Clayton Valley, NV volcano-sedimentary lithium deposits. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 57, No. 6, Paper No. 272-3. GSA Connects 2025 – Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas.