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ARTICLE · 23 JULY 2026

USGS Discovers 2.3-Million-Ton Appalachian Lithium Deposit

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The US Geological Survey has identified up to 2.3 million metric tons of economically recoverable lithium in the Appalachian region, potentially meeting US import needs for over three centuries. As global lithium demand is projected to quintuple by 2040, both the Biden and Trump administrations have deployed executive orders, federal funding, and interagency coordination to accelerate domestic lithium production and reduce dependence on foreign imports. State governments from Mississippi to California are a

GlobalEnergy and Natural Resources
Matthew H. Leggett
Matthew H. Leggett
John W. Northington Jr.
John W. Northington Jr.
Laurie B. Purpuro
Laurie B. Purpuro
Jasper G. Noble
Jasper G. Noble

On 28 April 2026, the US Geological Survey (USGS) announced the publication of a new USGS scientific paper assessing undiscovered lithium oxide deposits in the eastern US Appalachian region.1 The report shows that the Appalachian region contains up to 2.3 million metric tons of “undiscovered, economically recoverable lithium” across the mountain range. This unexplored lithium is primarily found in pegmatites, large-grained rocks that are similar to granite. According to USGS, 2.3 million metric tons of lithium could meet US annual import rates for an estimated 328 years. 

The majority of the lithium deposits identified in the USGS report are in the Carolinas, Maine, and New Hampshire, with some smaller, partial deposits found in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and Vermont. 

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