Geologists have uncovered what they believe could be the world’s largest lithium deposit inside an ancient supervolcano along the Nevada-Oregon border in the US.

Clay containing up to 40 million metric tons of lithium was identified throughout the 28-mile-long McDermitt Caldera – nearly double what has been found in Bolivia’s salt flats that have long held the record for the most lithium deposits.

While the amount of lithium is based on estimates – no drilling has taken place – scientists have found high concentrations of lithium in the caldera since the 1970s.

[Yeah, and good luck mining this one, too. People have known about a large deposit here for years, although maybe not just how much lithium can be extracted. Environmentalists and Native American activists have blocked exploration and extraction for quite some time, and there are few indicators that their obstructionism will end soon. This is part of the hypocrisy of the climate-change crowd, insisting on going electric just as long as we get the raw materials from other countries rather than extract here ourselves. — Ed]