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Cesium and Rubidium Statistics and Information

By National Minerals Information Center

Cesium and Rubidium Insights and Data

Pictured: brine pit

Statistics and information on the worldwide supply of, demand for, and flow of the mineral commodities cesium and rubidium

Cesium, the most electropositive and least abundant of the five naturally occurring alkali metals, was discovered spectroscopically in 1860.  The first cesium metal was produced in 1881.  Because cesium is not mined domestically, the United States is completely dependent on imports.  Historically, the most important use for cesium has been in research and development, primarily in chemical and electrical applications.

Rubidium was discovered in 1861 but had extremely limited industrial use until the 1920s.  Small quantities of rubidium-containing minerals were mined in the United States prior to the mid-1960s, but rubidium is no longer mined domestically.  Historically, the most important use for rubidium has been in research and development, primarily in chemical and electronic applications.

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We are currently in the process of transitioning our datasets to the USGS ScienceBase platform to improve long-term accessibility, documentation, and version control. As part of that transition, we have temporarily paused public posting of our Minerals Yearbook (MYB) tables but will resume publication of them when the process is complete. Users subscribed to the automatic notification will be informed as each MYB becomes available. Thank you for your patience. 

Annual Publications

Mineral Commodity Summaries

Special Publications

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