California Just Hit Its Biggest Jackpot Yet

Bright Side

Beneath a massive lake in California, scientists just uncovered something worth a jaw-dropping $540 billion. 💰 But it’s not treasure chests or lost cities—it’s what people are calling “white gold.” This rare resource could change the future of clean energy, power millions of electric cars, and reshape the global economy. The crazy part? It’s been hiding under the lake this whole time, waiting to be tapped. In this video, we’re breaking down what was found, why it matters, and how it could literally fuel the world of tomorrow. You won’t believe how big this discovery really is.  Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00This massive lake in California is worth $540 billion, as it holds enough lithium to power

00:18over 30 trillion iPhones.

00:21That's way more than experts predicted, making it one of the biggest lithium reserves ever.

00:26This finding could revolutionize the US economy, but a major challenge is still standing in

00:31the way.

00:32If it's not solved, all that money will stay buried forever.

00:38First things first, lithium.

00:41This metal is so valuable that people call it white gold, and it's unbelievably light.

00:46In fact, it's the lightest solid on Earth at room temperature.

00:52It was discovered by a Swedish chemist in 1817, and honestly, since then, we didn't really

00:57care much about lithium.

00:59This poor metal was ignored for centuries because it didn't seem to have any practical use

01:03in everyday life.

01:04I mean, sure, it's light, it's white, it's shiny.

01:08But what could we actually do with it?

01:11At some point, though, another trait of this metal started to stand out.

01:15It's reactivity.

01:16Basically, it bonds really easily with other elements.

01:20But that also means something else.

01:22It can catch fire in seconds.

01:25For example, if you expose it to air, it goes through a wild oxidization reaction, and before

01:30you know it, boom, flames everywhere.

01:34This might sound like danger to you, but to scientists, it screamed Eureka!

01:40Photos being super light and super reactive actually makes it the perfect material for

01:44batteries.

01:45And you get why that's a big deal nowadays, right?

01:49Batteries power almost everything around us, like smartphones, cars, and even small airplanes.

01:54Since everyone suddenly wants lithium, demand has skyrocketed, and is not slowing down any

01:59time soon.

02:01Back in 2021, for example, the world produced about 540,000 tons of it.

02:07But by 2030, predictions say demand could soar past 3 million tons.

02:12And here's the problem.

02:14Lithium is a finite resource.

02:16There are only about 100 lithium mines in the world, mostly in Australia, Chile, and China.

02:22Sure, supply is expected to grow, but demand is climbing much faster.

02:27That means we could be facing a shortage soon.

02:31Lithium mines can keep up with today's demand, but they won't be able to do that for many

02:35more years.

02:37So that's why finding new lithium reserves today is basically like winning the lottery.

02:42In this case, the United States is one of the lucky winners.

02:45First, there's the Thacker Pass mine.

02:48This spot in Nevada might hold the largest untapped lithium reserves on the planet.

02:53To put it in perspective, some estimates say it could supply up to one quarter of the world's

02:58lithium demand.

02:59We're talking as much as 40 million tons of this precious metal.

03:04And that might be worth over $500 billion.

03:08Right there, they'll be extracting lithium from clay.

03:12This might be challenging, since this process has never been done on such a huge scale before.

03:16But it's doable.

03:18A couple of years ago, the United States found another big win in the lithium game, the Salton

03:23Sea.

03:24This is a huge shallow lake located in Southern California's Imperial County.

03:30At first, they announced that this spot could hold over 3.4 million tons of lithium underground.

03:36That would be enough to make more than 375 million batteries for electric vehicles.

03:42That was already huge.

03:44But then, more recently, specialists realized they had made a mistake.

03:48Actually, a good mistake.

03:51The amount of lithium there is likely much, much higher.

03:54It could hold 18 million tons of it.

03:57Now, the Salton Sea is being considered the fifth largest lithium deposit in the world.

04:03This could be a real game changer.

04:05The United States is betting big on this mineral, hoping it'll help keep the country's economy

04:09strong for decades to come.

04:12So finding this second big source of lithium was a huge relief.

04:16It means America is one step closer to relying less on other countries.

04:21And by the way, most of its lithium right now comes from Chile.

04:25We refer to it as the Saudi Arabia of lithium.

04:29Of course, California is thrilled about this, seeing it as a potential economic windfall.

04:35The region is already being called the Saudi Arabia of lithium, or Lithium Valley, because

04:40of its potential to dominate the battery supply chain.

04:43And if it works out, it'll be a huge benefit for the state.

04:47Apparently, authorities plan to use 80% of the money from lithium extraction for local development

04:53and infrastructure.

04:55The idea is to upgrade roads, schools, and other public services.

04:59That could create a lot of new jobs for Imperial County, which is considered one of California's

05:04poorest regions.

05:06Big question.

05:07If the lithium is hiding under the lake, can they even get it out?

05:12Well, yes, at least in theory.

05:16There are two main ways companies usually extract lithium.

05:19The first is the old-school method, open-pit mining, where the rock is dug up, crushed, and

05:25processed.

05:26That's what they do at Thacker Pass, for example.

05:29They use massive hydraulic shovels to dig the metal out of the clay.

05:34Then there are evaporation ponds.

05:37However, they pump lithium-rich brine to the surface and let the water evaporate, leaving

05:41the metal behind.

05:43The problem with both methods is that they use tons of water and can cause a lot of contamination

05:48and waste.

05:50At the Salton Sea in California, things work a little differently.

05:53Instead of giant pits or evaporation ponds, companies are using the area's natural geothermal

05:59power to pull it out in a cleaner way.

06:02This method is called direct lithium extraction.

06:05And here's how it works.

06:07Near the lake, there are already 11 geothermal power plants that pump up super-hot, mineral-rich

06:13brine from underground.

06:15Normally, that brine is just used to make steam, which spins turbines to generate electricity.

06:21But now, companies are figuring out how to pull the lithium out of that same brine before

06:26sending it back underground.

06:29Since they're already pumping the brine for energy, collecting the lithium doesn't need

06:33any extra digging or big ponds.

06:36So, it avoids most of the water waste and pollution you get with old methods.

06:41It's like getting clean energy and battery materials at the same time, but with way less

06:45impact on the environment.

06:48This method sounds brilliant and totally doable, but it also comes with challenges that won't

06:53be easy to overcome.

06:55Sure, people call it environmentally friendly, but that's only when you compare it to other

07:00ways of getting lithium.

07:02This method still raises concerns about water use.

07:05People in California are already dealing with shortages, and large-scale lithium extraction

07:10could put even more pressure on the region's limited water supply.

07:14The Salton Sea itself is shrinking fast.

07:17Water levels have dropped by more than 9 feet over the past 25 years.

07:22That creates a huge problem.

07:24Less water means more exposed lakebed.

07:27The sediments there can contain harmful materials.

07:31As the lake shrinks, that exposed lakebed dries out and turns to dust, and that dust doesn't

07:36just sit there.

07:37The wind picks it up and blows it into the air.

07:40Now, the Salton Sea's shrinking shoreline is releasing toxic dust into the air, and that

07:46dust has been linked to increasing rates of respiratory problems among local residents.

07:51Authorities are already taking steps to reverse the situation by adding water to the dry parts

07:56of the Salton Sea.

07:58They're filling shallow ponds near the lake to make new wetlands.

08:01Their goal is to create a safe habitat for fish and birds, and to help keep that toxic

08:06dust under control.

08:09Some people worry that digging up all this white gold could make the Salton Sea shrink even

08:14faster and undo years of restoration work.

08:18For now, studies show geothermal plants only use about 4% of the region's water supply, but

08:24researchers still don't know if expanding these operations could end up making the water

08:28problem worse.

08:29So, what happens next?

08:32It's too soon to say, but one thing's for sure, we will need a lot more research to understand

08:37what this all means, not just for the Salton Sea, but for the future of the US economy.

08:44That's it for today, so hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and

08:51share it with your friends.

08:52Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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