In nature, it mainly exists in the form of spodumene, lepidolite and bauxite.
The natural reserves of lithium in the crust are 11 million tons, and the recoverable reserves are 4.1 million tons. In 2004, the world's lithium mining volume was 20200 tons, including 7990 tons in Chile, 3930 tons in Australia, 2630 tons in China, 2200 tons in Russia and 1970 tons in Argentina.
Lithium is known as a "rare metal". In fact, its content in the crust is not "rare". There is about 0.0065% lithium in the crust, ranking 27th in terms of its abundance. There are more than 150 known lithium bearing minerals, mainly including spodumene, lepidolite, diorite feldspar, etc. The content of lithium in seawater is not small, with a total reserve of 260 billion tons. Unfortunately, the concentration is too small, and it is difficult to extract. Some mineral water and plant bodies are rich in lithium. For example, some red and yellow seaweeds and tobacco often contain more lithium compounds for development and utilization. China is rich in lithium mineral resources. Based on China's lithium salt output, Jiangxi mica lithium mine alone can be exploited for hundreds of years.
