Potential extraterrestrial sources of lithium

Abstract

Extracting raw materials from extraterrestrial sources is a prerequisite for the expansion of our civilization into space. It will be necessary to acquire there practically all commonly used elements – including lithium. The most valuable source of this element currently appears to be lunar soil and rocks, especially K-rich rocks and breccias (>10 ppm of Li). Among the meteorites, the highest content of lithium is characterized by lunar mare basalts and gabbro, eucrites, Martian polymict breccia, nakhlites, howardites (>5 ppm), shergottites, chassignites, lunar anorthosites breccias, mesosiderites, ureilites (>2.5 ppm), diogenites, LL, angrites, H (>2 ppm), L, CM, CO, CV, EH, CI (>1.5 ppm), brachinites, aubrites, EL, CR (>1 ppm), CK and main-group pallasites (<1 ppm). This means that a potential extraterrestrial source of lithium can be the Moon, Mars, and the 4 Vesta minor planet considered as the probable parent body of HED meteorites