Prospect Magazine
March 30 2018 9:45am
Magazine
Could the green revolution begin down this disused Cornish mine?
Lithium—the crucial ingredient in the world’s best batteries—could help us kick the oil addiction. Jay Elwes descended down a dark tunnel in the countryside to find out more
by Jay Elwes / March 22, 2018 / Leave a comment
Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin
Email
Published in April 2018 issue of Prospect Magazine
A Cornish mine could provide the perfect place to start a green revolution. Photo: ©PAUL MARTIN / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
The entrance to South Crofty, a 400-year-old copper and tin mine in west Cornwall, is shut off by two high red gates. Since the mine closed in 1998, a decade or so after that industry began grinding to a halt in the region, few people have ventured inside. But on a recent winter’s morning, Aaron Wilkins, a geologist who believes the mine has a future, drove Jay Elwes through the gates…
Down a long, narrow slope—no wider than a London Underground tunnel—we headed deeper into the Earth. The car’s headlamps lit the way until we could drive no further and had to continue on foot, emergency respirators attached to our belts. Several hundred metres below ground, the neat tunnel of the mine’s entrance gave way to bare stone, and a craggy, low ceiling. The floor of the mine was red—a sign of the iron drawn from the rock by the water, which ran down the walls, collecting on the ground in large pools. We were standing at the site of the Great Cross Course, an enormous geological fault line that cuts north-south across Cornwall and out beneath the Celtic Sea.
“Most rock is fairly impermeable,” Wilkins explained. “But where there’s a discontinuity, or a structure like a joint or a fault, you would expect to find mineralising fluids. And at depth, some of these structures will contain elevated temperatures which will increase the mineral content.” The iron turning the water red is not, however, the reason why there is now commercial interest in South Crofty—and neither are there new finds of copper or tin, the metals for which the mine was dug several centuries ago. The geological faults, Wilkins said, are where “you would expect to find elevated concentrations of lithium.”
Lithium is the very first metal, and the first solid, in the periodic table. If you remember it from school it is probably because lithium fizzles to nothing when dropped in water. It is extremely reactive on account of its atomic structure. A lithium atom has three electrons, one of which is particularly unstable, and it will give up that outermost electron very easily, which makes it highly reactive. There are many other alkaline metals with loose electrons, but lithium also happens to have the smallest atomic radius of all metals. This small atomic size means that “it contains the highest potential charge, or charge density, of all metals,” said Melanie Loveridge, a senior research fellow at the University of Warwick and a materials chemist who specialises in lithium-ion battery technology. “Imagine a box of tennis balls compared with a box of ping-pong balls—say each ball represents an atom. There will be more matter (and source of charge) in the box with the ping-pong balls, as they pack more densely.”
Related articles
Share with friends
Facebook
Twitter
Linkedin
Email
Comments
No comments yet
Leave a comment
You can log in to post a comment under your subscriber name.
Name *
Mail (will not be published) *
Human verification - please type the words/numbers from the image:
Prospect's free newsletter
The big ideas that are shaping our world—straight to your inbox. PLUS a free e-book and 7 articles of your choosing on the Prospect website.
Prospect takes your privacy seriously. We promise never to rent or sell your e-mail address to any third party.
This Month's Magazine
Perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus.
Technology is changing how we die. But how—and what does it mean for those of us left behind? Cathy Rentzenbrink, Michael Marmot and Joanna Bourke consider the changing face of death. Plus: Philip Ball grows a second brain
Subscribe
Most Popular
Read
Commented
Britain has the legal power to withdraw Article 50—it should use it
This Brexit calm is deceptive—talks could still fall apart
Act your age: why we shouldn't be ashamed to call ourselves “middle aged” or “old”
Why Jeremy Corbyn needs a think tank
About this author
Jay Elwes
Jay Elwes is Executive Editor of Prospect
Follow on:
Twitter
More by this author
More by Jay Elwes
Within the quiet ordinariness of Salisbury, a global drama unfolds
March 23, 2018
Policy report: Infrastructure
March 21, 2018
Former CIA Director David Petraeus on Russia, China and the new art of war
March 21, 2018
Next Prospect events
Details
Prospect Book Club—Henry Marsh
London, 2018-06-18
Details
HowTheLightGetsIn 2018
Hay-on-Wye, 2018-05-25
Details
Prospect Book Club—John Gray
London, 2018-05-21
See more events
Sponsored features
Seeing Clearly
Meet the brains behind Exo
Transfer your old ISA accounts and boost your tax-free savings
Helping the world see clearly
Today’s manufacturing workforce challenge
PrimeTime
Prospect was originally founded by Editor David Goodhart and Publisher Derek Coombs, as a home for intelligent debate. The magazine is owned and supported by the Resolution Group, as part of its not-for-profit, public interest activities. The aim is to tackle the big challenges confronting society, through rigorous thinking and fine writing.
Follow us
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
RSS
Editorial
Editor: Tom Clark
Deputy Editor: Steve Bloomfield
Executive Editor: Jay Elwes
Managing Editor (Arts & Books): Sameer Rahim
Head of Digital: Stephanie Boland
Deputy Digital Editor (Political Correspondent): Alex Dean
Design: Mike Turner
Production Editor: Chris Tilbury
US Writer-at-Large: Sam Tanenhaus
Commercial
Commercial Director: Alex Stevenson
Finance Manager: Pauline Joy
Head of Marketing: Paul Mortimer
Marketing and Circulations Executive: James Hawkins
Head of Research and Engagement: Saskia Perriard-Abdoh
Events Coordinator: Oliver Ward
Head of Advertising Sales: Adam Kinlan 020 3372 2934
Senior Account Manager: Sophie Ryan 020 3372 2927
Senior Account Manager: Dominic Slonecki 0203 372 2972
Account Manager: Scott Smith 020 3372 2931
Home
Advertising
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
Acceptable Use Policy
© Prospect Publishing Limited
This site uses cookies to improve the user experience. By using this site, you agree that we can set and use these cookies. For more details on the cookies we use and how to manage them, see our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment