About this episode

Professor Carl Spandler discusses lithium and its significance in the context of critical minerals and geological processes.

Professor Carl Spandler joins WONDER podcast to walk us through the lightest metal of all - lithium! We dive head first into Carl's world of critical minerals, from crystals the size of cars to manipulated markets and the 'science fights' behind the genesis of lithium ore deposits. Enjoy with us these explorations of the geological cycle of metal on Earth... soon enough these stories will take WONDER deep into space and the beginning of time itself... Carl joins us from the ⁠⁠⁠ ARC Critical Resources for the Future⁠⁠ , who made this episode of Wonder possible! Find us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegeoco.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thegeoco⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Got questions? Get in touch- hello@thegeoco.com.au GeoCo connects to you from the traditional country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains, South Australia. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging.

People in this episode

Host: GeoCo

Guest: Professor Carl Spandler

Topics covered

• lithium
• critical minerals
• geological cycle
• metal on Earth
• science
• space exploration

Keywords

• lithium
• critical minerals
• geology
• metal
• space
• science fights
• ore deposits

Sponsors

ARC Critical Resources for the Future

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: GeoCo

Places: Adelaide Plains, South Australia, Kaurna

More episodes of Wonder

• Does life regulate the Earth's atmosphere? The Gaia hypothesis with Professor Ben Mills (Part 1) · April 21, 2026 · 32 min
• How gold nuggets grow with Dr Chris Voisey (Part II) · April 15, 2026 · 20 min
• The electric growth of gold in earthquakes with Dr Chris Voisey (Part I) · April 8, 2026 · 30 min
• From the Himalaya to Uluru, Dr Melanie Finch explains how the greatest mountains on Earth grow · March 31, 2026 · 29 min
• The Brilliant Stone Structures that Preserve Earth's Earliest Life with Heidi Allen · November 25, 2025 · 30 min
• Why Lithium in the Universe is an Elemental Mystery, with Professor Brian Fields · November 5, 2025 · 31 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Wonder podcast page.