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<p>Exploration for lithium and other critical minerals has accelerated worldwide in response to rising demand from the lithium-ion battery and energy storage industries. Among the geologically underexplored terrains with known mineral potential, a mica-type lithium-bearing deposit within the Himalayan pegmatite belt, Shigar Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, remains untapped and has received no prior multidisciplinary investigations. Hence, an integrated investigation of mica-type critical lithium mineralization has been conducted, combining mineralogical, geochemical, and microstructural analyses to evaluate processing, extraction, and beneficiation potential, and to establish the resource potential of the Himalayan pegmatite belt in northern Pakistan, thereby positioning it as a potential contributor to the global lithium supply chain. The ore sample was processed by pulverization (75&#xa0;μm), roasting to disrupt the silicate lattice, and acid digestion, and the lithium content was quantified via atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) at 1.85 wt%. Mineralogical analysis by XRD confirmed polylithionite, a lithium-bearing mica of the lepidolite group, as the dominant host. XRF results showed SiO₂ (46.65 wt%), Al₂O₃ (44.43 wt%), and K₂O (5.06 wt%) as the major constituents. Furthermore, SEM analysis revealed fine, platy lithium-bearing aluminosilicate grains with limited micron-scale liberation. These results provide the information and basis for further processing, extraction, and beneficiation processes for the lithium resources in Gilgit-Baltistan. Moreover, these findings also highlight the region’s geological and economic significance and position as a contributor to Pakistan’s emerging critical minerals portfolio and the global lithium supply chain.</p>

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Mineralogical and microstructural characterization of lithium-bearing ore from Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月21日

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  • Muhammad Yousif,
  • Jehanzaib Anwar,
  • Razia Kalsoom,
  • Ammarah Kanwal,
  • Muhammad Azam,
  • Muhammad Afzal,
  • Farooq Ahmed,
  • Syed Hussain Imam Abidi

摘要

Exploration for lithium and other critical minerals has accelerated worldwide in response to rising demand from the lithium-ion battery and energy storage industries. Among the geologically underexplored terrains with known mineral potential, a mica-type lithium-bearing deposit within the Himalayan pegmatite belt, Shigar Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, remains untapped and has received no prior multidisciplinary investigations. Hence, an integrated investigation of mica-type critical lithium mineralization has been conducted, combining mineralogical, geochemical, and microstructural analyses to evaluate processing, extraction, and beneficiation potential, and to establish the resource potential of the Himalayan pegmatite belt in northern Pakistan, thereby positioning it as a potential contributor to the global lithium supply chain. The ore sample was processed by pulverization (75 μm), roasting to disrupt the silicate lattice, and acid digestion, and the lithium content was quantified via atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) at 1.85 wt%. Mineralogical analysis by XRD confirmed polylithionite, a lithium-bearing mica of the lepidolite group, as the dominant host. XRF results showed SiO₂ (46.65 wt%), Al₂O₃ (44.43 wt%), and K₂O (5.06 wt%) as the major constituents. Furthermore, SEM analysis revealed fine, platy lithium-bearing aluminosilicate grains with limited micron-scale liberation. These results provide the information and basis for further processing, extraction, and beneficiation processes for the lithium resources in Gilgit-Baltistan. Moreover, these findings also highlight the region’s geological and economic significance and position as a contributor to Pakistan’s emerging critical minerals portfolio and the global lithium supply chain.