Scientists find 18 million tons of 'white gold' beneath California's Salton Sea worth $540 billion: Report

Salton Sea is noted as the largest lake in California, and the discovery of lithium or "white gold" will prove to be a revolutionary find for the battery industry.

A report that was published early this year scientists have found 18 million tons of lithium was uncovered from under the surface of Salton Sea in California, which can amount to $540 Billion (Rs 46.28 lakh crores).

It is noted as the largest lake in California, and the discovery of lithium or "white gold" will prove to be a revolutionary find for the battery industry, as per a report by Daily Galaxy.

However, this discovery faces some complexions as there are chances of environmental risks and geopolitical implications.

The amount of lithium discovered now can produce batteries for almost 382 million electric vehicles, according to the report, surpassing the number of vehicles US currently has.

Michael McKibben, the author of the study said that the discovery of lithium will make US self-sufficient.

"This is one of the largest lithium brine deposits in the world. This could make the United States completely self-sufficient in lithium and stop importing it through China," the publication quoted him saying.

Salton Sea has been dubbed as the "Saudi Arabia of lithium" by California Governor Gavin Newsom, however, there seem to be some challenges too.

A challenge of extracting "white gold" is the process. To attain lithium rich brine, a drilling process has to be carried on which goes feet below the earth's surface, which can lead to environmental disruptions.

Other challenges include water consumption and environmental impact.

While retracting the lithium, the process would need water, which can adversely strain Colorado River, the primary water source of the area, as per the report.

Secondly, many residents rely on the Salton Lake for the resources. Around 180,000 residents are said to rely on it, and large scale mining can add on to the issues of high asthama rates in the area.

The report also stated that the mining can also affect Native American sites.

The lithium extraction however will benefit Imperial County, one of the poorest regions in the US, which has plans to "to tax lithium extraction and allocate 80 per cent of the revenue to local projects," reported the publication.