The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[OakesCS]

i think you would be hard pressed to find a mining company that was a good long term investment - doesnt matter what is being mined.

lithium is just another commodity metal and it isnt scarce. Extraction and transport are probably the important considerations. Canadian silicate sources are expensive to extract. South American sources are easy to extract but difficult to access and transport.

I'd venture that extracting lithium from Salton Sea Geothermal brines would be cheaper than South American dry lakes if it werent for the Salton Sea being in California. I know there is a company that is trying to accomplish the feat, and it may be cheaper, but i'm skeptical of the viability of California natural resource enterprises. California borax operations may be an exception but i suspect the recent earthquake caused them a different sort of problem.