Within the hard rock deposits, spodumene has been by far the most common lithium bearing mineral exploited in economically viable deposits to date. Spodumene is typically found in pegmatites which are igneous rocks similar in mineral composition to granites but with very coarse grain sizes. Spodumene is non-toxic and non-reactive.
With the expansion of the lithium mining industry in Australia (now the world’s largest producer) in recent years, hard rock production has been re-established as the single largest source of lithium raw material globally over brines (see).
