Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr.29
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Iran 's Namak Lake contains rich lithium deposit, said Behrouz Borna, the deputy director of the Iranian Geological Survey and Mine Exploration Organization.
Namak Lake is a salt lake. It is located approximately 100 km east of the central city of Qom.
From 40-50 samples taken from the lake, 200 grams of lithium per ton was extracted, Borna said, Iran's official Mizan news agency reported April 29.
Extracting 40 grams of lithium per ton is considered as economically justified worldwide, he added.
The largest sodium sulfate deposit, to the volume of 144 million metric tons, has been discovered in the lake, he said, adding that the lake also contains reserves of magnesium and potassium.
Namak Lake holds 240 million metric tons of minerals, Touraj Zare', an official with the Iranian Mines & Mining Industries Development & Renovation (IMIDRO), said on Jan. 20.
Three minerals, namely Magnesia, Halite, and Sylvite have been identified so far in the lake, with estimated reserves of 32 million tons, 200 million tons, and 4.5 million tons, respectively Zare' said. These minerals are used in the agriculture, steel, and aluminum industries.
Namak Lake has a surface area of about 1800 km², but most of this is dry. Water only covers one km².
The Islamic Republic stands among the top 15 mineral rich countries in the world and ranks first in the Middle East.
The country holds more than 7 percent of the total mineral reserves of the globe. It lies on 37 billion metric tons of proven reserves and holds more than 57 billion metric tons of potential reserves of some 68 types of minerals.
Edited by CN