Mineral Commodity Summaries 2018
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Cover: A conveyor transports crushed stone from a quarry to a stockpile at an operation in Virginia. Crushed stone is used in road base, as a construction aggregate, and for other materials needed for infrastructure development and improvement. (Photograph by Michael T. Jarvis, outreach coordinator, and design by Graham W. Lederer, materials flow analyst, U.S. Geological Survey, National Minerals Information Center) U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey MINERAL COMMODITY SUMMARIES 2018 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 RYAN K. ZINKE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey William H. Werkheiser, Deputy Director exercising the authority of the Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2018 Manuscript approved for publication January 31, 2018. 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, including 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 (DC area) Fax: (202) 512–2104 Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov 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, 2018, Mineral commodity summaries 2018: U.S. Geological Survey, 200 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/70194932. ISBN 978-1-4113-4199-9 1 CONTENTS Page Page General: Introduction .................................................................... 3 Significant Events, Trends, and Issues .......................... 7 Growth Rates of Leading and Coincident Indexes for Appendix A—Abbreviations and Units of Measure .... 194 Mineral Products ......................................................... 4 Appendix B—Definitions of Selected Terms Used in The Role of Nonfuel Minerals in the U.S. Economy ...... 5 This Report .............................................................. 194 2017 U.S. Net Import Reliance for Selected Nonfuel Appendix C—Reserves and Resources ..................... 195 Mineral Materials ........................................................ 6 Appendix D—Country Specialists Directory ............... 199 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 ..................................................................... 166 Iodine ........................................................................... 80 Thallium ...................................................................... 168 Iron and Steel ............................................................... 82 Thorium ...................................................................... 170 Iron and Steel Scrap .................................................... 84 Tin ............................................................................... 172 Iron and Steel Slag ...................................................... 86 Titanium and Titanium Dioxide ................................... 174 Iron Ore ........................................................................ 88 Titanium Mineral Concentrates .................................. 176 Iron Oxide Pigments .................................................... 90 Tungsten ..................................................................... 178 Kyanite and Related Minerals ...................................... 92 Vanadium ................................................................... 180 Lead ............................................................................. 94 Vermiculite