What newly discovered ‘Lithium inferred resources’ in J&K mean for India?

The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has established “inferred” lithium resources of 5.9 million tonnes in Salal-Haimana area of Reasi District of Jammu and Kashmir. These resources have been established as part of the “Reasi Sersandu-Kherikot-Rahotkot-Darabi” mineral block, where prospecting has been ongoing since 2021-22.

Under the United Nations Framework for Classification for Reserves and Resources of Solid Fuels and Mineral Commodities (UNFC 1997), the stage of prospecting is categorized as ‘G4’ when it entails reconnaissance surveys — a fairly advanced stage of prospecting.

The finds in this case are learnt to include bauxite (the ore for aluminum) and rare earth elements, alongside lithium.

There are two caveats with the latest lithium find: first, the new find is categorized as “inferred” — one of three categories that mineral resources are subdivided into, in order of increasing geological confidence. The “inferred” mineral resource is the part of a resource for which quantity, grade and mineral content are estimated only with a low level of confidence based on information gathered from locations such as outcrops, trenches, pits, workings and drill holes that may be of limited or uncertain quality, and also of lower reliability from geological evidence.

Second, the lithium find in J&K, in inferred terms, is also comparatively small, considering that proven reserves in Bolivia are 21 million tonnes, 17 million tonnes in Argentina, 6.3 million tonnes in Australia, and 4.5 million tonnes in China.