Manganese is in high demand because of its applications in steel, batteries and electric vehicle production.
Strategic metals are no less important today than they were after World War II, when the US government famously started building its reserves of metals it called “strategic.” At the time, that decision marked a shift in policy to ensure the US would have access to critical metals should it be called to war to defend its allies.
American leadership saw how Germany practically starved Britain with submarine attacks on British and Allied shipping vessels. On the other hand, the US managed to break the back of the Japanese economy by sinking over 90 percent of the Japanese merchant fleet. Both of these events show how cutting a country’s supply lines (including critical metals) in times of war can devastate a war-time economy.
USGS Updates Mineral Database with Gallium Deposits in the United States
USGS Updates Mineral Database with Gallium Deposits in the US
Release Date:
March 11, 2021
In the latest database update based on the Critical Minerals List, the USGS has added Gallium to USMIN.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has updated its
35 mineral commodities declared critical by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2018. The two deposits in this dataset occur in Alaska and Texas.
Gallium is used to manufacture integrated circuits and optoelectronic devices, which include laser diodes, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photodetectors and solar cells. Gallium is primarily recovered as a byproduct of processing aluminum or zinc ores.
USGS Updates Mineral Database with Niobium Deposits in the United States
USGS Updates Mineral Database with Niobium Deposits in the U.S.
Release Date:
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has updated its
USMIN Mineral Deposit Database (USMIN) for the mineral commodity niobium, one of 35 mineral commodities declared critical by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Sites in this dataset occur in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Nebraska and Texas.
“Niobium is vital to many sectors of our infrastructure and manufacturing economy, and the United States is
100 percent reliant on other countries for it,” said Jeff Mauk, USGS lead scientist for USMIN. “Updates to our database can help weigh the potential for domestic niobium production against the need for future trade agreements.”
US Mines Produced an Estimated $82.3 Billion in Minerals During 2020
Release Date:
February 2, 2021
U.S. mines produced approximately $82.3 billion in minerals in 2020 about $1.5 billion lower than the 2019 revised total of $83.7 billion the U.S. Geological Survey announced February 2.
This USGS infographic highlights several key findings from the 26th annual Mineral Commodity Summaries. (Public domain.)
This information comes from the 26th annual Mineral Commodity Summaries report from the USGS National Minerals Information Center, which was published February 1. The report is a comprehensive source of 2020 mineral production data for the world and includes information on the domestic industry structure, government programs, tariffs and five-year salient statistics on more than 88 mineral commodities that are important to the U.S. economy and national security. It also identifies events, trends and issues in the domestic and interna
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