earth science

Jadarite

Jadarite is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jadarite rather than just read about it. In short: Jadarite is a white, earthy monoclinic silicate mineral, sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide with the chemical formula LiNaSiB3O7(OH). Discovery and classification Jadarite was discovered in December 2004, in drill core from the Jadar Valley (Serbian: Јадар, Jadar, [jadaɾ]) in Serbia, from which it is named.

Key takeaways

Jadarite belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Jadarite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Jadarite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Jadarite is a white, earthy monoclinic silicate mineral, sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide with the chemical formula LiNaSiB3O7(OH).

Discovery and classification Jadarite was discovered in December 2004, in drill core from the Jadar Valley (Serbian: Јадар, Jadar, [jadaɾ]) in Serbia, from which it is named. The find was located 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of the Cer mountain. Findings were originally located in the villages of Jarebice and Slatina and later in Draginac. Exploration geologists from Rio Tinto Exploration discovered the mineral as small rounded nodules in drill core, and were unable to match it with previously known minerals. Jadarite was confirmed as a new mineral after scientists at the Natural History Museum in London and the National Research Council of Canada conducted tests on it.

Commercialization The mineral discovery may be commercially important because the mineral contains lithium and boron, both relatively rare industrially important elements. Lithium is used for lithium batteries; boron is used in alloys, ceramic, glasses, and other applications. It was originally estimated that there are 200 million tons of the lithium borate ore, which would make the future Jadar mines one of the world's largest lithium deposits, supplying 10% of the world's demand for lithium. Later on, United States Geological Survey concluded that lithium supply is closer to 1.51% of world's demand for lithium. Of that, the Lower Jadar ore deposit has 114.5 million tons with an average content of the profitable components of 1.8% of lithium oxide and 13.1% of boron oxide. In May 2017, Rio Tinto announced that the Jadar area has one of the largest lithium deposits in the world, lifting Lower Jadar's deposits to 136 million tons. The company stated that the ore deposit's mineral resource estimation confirmed the quality of the mineral. Extraction is scheduled to begin in 2023, with a projected underground exploitability of 50 years. A jadarite processing plant next to the mines, which will process the ore into lithium carbonate and boric acid, is also planned. The prototype facility has been constructed by the scientists from Serbia, Australia, and USA, and is being tested in Melbourne. Testing includes the processing of the jadarite concentrate. On 25 July 2017 a memorandum was signed by Rio Tinto and the Government of Serbia, represented by the prime minister Ana Brnabić, which confirmed the year 2023 as the starting year, but also revealed that only now the working groups will be formed, studies will be conducted, and the process of issuing the permits will begin. The entire enterprise was named "Project Jadar". By 2020, future exploitation of jadarite and extraction of lithium instigated heated public and academic debate, especially after Rio Tinto's destruction of the Juukan Gorge in Australia. Environmentalists, local population and some scientists and professors are against it, citing usage of large quantities of water and various acids and other chemicals in the production process, which will contaminate 2,000 ha (4,900 acres) of fertile, arable land, salinize the underground waters and pollute the rivers of Jadar and Drina. Other experts claim that there is no reason not to trust the company's claim that it will follow the highest anti-pollution measures, that waters are safe and that the land is not that fertile after all. The company itself stated it will employ a new, experimental process which prevents pollution and which was tested 2,000 times in Australia. As of November 2021, construction of a mine has not begun. Amidst the growing opposition, Rio Tinto's Serbian branch "Rio Sava Exploration" announced that construction of the mine will begin in 2022, to be finished in 2026. The company claimed it already invested $250 million in the project, with additional $200 million planned for 2021. However, on 20 January 2022 Serbian prime minister Ana Brnabić announced the cancellation of the project, after mass protests organised by ecological organisations in Serbia.

Kryptonite Jadarite's chemical formula is similar but not identical to the formula ("sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide with fluorine") invented for the fictional substance kryptonite in the 2006 film Superman Returns. This coincidence attracted mass-media attention in 2007, shortly after jadarite's discovery. The new mineral, unlike the fictional material in the movie, does not contain fluorine and does not have a green glow.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jadarite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jadarite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jadarite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jadarite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jadarite

In research: Jadarite appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Jadarite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Jadarite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Borate minerals, Borosilicates, Lithium minerals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Jadarite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Jadarite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Jadarite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Jadarite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jadarite in simple terms?

Jadarite is a white, earthy monoclinic silicate mineral, sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide with the chemical formula LiNaSiB3O7(OH). Discovery and classification Jadarite was discovered in December 2004, in drill core from the Jadar Valley (Serbian: Јадар, Jadar, [jadaɾ]) in Serbia, from whic…

Why does Jadarite matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jadarite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jadarite.