[ Science/Technology ] [ Main Menu ]
6412
From: Petra, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Earth's Rare Minerals Not Mined in the USA
|
I think it was yesterday I heard on the news of the Earths rare minerals we use and especially in computers and cell phones, currently we don't mine them anywhere in the US but buy 800 tons of them from foreign countries every year and primarily from China. In a small sense some of them can be used from the process of coal mining in West Virginia but nowhere near what we need. Petra |
6414
From: Eve, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Earth's Rare Minerals Not Mined in the USA
URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/business/global/05recycle.html
|
Rare Earth Element Production: This chart shows a history of rare earth element production, in metric tons of rare earth oxide equivalent, between 1950 and 2016. It clearly shows the United States' entry into the market in the mid-1960s when color television exploded demand. When China began selling rare earths at very low prices in the late-1980s and early-1990s, mines in the United States were forced to close because they could no longer make a profit. When China cut exports in 2010, rare earth prices skyrocketed. That motivated new production in the United States, Australia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia, and other countries. In 2016, rare earth production in the United States stopped as the only remaining mine was put on care and maintenance. see link for chart: http://geology.com/articles/rare-earth-elements/ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/aug/07/china-rare-earth-village-pollution Growing scarcity and China's stranglehold on the market With the sheer number of new gadgets and business solutions coming onto the market every year, it's no surprise that rare earth metals are becoming scarce. However, the likelihood of a shortage is increased by the lack of mining that's taking place outside China. China has the lion's share of these precious metals but has been reluctant to export them to other countries in an effort – it says – to conserve its own resources. In recent years, it has cut its exports by more than 70%, severely impacting manufacturing in countries such as Japan and the US, while enabling manufacturing in China itself. In addition to these trade restrictions, China is using its economic clout to undercut the prices offered by mines in other regions, effectively forcing them out of business.  https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/rare-earth-metals-upgrade-recycle-ethical-china https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/sep/26/rare-earth-metals-technology-boom http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/09/19/rare-earth-metals-will-we-have-enough/ EXCLUSIVE Picks, pans and bare hands: How miners in the heart of Africa toil in terrible conditions to extract the rare minerals that power your iPhone -The hidden coltan mines in a forgotten corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo fuel our 21st century lifestyle -The black tar-like mineral is the magical component that controls power-flow in your iPhone and Samsung Galaxy -Yet the men who pull coltan from the earth use picks and shovels working in dangerous and pressurised conditions -Many of the mines have been controlled by militia during years of conflict to fund weapons and ammunition for war -In this third dispatch from the DRC, MailOnline visited Luwow mine, which is now a conflict free mine, to find to find hundreds of workers toiling with picks, shovels and pans in scenes use reminiscent of 19th century gold rush continued here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3280872/iPhone-mineral-miners-Africa-use-bare-hands-coltan.html E- waste recycling : |
Responses:
[6415]
6415
From: Eve, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Earth's Rare Minerals Not Mined in the USA
|
p.s. On second thought this topic maybe best placed on "Disasters" board. |
Responses:
None
6413
From: kay.so.or, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Earth's Rare Minerals Not Mined in the USA
| yes that was said awhile back Petra and one would hope our govt has stockpiled enough up to keep us going in case something happens between china and us....interesting when you 'depend' upon a thing from other countries, like transformers made in germany...:-) |
Responses:
None
[ Science/Technology ] [ Main Menu ]