Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page (via DOI)
- Data Release: USGS data release - Grade and tonnage data for lithium, cesium, and rubidium pegmatite deposits (ver. 2.0, June 2026)
- Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Quantitative mineral resource assessments of potential undiscovered deposits can inform future mineral supply scenarios, but their accuracy is conditional on building robust grade and tonnage models of known deposits. This study presents an up-to-date global compilation and analysis of recently discovered and original, in-situ pegmatite-hosted Li, Cs, and Rb resources prior to historic production. Our analysis yields a median tonnage of 21.2 million tons (Mt) and grade of 1.12% Li2O, respectively, for global Li pegmatite deposits (n = 73). The grades and tonnages of Li pegmatite resources vary depending on the age of the bedrock host domain, pegmatite crystallization age, and primary ore mineralogy. Lithium pegmatite resources hosted in Archean to transitional Archean-Paleoproterozoic domains have the largest median tonnage (29.8 Mt; n = 38), and those hosted in Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic domains have smaller median tonnages (6.5 Mt; n = 16). Cesium deposits where pollucite is the primary ore mineral have a bimodal grade distribution, with modes of 2.40 and 0.035 wt% Cs2O for high- and low-grade deposits, respectively, while Rb deposits are more unimodal with a median grade of 0.247 wt% Rb2O. Pegmatite-hosted Cs and Rb resources have median tonnages of 7.6 and 6.3 Mt, respectively. Covariation between ore mineralogy and the degree of crustal enrichment in pegmatite-hosted deposits is diagnostic of petrogenetic differences, including melt source characteristics, magma evolution, or variable degrees of volatile solubility. The Li pegmatite compilation is suitable for fitting robust numerical models to support quantitative assessments. More well-defined Rb and Cs pegmatite resources are required for quantitative assessments, but these data provide useful information about original in-place resources for framing supply discussions.
Suggested Citation
Rosera, J.M., McCaffrey, D.M., and Wintzer, N.E., 2026, Global pegmatite-hosted lithium, cesium, and rubidium resources: A dataset for grade and tonnage modeling: Ore Geology Reviews, v. 194, 107360, 16 p., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2026.107360.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Global pegmatite-hosted lithium, cesium, and rubidium resources: A dataset for grade and tonnage modeling |
| Series title | Ore Geology Reviews |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.oregeorev.2026.107360 |
| Volume | 194 |
| Publication Date | June 04, 2026 |
| Year Published | 2026 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Contributing office(s) | Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center |
| Description | 107360, 16 p. |