Lithium deposits identified across Appalachia could supply hundreds of years of importsDomestic discoveries across multiple states point to expanding lithium exploration effortsExtraction capacity remains the biggest challenge despite large confirmed resource estimatesLithium buried beneath parts of the Appalachian region could supply the United States with hundreds of years of material essential for batteries, electronics, and large-scale energy storage systems.New estimates from the United States Geological Survey point to roughly 2.3 million metric tons of lithium oxide located in pegmatite formations spread across areas of the eastern United States.Much of the material is believed to sit beneath sections of the Carolinas,…