These proposed lithium mines are going to be tiny though, compared to other minerals. For example Thacker Pass is only planning to disturb 6000 acres, which is basically nothing. Every oil well in Texas is on 1 to 5 acres of disturbed land and there are a quarter-million of those in Texas alone. The amount of land that has been scraped flat for oil is incredible.
You only have to glance around to find other mine disturbances. They are sized proportionately to the amount of the material humans want. Copper mines are pretty impressive. Potash and borax mines are rather large. Iron mines are absolutely gigantic.
https://www.google.com/maps/@28.0170789,-98.9525815,39702m/d...
https://www.google.com/maps/@32.2481804,-102.7177912,13375m/...
You only have to glance around to find other mine disturbances. They are sized proportionately to the amount of the material humans want. Copper mines are pretty impressive. Potash and borax mines are rather large. Iron mines are absolutely gigantic.