jan 1, 1927 - Discovery of lithium deposits in Argentine Puna

Description:

Like in Chile, debates over the lithium deposits in Argentina have gained visibility in the past two
decades. The discovery of deposits in northwestern Argentina dates back almost a century. Between 1923
and 1927, Luciano R. Catalano11 conducted five expeditions to the Argentine Puna to investigate mineral
deposits on high-altitude Andean salt flats. He immediately recognized the region's potential for borate and
lithium wealth. In his report Lithium: A new natural source of energy, he describes the importance of lithium
for energy production, including nuclear energy. He suggested Argentina use this raw material wealth for
national benefit. He argued that the government and its military were obliged to defend it and prevent
extraction and export abroad at all costs (Catalano 1964: 19). In the following years, in the Salt Flats Plan
of the General Directorate of Military Manufacturing (DGFM), the political strategy for salt flat mining
largely followed Catalano's recommendations. Between 1969 and 1974, several salt flats in Jujuy, Salta,
and Catamarca were explored. The main aim was achieving a profitable lithium supply for alloys in the
aerospace industry as well as for civil nuclear energy (Nacif 2019; Slipak 2015).

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