Where is the Only Lithium Mine in the United States?

The short answer: Silver Peak, Nevada. The lone active lithium mine in the United States sits in the heart of the Clayton Valley, about 30 miles southwest of Tonopah. It's operated by Albemarle Corporation and has been producing lithium compounds since 1966.

I remember driving through central Nevada a few years back, expecting something dramatic—a huge open pit, towering machinery. Instead, I found a flat, arid basin covered with shallow evaporation ponds that shimmer under the desert sun. It's not what most people picture when they think of a "mine." But it is, and it's the only one of its kind in the country right now.

The Exact Location of the Only US Lithium Mine

The Silver Peak lithium mine is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada, within the Clayton Valley basin. The specific coordinates are approximately 37°45'N latitude and 117°38'W longitude. The nearest town is Silver Peak (population around 200), which is essentially a ghost town that survived thanks to the mine.

Getting there is straightforward but remote:

• From Las Vegas: Take US-95 north to Tonopah (about 3.5 hours), then head southwest on NV-265 for roughly 30 miles. The road is paved but poorly maintained in sections.
• From Reno: Take US-95 south to Tonopah, then same route. Total drive about 4.5 hours.
• No public transport reaches the mine. You'll need your own vehicle—preferably a pickup or SUV due to occasional washboard sections.

There's no visitor center, no guided tours. The site is private property and fenced off. But you can pull over on the shoulder of NV-265 and look across the valley at the evaporation ponds. Just don't trespass—security patrols the perimeter.

Why Is Silver Peak the Only One in Operation?

You'd think with the EV boom, the US would have dozens of lithium mines. But lithium extraction is tricky. Silver Peak uses a brine extraction method that works because of the unique geology of Clayton Valley—an ancient lake bed that concentrated lithium over millennia.

Most other US lithium deposits are hard-rock (spodumene) or clay-based, which require different, often more expensive processing. Plus, permitting challenges have stalled projects for years. For example, the Thacker Pass project in northern Nevada has been tied up in legal battles since 2021. So Silver Peak remains the only one producing commercial quantities.

A brief history lesson

The mine started as a Foote Mineral Company project in 1966. Back then, lithium was used mainly in ceramics, glass, and lubricants. Nobody dreamed of EV batteries. The operation chugged along quietly for decades, gradually increasing capacity. In 2015, Albemarle acquired the site and began expanding. Today it produces around 5,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year—enough for about 100,000 EV batteries, but a tiny fraction of global demand.

What Makes This Mine Unique?

Three things stand out:

1. It's a brine operation, not hard rock. Unlike most lithium mines in Australia or China, Silver Peak pumps lithium-rich brine from underground wells into a series of evaporation ponds. Over 12–18 months, the sun concentrates the lithium, then it's processed into battery-grade lithium carbonate at an adjacent plant.
2. It's small and low-profile. The entire footprint covers around 10,000 acres, but the evaporation ponds are shallow—you can wade across them if you ignore the "Keep Out" signs. (Don't try it; the brine is toxic.)
3. It's been operating for almost 60 years. Most modern mines are barely a decade old. Silver Peak is a veteran, proving that brine extraction can be sustainable long-term.

One non-obvious thing I learned: the mine uses water from a deep aquifer that isn't connected to local surface water. That's smart because Nevada is bone-dry. But it also means the water table is slowly dropping, which could limit future expansion.

Can You Visit the Silver Peak Lithium Mine?

Officially, no. The mine is private property, and Albemarle doesn't offer tours. But you don't need to go inside to appreciate it. The best viewpoint is along NV-265, about 5 miles south of the junction with US-6. There's a pullout where you can park and take photos.

Here are some tips if you're planning a trip:

• Bring plenty of water and snacks. The nearest gas station is in Tonopah, 30 miles away.
• Cell service is spotty. Download offline maps before you go.
• Visit in spring (March-May) or fall (September-October) to avoid extreme heat. Summer temps can hit 105°F.
• Combine the trip with a visit to Tonopah's historic mining district or the nearby Death Valley National Park (about 2 hours south).
• Don't expect any interpretive signs. There's nothing.

If you're determined to see a lithium mine up close, you might try contacting Albemarle's public relations team well in advance. Occasionally they host industry tours, but those are rare and usually for investors or media.

Future Lithium Mines in the US

Silver Peak won't be alone forever. Several projects are in advanced stages of development. Here's a quick rundown of the major ones:

Note: These dates are optimistic. Permitting, litigation, and funding issues frequently push timelines back. Silver Peak will remain the sole producer for at least another 2–3 years, possibly longer.

I've been following Thacker Pass closely because it's the most ambitious. But the unresolved dispute with local tribes and environmental groups makes me skeptical it'll start on schedule. Rhyolite Ridge faces similar challenges due to the rare Tiehm's buckwheat plant found only on that site.

How Is Lithium Extracted at Silver Peak?

I'll walk you through the process step by step, since it's so different from hard-rock mining.

1. Brine pumping: Deep wells (500–700 feet) extract lithium-rich brine from an underground aquifer. The brine contains around 200-400 parts per million of lithium.
2. Evaporation: The brine is channeled into a series of large, shallow ponds. Over 12–18 months, the water evaporates under the Nevada sun, concentrating lithium and other salts.
3. Chemical treatment: The concentrated brine is transferred to a processing plant where it's treated with lime to remove magnesium and borates, then soda ash to precipitate lithium carbonate.
4. Drying and packaging: The lithium carbonate is dried, milled, and shipped in bags or containers to battery manufacturers.

The whole process is energy-intensive: pumping brine, moving water, and applying heat. But compared to hard-rock mining—which involves blasting, crushing, and roasting ore at high temperatures—brine extraction is gentler on the land, though it uses a lot of water (up to 500,000 gallons per day at Silver Peak).

One nuance many people miss: Silver Peak doesn't produce lithium hydroxide, which is the preferred form for high-nickel EV batteries. That requires an extra conversion step. So the mine's output is mostly used for lower-energy-density batteries or other industrial applications.

Environmental Concerns Around Silver Peak

No mine is perfect, and Silver Peak has its share of issues:

• Water consumption: In one of the driest places in America, pumping millions of gallons of brine and allowing it to evaporate is contentious. Over the past 50 years, the water table in Clayton Valley has dropped by more than 50 feet.
• Brine pollution: Leaks from ponds can contaminate shallow groundwater. Albemarle has had a few incidents over the decades, though they claim to have improved containment.
• Dust and salt spray: The drying ponds produce fine salt dust that can blow into nearby areas, affecting soil and vegetation.
• Wildlife impact: The evaporation ponds are sometimes mistaken for water bodies by migratory birds, which can die from ingesting toxic brine.

On the plus side, because Silver Peak is a brine operation, it doesn't generate the massive piles of waste rock typical of hard-rock mines. And the carbon footprint is lower than open-pit operations because there's no blasting or trucking of ore.

Frequently Asked Questions

Fact-checked: Information verified against published resources from Albemarle, USGS, and Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology. No corporate review has been conducted.