Publications

This summary of international mineral exploration activities for the year 2005 draws upon available information from literature, industry and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) specialists. It provides data on exploration budgets by global region and mineral commodity and identifies significant mineral discoveries and exploration target areas. It also discusses government programs affecting the mineral

In 2005, 22 companies mined kaolin in nine US states. Production in Georgia declined to 6.19 Mt down from 6.78 Mt in 2004. Despite the decline, Georgia remained the leading producer state followed by Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas, Texas, Nevada, California, North Carolina and Florida. In the next year or two, domestic and export sales of kaolin for paper application are not expected to change

In 2005, four companies including H.C. Spinks Clay, Kentucky-Tennessee Clay, Old Hickory Clay and Unimin mined ball clay in four states. Based on a preliminary survey of the ball clay industry, production reached 1.32 Mt valued at $53.3 million. Tennessee was the leading ball clay producer state with 61% of domestic production, followed by Texas, Mississippi and Kentucky.

In 2005, NYCO Minerals and R.T. Vanderbilt mined wollastonite in the United States. Domestic production increased slightly from 2004. The plastic market accounted for 35%-40% of US sales followed by ceramics (25-30%), metallurgical applications (10%), paint (10%), friction products (10%) and miscellaneous (5%). Towards 2006, wollastonite producers are expected to face more technical and commercial

In 2005, six companies mined fire clay in Missouri, Ohio and South Carolina. Production was estimate to be 300 kt with a value of $8.3 million. Missouri was the leading producer state followed by Ohio and South Carolina. For the third consecutive year, sales and use of fire clays have been relatively unchanged. For the next few years, sales of fire clay is forecasted to remain around 300 kt/a.

At present, 150 companies produce common clay and shale in 41 US states. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), domestic production in 2005 reached 24.8 Mt valued at $176 million. In decreasing order by tonnage, the leading producer states include North Carolina, Texas, Alabama, Georgia and Ohio. For the whole year, residential and commercial building construction remained the ma

Soda ash, also known as sodium carbonate, is an alkali chemical that can be refined from the mineral trona and from sodium carbonate-bearing brines. Several chemical processes exist for manufacturing synthetic soda ash.

The ore of mercury, cinnabar, is soft and dark red, and native mercury is one of a few metals that is liquid at room temperatures. Cinnabar from Almaden, Spain, the world’s oldest producing mercury mine, was used during Roman times, and the chemical symbol for mercury (Hg) is from "hydrargyrum," from the Greek word meaning liquid silver. Cinnabar and mercury are associated with some hydrothermal m

No abstract available

Tungsten has the highest melting point of all metals, one of the highest densities and, when combined with carbon, is almost as hard as diamond. These and other properties make it useful in a wide variety of important commercial, industrial and military applications.

Together with chromium, nickel makes steel more resistant to corrosion. Stainless steel thus accounts for more than 65 percent of primary nickel consumption in the world. One of the more common grades of stainless steel is Type 304, which contains 18 to 20 percent chromium and 10.5 to 12 percent nickel. Owing to their high corrosion resistance, nickel-bearing stainless steels are widely used in th

Beryllium metal is lighter than aluminum and stiffer than steel. These and other properties, including its strength, dimensional stability, thermal properties and reflectivity, make it useful for aerospace and defense applications, such as satellite and space-vehicle structural components. Beryllium’s nuclear properties, combined with its low density, make it useful as a neutron reflector and mode