An Important Discovery

 

Today's post is another that was inspired by something I saw on the news lately.  The PBS Newshour did a story about the discovery of lithium at the Salton Sea in Southern California.  (The link will take you to the actual news story for anyone interested.)

When I first moved to Arizona back in the early 70's, I discovered the Salton Sea on a weekend trip to California.  At that time, it was a beautiful salt water lake surrounded by desert terrain and mountain views to the north.  The photos I'm posting today are from 2010 when I visited the lake again and found it looking very sad.  The pretty beaches were gone, the water was low and there was a distinct oder coming from the water.  

I had heard that agricultural drainage had contaminated the water making it unsafe for swimming and boating.  It was sad to see.

All the picnic spots and camping grounds were deserted and sad looking.

The only evidence of activity were at the date farms at the southern end of the lake.  

Today, the water levels are even lower than they were when I visited in 2010.  However, the receding water is what made the discovery of lithium possible.  There were places around the lake where underground activity was bubbling up to the surface which made scientists discover the lithium in the lake bed.  They estimate there is enough lithium in the area to equal the current annual global output.  

With the growing importance of electric vehicles, lithium has become almost as precious as gold.  Something positive has come from the decline of this once beautiful body of water.