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Sunday, November 1, 2020

Cobra Keeps A 54-Year Old Enduro Well Flowing -- November 1, 2020

Cobra keeps this 54-year-old Devonian well flowing, recently acquired from Enduro. The well:

  • 3983, 234, Cobra/Enduro Operating, North Dakota C A 3, a Devonian well, vertical, 320-acre spacing, t1/66, cum 1.411065 million bbls 9/20; celebrated its 54th anniversary January, 2020; still producing about 500 bbls/month, 6/17; up to 800 bbs/month, 6/19; recent production:
PoolDateDaysBBLS OilRunsBBLS WaterMCF ProdMCF SoldVent/Flare
DEVONIAN9-20203085590921103292540
DEVONIAN8-20203179376126183442660
DEVONIAN7-202031782814250930016953
DEVONIAN6-202030679636280230151175
DEVONIAN5-20201000300
DEVONIAN4-20201846255720111463071
DEVONIAN3-202031656454274226677111
DEVONIAN2-202029720755174329485136

Cobra Keeps A 62-Year-Old Well Flowing -- November 1, 2020

Cobra recently acquired this Enduro well; keeps it going. The well:

  • 2009, 179, Cobra/Enduro, North Dakota C A 2, McGregor, t12/58; cum 1.2316675 million bbls; still producing about 650 bbls/month, 9/20; going on 62 years of age; recent production:
PoolDateDaysBBLS OilRunsBBLS WaterMCF ProdMCF SoldVent/Flare
DEVONIAN9-20203060667537324052700
DEVONIAN8-20203167464540314192790
DEVONIAN7-202031658750402137217656
DEVONIAN6-202030780740443336952182
DEVONIAN5-20201000500
DEVONIAN4-202022553629275131865154
DEVONIAN3-202031700469340237998141
DEVONIAN2-202029640666320733880127
DEVONIAN1-20203181876630885213810
DEVONIAN12-20192953369129404843530

Cobra Brings A 56-Year-Old Enduro Well Off The Inactive List -- November 1, 2020

After being carried as an "inactive well," Cobra recently acquired this Enduro well. The well:

  • 3580, 480, Cobra/Enduro, Rusch B 1, Sherwood, t6/64; cum 2.383598 million bbls 9/20; (that's 56 years of production); recent production:
PoolDateDaysBBLS OilRunsBBLS WaterMCF ProdMCF SoldVent/Flare
MADISON9-2020302301862670000
MADISON8-2020100192000
MADISON7-20207630546000
MADISON6-202014870000
MADISON5-20203170273000
MADISON4-20207560546000
MADISON3-20202242441425000
MADISON2-202029691631055000
MADISON1-20202110001180000
MADISON12-2019311462431325000
MADISON11-20192110901288000
MADISON10-2019311361762813000
MADISON9-2019301261042850000

Nice To See -- SHD's Golden Well In Deep Water Creek Is Back On Line -- November 1, 2020

The well:

  • 19296, 2,388, SHD Oil & Gas, Golden 22-31H, Deep Water Creek Bay, 62 stages, 15 million lbs sand, spacing ICO, F, t3/15; cum 782K 9/20; a singleton; still producing 5,000 bbls 11/19; only fourteen days, 4/20; remains off line 8/20; back on line for 5 days, 9/20; this is an extended long lateral (3 sections; almost three miles long); it's the only well from that pad; under the water; recent production:
PoolDateDaysBBLS OilRunsBBLS WaterMCF ProdMCF SoldVent/Flare
BAKKEN9-20205860709149735019331
BAKKEN8-20200000000
BAKKEN7-20200000000
BAKKEN6-20200000000
BAKKEN5-20200000000
BAKKEN4-202014182217862410105001050
BAKKEN3-202027385240376241273202732
BAKKEN2-202029542755547085388803888
BAKKEN1-202027367834934300270602706
BAKKEN12-201931512054245585348403484
BAKKEN11-201928438744046069256402101
BAKKEN10-2019316557641412482334803348
BAKKEN9-201928565855078070490504905
BAKKEN8-2019317204703791775650565
BAKKEN7-2019316956781210668607506075

Final Four: Logano, Elliott, Keselowski, Hamlin -- Sunday, November 1, 2020

Updates

Later, 4:55 p.m. central time: with two to go, Chase Elliott trying to get in to the final four by winning the race outright. And there it is -- Elliott wins the race -- makes the final four. Harvick spins out just before the finish line; spins K Busch (18) around but Busch slides across the finish line -- apparently a DNF. So, who will be in the final four? Logano, Elliott, .... Hamlin? Keselowski?  Yup, that's the final four.

Later, 2:56 p.m. central time: midway through the second stage, Kyle Harvick is at risk of not making the final four. Wow.

Original Post

NASCAR racing now. Lots of BLM/NFL. Great weather in north Texas. What's not to like? But there's more. See next item from McDonald's. NASCAR elimination race. From the top eight going into today's race, four will make it to the "Championship Four" for the championship race next Sunday, November 8, 2020, at Phoenix. And, oh by the way, coincidentally, I will be in Phoenix next weekend. LOL.  

No one is guaranteed to be in the final four, except Logano, I guess, based on "one win," but look at the point separation:

Winners of each stage will earn additional points, as well as points for leading laps.

McDonald's: from Business Insider, what's not to like? Does this suggest all those stories of a beef shortage in the US were ... not entirely accurate? I don't know. 

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Tesla News

From The Motley Fool, October 30, 2020:

Tesla is tumbling in a stock market rocked by the latest coronavirus numbers, as the U.S. marches seemingly inexorably beyond 9 million infections, and toward 230,000 deaths.

Tesla also seems to face more competition in the electric car market.

Earlier this week, Consumer Reports said that in its real-world driving tests, General Motors' Super Cruise autonomous technology outperformed Tesla's Autopilot, leaving Tesla "a distant second" in its rankings.

Wall Street responded quickly to the report, with Wedbush saying Thursday that GM's Hummer electric vehicle has sold out in its pre-order phase, and could prove a strong competitor to Tesla.

And today (Friday, October 30, 2020), Reuters is reporting that Ford is building its Active Driver Assist hardware into its very first batch of redesigned F-150 pickups and Mustang Mach-E electric SUVs, which will go on sale this year. By the third quarter of 2021, the company plans to activate the software remotely, adding new competition for Tesla.

Top Ten Biggest Lithium Mines In The World

Disclaimer: in a long note like this there will be content and typographical errors. Personal comments will be interspersed with data from original source. If this is important to you and you don't want personal comments, go to the source. 

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Top Ten Biggest Lithium Mines In The World

From Mining Technology, updated May 28, 2020.

Western Australia: five of the world's biggest lithium mines.

1. Sonora Lithium Project, 243.8 metric tons. Sonora, Mexico. JV, Mexico/Chinese. LCE. Open-pit. Environmental disaster.
2. Thacker Pass Lithium Project, 179.4 metric tons. Humboldt County, NV. Lithiums Americas. Pre-feasibility study completed in August, 2018. Phase one is expected to be commissioned in 2022; phase two, 2026. LCE. Open-pit. Environmental disaster.
3. Wodgina Lithium Project, 151.94 metric tons. Australia. Mineral Resources. JV with Albermarle. Spodumene. Open-pit, Environmental disaster. See screenshot below.
4. Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum Project, 108.2 metric tons. Australia. Pilbara Minerals. Spodumene. Open-pit. Environmental disaster.
5. Earl Grey Lithium Project, 94.2 metric tons. Australia. Kidman Resources, Chile (Covalent Lithium). Spodumene. Unsaid but probably open-pit. Expected to be commissioned in 2020.
6. Greenbushes Lithium Project, 86.4 metric tons. Australia. Chinese. Second and third processing plant were to be commissioned in 2019. Unsaid, but likely to be open-pit.
7. Whabouchi Lithium Project, 36.6 metric tons. Central Quebec, Canada. Canadian mining company. open-pit and underground mining. Production is was to have begun June, 2020.
8. Altura Mining's Pilgangoora Lithium, 34.2 metric tons. Australia. Open pit. Two stages. First stage commissioned in early 2019; second phase could begin in 2022, or thereabouts.
9. Goulamina Lithium Project, 31.2 metric tons. Southern Mali, operated by an Australian company. Open-cut. Currently carrying out the definitive feasibility study. FID on the project is expected to be taken in second half of 2020.
10. Arcadia Lithium Project, 26. 9 metric tons. Zimbabwe. Operated by an Australian mining company. Spodumene. The DFS was completed in November, 2018; currently under construction; expected to be commissioned in second half of 2020.

Open-pit lithium mine. Compare with a Bakken eco-pad.

PSA: Apple Pencil Software Update For iPads -- November 1, 2020

Normally I don't pay much attention to operating system software updates unless they are major upgrades. 

This summer Apple introduced iPadOS 14 for iPads (as the name suggests). Perhaps one of the new features was there all along, but I did not notice it until last night when iPadOS 14.1 was automatically installed.

The new feature: scribble. From Apple Support:

iPadOS 14 brings Scribble to iPad with Apple Pencil, allowing users to write in any text field — where it will automatically be converted to typed text — making actions like replying to an iMessage or searching in Safari fast and easy. 
All handwriting and conversion to text happens on device, keeping it private and secure. 
When taking notes, Smart Selection uses on-device machine learning to distinguish handwriting from drawings, so handwritten text can easily be selected, cut, and pasted into another document as typed text. Shape recognition allows users to draw shapes that are made geometrically perfect and snap right into place when adding useful diagrams and illustrations in Notes. 
Data detectors now work with handwritten text to recognize phone numbers, dates, and addresses, and offer users the ability to take actions like tapping a written number to make a call, adding an event directly to Calendar, or showing a location in Maps. 
Scribble will initially offer support for English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, and mixed Chinese and English, so users can write English and Chinese words together without needing to switch languages. 
What surprised me was that it appeared I was stuck with this new feature whether I wanted it or not. The "application" is quite incredible but I'm not ready to have "Scribble" "on" all the time. Google searches are much, much better for me when I can type out the words, rather than writing them with the Apple pencil. 
 
It turns out, Apple makes it incredibly easy to switch off "Scribble." 
 
So, here's the PSA:
Simply go to settings, scroll down to "Apple Pencil" and then simply turn off "Scribble." It's that simple. When you turn "Scribble" back on, you have several options how to use the Apple Pencil to your best (and personal) advantage.
The hand-writing recognition is incredible. This will be huge for college students taking notes during lectures.

One can "write" e-mail notes using Scribble. 
 
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Search Engines

Speaking of Google, I also checked out DuckDuckGo last night and read what the CEO of the latter had to say. We are being misled again with a bit of "fake information." Without question, Google does a much, much better job for me. No question. Hands down, Google is a much better search engine for me than DuckDuckGo. 
 
Whether he's telling the full truth or not, the CEO of DuckDuckGo says his search engine does not use the history of the searcher's preferences when searching for sites. 
 
Hey: I want the search engine algorithm to know what I'm interested in. The hits returned to me by Google seem to be about as good as they get compared to what I get when I go to DuckDuckGo. There's a reason Google is the preferred search engine. That came to light when trying to get an update on the Panamint lithium mine (wow, that was tough to find). Google got me the results because Google "knew" what I was looking for. DuckDuckGo was not helpful.

Using both search engines, see what works best for you when looking for:
  • Bakken oil blogs
  • Bakken oil blog

Your experience will likely be different than mine. And that's the way Google meant it to be based on what the CEO of DuckDuckGo says. Why would I want hits tailored for Joe Schmo populate the first five pages of results rather than hits tailored for me personally. Am I missing something here? That's rhetorical; don't answer.

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College Football Is Now A Political Movement


North Dakota Chinese Flu Update -- November 1, 2020

Link here.  

When you scroll down to the spreadsheet at that linked site, be sure to set the filter to "yesterday."

Then bring your cursor to total cases/one million, click on it, descending. Amazing: North Dakota is #1, followed by South Dakota, and Iowa. 

Now, deaths / one million, North Dakota, which used to rank about 40th, is now 17th and South Dakota, home of the infamous Sturgis Rally is #28

I think the most interesting column, not adjusted for population, is the new deaths column. North Dakota was again in the top 20 with twelve new deaths (think, Medora, ND, I guess), and South Dakota with ten. Meanwhile, New York had only thirteen new deaths. Wisconsin, one of the most progressive states in the union reported a whopping 59 new deaths. 

So, now, switching to Johns Hopkins, which is updated (almost) daily, was updated just a few minutes ago, at 11:34 a.m. Sunday, November 1, 2020:

At 813, North Dakota leads the nation and sets a new record for reporting "weekly new cases per 100,000 people. A couple of states fell off the graphic leaving these as the top five: ND, SD, WI, MT, and WY. 

I find it somewhat amazing that Dr Faust, et al, have noted how important "fly-over" country is when it comes to shutting down the US based on spikes in activity in ND, SD, and WY. 

So, back to total cases / one million population.

In North Dakota:

  • population being measured: 762,062 (Medora, ND, accounts for about 112 of that)
  • total number of cases: 43,916
  • cases / one million population: 57,628 (#1 in the nation by the way, far exceeding New York which has only 27,968 total cases / one million, or less than half of that of North Dakota)
  • percent of North Dakotans that have been diagnosed with Chinese flu: 43,916 / 762,602 = 5.8%

Comments:

  • herd immunity: 65% (maybe 70% -- scientists disagree whether it's 65% or 70%)
  • Spanish flu: estimated to have infected one-third (33.3%) of the world's population before it died out (dying out before coming close to herd immunity)
  • no vaccine on the horizon (6-month horizon)
  • no universal, inexpensive, hugely successful, widely accessible Chinese flu likely to be developed in my lifetime
  • "seasonal flu" vaccine, at best, is about 45% effective
  • only one vaccine-eradication program has ever been 100% successful: smallpox
  • when you go the FDA site and see no announcement regarding any good news regarding a Chinese flu vaccine, that speaks volumes;

Bottom line:

  • we have a long way to go
  • we will be wearing masks for the next four years if the elites have any say in this matter

The good news:

  • "seasonal flu" has been eradicated according to the WHO and it no longer a threat

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Catcher in the Rye

J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye was all about trying to save the children from the phony adults. 

From litcharts.com:

The Catcher in the Rye is a portrait of a young man at odds with the process of growing up. A 16-year-old who is highly critical of the adult world, Holden covets what he sees as the inherent purity of youth. 
This is why the characters he speaks most fondly about in the novel are all children. 
Thinking that children are still untainted by the “phony,” hypocritical adult world, he wishes there were a way to somehow preserve the sense of honest integrity that he associates with childhood. Consequently, he not only dreams about protecting children from the trials and tribulations of growing up, but also resists his own process of maturation.

Salinger, born January 1, 1919, had the first six chapters of Catcher in the Rye written by the time he landed on Utah Beach, Normandy, France, June 6, 1944, in the second wave of Allied landings that day. He carried the "manuscript" with him that day. 

As bad as Normandy was, fighting through the hedgerows was exponentially worse, if it can even be quantified. I assume they quantify it by percentage of casualties, i.e, dead and wounded.

In all, Salinger was involved in five bloody battles before the war in Europe ended. In April, 1945, he was with the group that entered Kaufering IV concentration camp, a subcamp of Dachau. Shortly thereafter he admitted himself into a civilian psychiatric hospital in Nuremberg. 

It took Salinger ten years to complete Catcher in the Rye, publishing it July 16, 1951, less than a month before I was born. 

For the most part, bombing in WWII did not involve nuclear weapons.


Initial Production Data For Wells Coming Off Confidential List This Next Week -- November 1, 2020

Six months ago, April, 2020, the Chinese flu pandemic panic begins to peak -- efforts to "flatten the curve" in full force. Everything comes to a halt, including new drilling in the Bakken.

The wells:

  • 37508, conf, CLR, Kennedy 14-31H2, Dimmick Lake, no production data, the Kennedy-Miles pad in Dimmick Lake is tracked here;
  • 37506, conf, CLR, Kennedy 12-31H2, Dimmick Lake, no production data, the Kennedy-Miles pad in Dimmick Lake is tracked here;
  • 36461, conf, Hess, EN-Ruland-156-94-3328H-3, Manitou, the EN-Ruland wells are tracked here;
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
9-2020139030
8-20202164930242
7-20202474534977
6-20202885833458
5-20202236224546
  • 36536, conf, Hess, EN-Sorenson_B-155-94-3526H-8, Alkali Creek, nice well; the EN-Sorenson wells are tracked here;
DateOil RunsMCF Sold
9-2020275060
8-20202808837920
7-20204129957042
6-20203579555552
5-20204897662923
  • 35809, conf, Petro-Hunt, Sabrosky 144-97-7C-6-3H, Little Knife, no production data, 
  • 35808, loc/NC, Petro-Hunt, Hagen 144-98-12D-1-3H, Little Knife, no production data,

And Just Like That -- They Quit Drilling In The Bakken -- Wells Coming Off The Confidential List This Next Week -- November 1, 2020

Six months ago, April, 2020, the Chinese flu pandemic panic begins to peak -- efforts to "flatten the curve" in full force. Everything comes to a halt, including new drilling in the Bakken.

Monday, November 9, 2020: 6 for the month; 30 for the quarter, 695 for the year
37508, conf, CLR, Kennedy 14-31H2,
37506, conf, CLR, Kennedy 12-31H2,

Sunday, November 8, 2020: 4 for the month; 28 for the quarter, 693 for the year
None. 

Saturday, November 7, 2020: 4 for the month; 28 for the quarter, 693 for the year
36461, conf, Hess, EN-Ruland-156-94-3328H-3, 

Friday, November 6, 2020: 3 for the month; 27 for the quarter, 692 for the year
36536, conf, Hess, EN-Sorenson_B-155-94-3526H-8,

Thursday, November 5, 2020: 2 for the month; 26 for the quarter, 691 for the year
None.

Wednesday, November 4, 2020: 2 for the month; 26 for the quarter, 691 for the year
None. 

Tuesday, November 3, 2020: 2 for the month; 26 for the quarter, 691 for the year
35809, conf, Petro-Hunt, Sabrosky 144-97-7C-6-3H,

Monday, November 2, 2020: 1 for the month; 25 for the quarter, 690 for the year

  • None.

Sunday, November 1, 2020: 1 for the month; 25 for the quarter, 690 for the year

  • 35808, loc/NC, Petro-Hunt, Hagen 144-98-12D-1-3H, Little Knife, no production data,
Saturday, October 31, 2020: 24 for the month; 24 for the quarter, 689 for the year
  • None. Spooky, huh?

US Migration -- Random Update -- November 1, 2020

It will be interesting to compare the years following WWII when there were huge migrations in the US and the migrations that will result from Chinese flu. 

From CNBC yesterday, October 30, 2020:

  • Now that more Americans can work and attend school from anywhere, they are increasingly looking to leave large urban centers for smaller, less dense cities with cheaper housing.
  • “Remote work has opened up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to buying a home,” said Redfin’s chief economist, Daryl Fairweather.
From the linked article, based on analysis by Redfin which started tracking this migration three years ago:
  • certain cities are standout destinations
    • Santa Barbara, California; Louisville, Kentucky; and Buffalo, New York, are seeing big net inflows.
    • Santa Barbara’s net inflow increased by 124% in the third quarter compared with the same period a year earlier;
    • Louisville saw a 113% increase; and,
    • Buffalo a 107% gain
  • top 10 list includes El Paso, Texas; Burlington, Vermont; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.
    • Tulsa has a program, Tulsa Remote, which actually pays people to move to the city and work remotely. 
  • most of the destination cities have relatively low housing costs compared with larger metropolitan areas. 
    • Santa Barbara is the exception. Its draw is that it is less dense than Los Angeles but close enough to commute if necessary. 
  • at the larger state picture, Florida appears to be the biggest recipient of flight from New York. 
  • nearly twice as many Redfin searchers as last year, or 22,000 more, looked to move into Florida than out in the third quarter. That is the highest net inflow since Redfin began tracking migration three years ago. 
  • Florida, Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina and Nevada saw the biggest net inflow increases since last year
  • another analysis from moveBuddha, a moving company search site, found the top three larger cities people were moving into in 2020 were Denver, Austin, Texas and Portland, Oregon.
  • the top cities people moved out of: New York, San Francisco and Chicago.

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Some Interesting Story Lines For Budding Writers

Speaking of Portland, Oregon and Antifa:

  • for the most part, the demonstrations were peaceful;

WWII:

  • for the most part, bombing did not include nuclear weapons;

April 15, 1865 (where death and taxes really did intersect):

  • for the most part, the play was uneventful;

Chicxulub crater:

  • for the most part, dinosaurs were unaffected by meteors;

Dinner:

  • for the most part, Jeffrey Dahmer's diet was just like that of most Americans;

Lithium: A Bit Of Fragmented History, Tesla, And Nevada -- November 1, 2020

Note: this post is very fragmented, but I was curious about the history of lithium mining in the US. Various internet sources have not been updated and continue to post outdated (and incorrect) information, as noted below. If this is important to you, go to better sources. This was for my own benefit to help me understand the history and background of lithium mining. 

This all started when Dakota Lithium led me to Battery Mineral Resources Panamint Valley. This was not easy to find. Archived.

Lithium Corporation of America, from wiki. I have no idea how accurate or dated this is. Note the dates, going back to 1985.

Lithium Corporation of America is a mining company which mined lithium-bearing spodumene and pegmatite ores near Bessemer City, Gaston County, North Carolina, United States and in the Black Hills of South Dakota
In 1985, Lithium Corporation of America was acquired by FMC Corporation, formerly known as Food Machinery and Chemical Corporation. At the time it was acquired, the company was the world's largest producer of lithium. FMC's lithium operations are now known as FMC Lithium. [No longer accurate; continue reading.]

FMC Corporation (Food Machinery Corporation), from wiki

FMC is an American chemical manufacturing company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which originated as an insecticide producer and later diversified into other industries.

In 1941 at the beginning of WWII, the company received a contract to design and build amphibious tracked landing vehicles for the United States Department of War, and afterwards the company continued to diversify its products. FMC employs 7,000 people worldwide, and had gross revenues of US$2.8 billion in 2017. 

In 2018, FMC was planning to spin off its lithium segment. Link hereIn a press release, dated July 26, 2018, FMC Corporaiton said that its lithium materials business will be known at Livent Corporation.

June 22, 2020, Motley Fool:

  • more than enough lithium; a commodity; volatile pricing
  • Livent Corporation: LTHM
  • two main lithium componds
    • lithium carbonate
      • from brine deposits; namely those in South America (think Livent)
    • lithium hydroxide
      • produced from rock deposits; primarily those in western Australia
  • Albermarle (ALB): world's leading lithium producer

Tesla, Reuters, September 24, 2020, link here.

The lede from the linked Reuters article:Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk told shareholders on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, Tesla has secured rights to 10,000 acres in Nevada where it aims to produce lithium from clay deposits using a process developed internally. 

The move would make Tesla the first company in the world to commercially produce the white metal from clay.

Lithium is produced either from brine, commonly found in South America (think Livent), or spodumene hard rock, usually in Australia (think Albermarle).

From the linked Reuters article:

Tesla Inc's plan to produce lithium for electric vehicle batteries close to its Nevada Gigafactory faces stark challenges from the outset, including an onerous permitting process, uncertain access to water and questions about unproven methodologies.

And more:

Nevada already has several lithium clay projects under development, including one from Lithium Americas Corp (LAC.TO) that has been seeking federal permit approval for more than a decade and another from Ioneer Ltd (INR.AX).

"Mining lithium is very challenging," said Pedro Palandrani of the Global X Lithium & Battery Technology ETF which holds shares in Tesla and lithium producers. "If Tesla really wants to fly solo, we're talking about four to five years to really see any kind of lithium production."

Back to Nevada:

Tesla’s plan also would likely require substantial amounts of water, forcing the company to battle with cattle ranchers for access to underground reservoirs in the arid state.

Albemarle Corp operated the only existing U.S. lithium mine at a site roughly 200 miles (322 km) north of Las Vegas until it shut it down last month (August, 2020).

Operational since the late 1960s, the site produced less than 5,000 tonnes of lithium per year, a relatively small amount and far less than Tesla would need.

Worldwide lithium mine production from 2010 to 2019 in metric tons at this link. From that link: 

Lithium is widely present worldwide, but due to its high reactivity it does not naturally occur in its elemental form. 
Chile and Australia have the first and second largest lithium reserves, respectively, in the world. 
There are several key players involved in the lucrative global lithium mining business. Based on supply, Albemarle is the leading lithium company in the world. 
Based on market capitalization, however, Tianqi Lithium was the leading lithium producing company in 2019
Looking to the future, lithium producers have a strong outlook, as the total worldwide lithium demand is expected to increase significantly in the coming years. 

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Top Ten Biggest Lithium Mines In The World

From Mining Technology, updated May 28, 2020.

Western Australia: five of the world's biggest lithium mines.

1. Sonora Lithium Project, 243.8 metric tons. Sonora, Mexico. JV, Mexico/Chinese. LCE. Open-pit. Environmental disaster.
2. Thacker Pass Lithium Project, 179.4 metric tons. Humboldt County, NV. Lithiums Americas. Pre-feasibility study completed in August, 2018. Phase one is expected to be commissioned in 2022; phase two, 2026. LCE. Open-pit. Environmental disaster.
3. Wodgina Lithium Project, 151.94 metric tons. Australia. Mineral Resources. JV with Albermarle. Spodumene. Open-pit, Environmental disaster. See screenshot below.
4. Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum Project, 108.2 metric tons. Australia. Pilbara Minerals. Spodumene. Open-pit. Environmental disaster.
5. Earl Grey Lithium Project, 94.2 metric tons. Australia. Kidman Resources, Chile (Covalent Lithium). Spodumene. Unsaid but probably open-pit. Expected to be commissioned in 2020.
6. Greenbushes Lithium Project, 86.4 metric tons. Australia. Chinese. Second and third processing plant were to be commissioned in 2019. Unsaid, but likely to be open-pit.
7. Whabouchi Lithium Project, 36.6 metric tons. Central Quebec, Canada. Canadian mining company. open-pit and underground mining. Production is was to have begun June, 2020.
8. Altura Mining's Pilgangoora Lithium, 34.2 metric tons. Australia. Open pit. Two stages. First stage commissioned in early 2019; second phase could begin in 2022, or thereabouts.
9. Goulamina Lithium Project, 31.2 metric tons. Southern Mali, operated by an Australian company. Open-cut. Currently carrying out the definitive feasibility study. FID on the project is expected to be taken in second half of 2020.
10. Arcadia Lithium Project, 26. 9 metric tons. Zimbabwe. Operated by an Australian mining company. Spodumene. The DFS was completed in November, 2018; currently under construction; expected to be commissioned in second half of 2020.

Open-pit lithium mine. Compare with a Bakken eco-pad.