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The Alaska North Slope is rich in gas hydrate-bearing formations which contain significant natural gas resources. The USGS has released a geologically based assessment for how much of these resources is technically recoverable.

To make America’s economy and defense more secure, the Administration has released “A Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals.” Among other roles, these mineral commodities are vital to renewable energy infrastructure like solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries.

Figure 1 from USGS Fact Sheet 2019-3007 The Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI): Mapping the Nation’s Critical Mineral Resources.

Examples of sulfide minerals that occur at hydrothermal vents and are being studied by Amy Gartman: (left to right) sphalerite, an ore of zinc that often contains iron ([Zn,Fe]S); cubes of pyrite, rich in iron (FeS₂); and covellite, containing copper and sulfur (CuS).The pyrite cubes are a little more than half an inch on a side.

Figure 1. Photographs of commercial, expanded vermiculite ore from the four major historical sources: Libby, Montana; Palabora, South Africa; Louisa, Virginia; and Enoree, South Carolina. Scale of the rightmost image in each set is the same as the left image unless otherwise labeled.

Monazite grains with rare earth elements lanthenum, cerium and neodinium are associated with zirconium, pyrite and potassium feldspar. Mineral identification performed by a combination of scanning of electron microscopy (SEM) and electron microprobe.

This infographic displays the different minerals located in mobile devices. Included within this infographic are:

Mineral: Wolframite
Primary Commodity: Tungsten
Primary Commodity Uses: Tungsten is one of the densest metals on the planet, and therefore gets used in metalworking and construction, as well as in heat sinks, weights, and even vibrating batteries.

Mineral: Chromite

Mineral Origin: Owings Mills, MD

Primary Commodity: Chromium

Primary Commodity Uses: Chromium mostly goes into stainless steel and other alloys, as well as in color pigments.

Mineral: Bauxite

Mineral Origin: Les Baux, France (Sample donated by Gary Kingston)

Primary Commodity: Aluminum and Gallium

Rock: Conglomerate (Gold Ore) Contains sediments of Precambrian age; contains about 8 grams of gold per ton of rock.

Mineral: Garnet Schist
Primary Commodity: Garnet
Primary Commodity Uses: Garnet is mostly used for abrasives, water filtration, and some electronics

Mineral: Silicon Carbide

Mineral Origin: Sample donated by Norton Company

Primary Commodity: Silica (abrasive)

Primary Commodity Uses: Just as their name implies, abrasives are used to abrade, clean, etch, grind, polish, scour, or otherwise remove material

Mineral: Alumina-Zirconia Abrasive

Mineral Origin: Manufactured in Huntsville, AL (Sample on loan from J.B. Hedrick)

Primary Commodity: Aluminum and zirconia

Primary Commodity Uses: This abrasive is primarily used in metal casting and the foundry process

Mineral: Molybdenite

Mineral Origin: Henderson Mine, Empire, CO

Primary Mineral Commodity: Molybdenum

Mineral: Tetrahedrite (a copper antimony sulfosalt)

Mineral Origin: Bingham Canyon, UT

Main Commodity: Silver

Mineral: Silicon Carbide

Mineral Origin: Sample donated by Norton Company

Primary Commodity: Silica (abrasive)

Primary Commodity Uses: Just as their name implies, abrasives are used to abrade, clean, etch, grind, polish, scour, or otherwise remove material

Mineral: Silicon Carbide

Mineral Origin: Sample donated by Norton Company

Primary Commodity: Silica (abrasive)

Primary Commodity Uses: Just as their name implies, abrasives are used to abrade, clean, etch, grind, polish, scour, or otherwise remove material

Mineral: Halite (NaCl)
Primary mineral Commodity: Salt

Mineral: Graphite (C) in pegmatite rock

Mineral Origin: Ticonderoga, NY

Primary Mineral Commodity: Graphite

Mineral Commodity Uses: brake linings, foundry operations, heat-resistant lubricants, refractory applications, and steelmaking

Mineral: Fluorite

Mineral Origin: Cave-in-Rock District, IL (Sample donated by H.B. Wood)

Primary Commodity: Fluorspar