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Mineral Commodity Summaries 2020

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Mineral Commodity Summaries 2020 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey MINERAL COMMODITY SUMMARIES 2020 Abrasives Fluorspar Mercury Silicon Aluminum Gallium Mica Silver Antimony Garnet Molybdenum Soda Ash Arsenic Gemstones Nickel Stone Asbestos Germanium Niobium Strontium Barite Gold Nitrogen Sulfur Bauxite Graphite Palladium Talc Beryllium Gypsum Peat Tantalum Bismuth Hafnium Perlite Tellurium Boron Helium Phosphate Rock Thallium Bromine Indium Platinum Thorium Cadmium Iodine Potash Tin Cement Iron and Steel Pumice Titanium Cesium Iron Ore Quartz Crystal Tungsten Chromium Iron Oxide Pigments Rare Earths Vanadium Clays Kyanite Rhenium Vermiculite Cobalt Lead Rubidium Wollastonite Copper Lime Salt Yttrium Diamond Lithium Sand and Gravel Zeolites Diatomite Magnesium Scandium Zinc Feldspar Manganese Selenium Zirconium Cover: Minerals play an integral part in all aspects of our lives. In this rural setting, minerals provide nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and a host of micronutrients essential to maximize crop yields to ensure reliable food supplies. Various metals and other mineral materials are required to build the harvesters shown, in addition to the equipment needed to prepare the fields for and to plant these crops. Open spaces are ideal for wind farms, comprising myriad wind turbines that require numerous mineral materials for the actual structures as well as the infrastructure to transmit the electrical power produced to consumers across the nation. (Image provided as a courtesy of John Deere.) U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey MINERAL COMMODITY SUMMARIES 2020 Abrasives Fluorspar Mercury Silicon Aluminum Gallium Mica Silver Antimony Garnet Molybdenum Soda Ash Arsenic Gemstones Nickel Stone Asbestos Germanium Niobium Strontium Barite Gold Nitrogen Sulfur Bauxite Graphite Palladium Talc Beryllium Gypsum Peat Tantalum Bismuth Hafnium Perlite Tellurium Boron Helium Phosphate Rock Thallium Bromine Indium Platinum Thorium Cadmium Iodine Potash Tin Cement Iron and Steel Pumice Titanium Cesium Iron Ore Quartz Crystal Tungsten Chromium Iron Oxide Pigments Rare Earths Vanadium Clays Kyanite Rhenium Vermiculite Cobalt Lead Rubidium Wollastonite Copper Lime Salt Yttrium Diamond Lithium Sand and Gravel Zeolites Diatomite Magnesium Scandium Zinc Feldspar Manganese Selenium Zirconium U.S. Department of the Interior DAVID BERNHARDT, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey James F. Reilly II, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2020 Manuscript approved for publication January 31, 2020. For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment— visit https://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, includin g maps, imagery, and publications, visit https://store.usgs.gov/. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Mail: Stop IDCC; Washington, DC 20402–0001 Phone: (866) 512–1800 (toll-free); (202) 512–1800 (Washington, DC area) Fax: (202) 512–2104 Internet: https://bookstore.gpo.gov Email: [email protected] Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. Suggested citation: U.S. Geological Survey, 2020, Mineral commodity summaries 2020: U.S. Geological Survey, 200 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ mcs2020. ISBN 978-1-4113-4362-7 1 CONTENTS Page Page General: Introduction .................................................................... 3 Table 3—Value of Nonfuel Mineral Production in The Role of Nonfuel Minerals in the U.S. Economy ...... 4 the United States in 2019 .......................................... 10 Significant Events, Trends, and Issues .......................... 5 Appendix A—Abbreviations and Units of Measure .... 194 2019 U.S. Net Import Reliance ..................................... 7 Appendix B—Definitions of Selected Terms Used Major Import Sources of Nonfuel Mineral In This Report .......................................................... 194 Commodities in 2019 .................................................. 8 Appendix C—Reserves and Resources ..................... 195 Table 1—U.S. Mineral Industry Trends ......................... 9 Appendix D—Country Specialists Directory ............... 199 Table 2—U.S. Mineral-Related Economic Trends ......... 9 Mineral Commodities: Abrasives (Manufactured) ............................................ 18 Mercury ....................................................................... 106 Aluminum ..................................................................... 20 Mica (Natural) ............................................................. 108 Antimony ...................................................................... 22 Molybdenum ............................................................... 110 Arsenic ......................................................................... 24 Nickel .......................................................................... 112 Asbestos ...................................................................... 26 Niobium (Columbium) ................................................. 114 Barite ............................................................................ 28 Nitrogen (Fixed)—Ammonia ....................................... 116 Bauxite and Alumina .................................................... 30 Peat ............................................................................ 118 Beryllium ...................................................................... 32 Perlite ......................................................................... 120 Bismuth ........................................................................ 34 Phosphate Rock ......................................................... 122 Boron ............................................................................ 36 Platinum-Group Metals ............................................... 124 Bromine ........................................................................ 38 Potash ........................................................................ 126 Cadmium ...................................................................... 40 Pumice and Pumicite .................................................. 128 Cement......................................................................... 42 Quartz Crystal (Industrial) .......................................... 130 Cesium ......................................................................... 44 Rare Earths ................................................................ 132 Chromium..................................................................... 46 Rhenium ..................................................................... 134 Clays ............................................................................ 48 Rubidium .................................................................... 136 Cobalt ........................................................................... 50 Salt ............................................................................. 138 Copper ......................................................................... 52 Sand and Gravel (Construction) ................................. 140 Diamond (Industrial) ..................................................... 54 Sand and Gravel (Industrial) ...................................... 142 Diatomite ...................................................................... 56 Scandium .................................................................... 144 Feldspar and Nepheline Syenite .................................. 58 Selenium ..................................................................... 146 Fluorspar ...................................................................... 60 Silicon ......................................................................... 148 Gallium ......................................................................... 62 Silver ........................................................................... 150 Garnet (Industrial) ........................................................ 64 Soda Ash .................................................................... 152 Gemstones ................................................................... 66 Stone (Crushed) ......................................................... 154 Germanium .................................................................. 68 Stone (Dimension) ...................................................... 156 Gold .............................................................................. 70 Strontium .................................................................... 158 Graphite (Natural) ........................................................ 72 Sulfur .......................................................................... 160 Gypsum ........................................................................ 74 Talc and Pyrophyllite .................................................. 162 Helium .......................................................................... 76 Tantalum ..................................................................... 164 Indium .......................................................................... 78 Tellurium ....................................................................
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