Rock Blog #5

 I went up to the third floor of Baker, and the element Lithium caught my eye. The display was just so eye-catching and gorgeous.

Lithium is typically used in the production of batteries due to its high energy density. It is also often commonly used in glass and ceramics 

Lithium can be found in underground reservoirs of salty water and inside hard rock deposits.

To extract lithium, Brine is pumped to the surface and left to evaporate for months to years. As the water evaporates, lithium and other salts are left behind and then processed. In open-pit or underground mines, the hard rock deposits are crushed and then heated with chemicals to extract lithium.

Some concerns for these mining methods towards the environment is large amounts of water usage, land degradation, chemical pollution, and release of carbon emissions. Lithium extraction uses large quantities of water, which can deplete local water resources. While mining of the rock could lead to deforestation and habitat destruction. The processes of extracting lithium could both lead to chemicals being released into the environment as well as carbon emissions with high energy use contributing to greenhouse gases.