Critical Minerals Alaska 2020
Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
Pebble hosts 90 years of durable rhenium
Rhenium is exceptionally resistant to heat and wear, characteristics that make it a vital ingredient in superalloys used in jet and industrial gas turbine engines. "The high-temperature properties o... — Updated 4/23/2021 Full story
Alaskan cobalt could supply EV demands
Whether it is the exponential growth in electric vehicles traveling global highways, the massive need for storing energy at solar and wind electrical generating facilities, or cutting the cords on o... — Updated 1/14/2021 Full story
Tin is the glue for the tech revolution
Cans, cups, roofs, and foil hats are likely the first things that come to mind when thinking about tin – none of which conjure images of a metal that should be considered critical to a modern coun... — Updated 1/14/2021 Full story
Gold – a pathfinder to critical minerals
Though gold is not considered a metal critical to the United States, this increasingly valuable precious metal could serve as a pathfinder element for several of the other minerals and metals the... — Updated 12/30/2020 Full story
US stomachs bismuth import dependence
Would you consider drinking heavy metals to make your stomach feel better? A serum containing arsenic, cadmium, lead or mercury would only make matters worse and could be deadly. Bismuth, the... — Updated 12/30/2020 Full story
High priority Alaska REE, graphite projects
Wind turbines, solar panels, and the batteries that store the electricity these renewable energy sources generate are creating new demands for an array of minerals and metals, many of which are not... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
Beautiful energy side of brawny vanadium
Traditionally used to create stronger, lighter, and more durable steels, vanadium is emerging as a potential game changing element in the grid-scale batteries needed to store renewable energy. Known... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
Irreplaceable chromium deposits in Alaska
While the United States consumes roughly 5% of the chromite mined globally, none of this chromium mineral comes from domestic mines. Instead, America relies on foreign sources for approximately 72%... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
Alaska set to deliver copper to green world
Considering the global shift to low-carbon energy and electric mobility, copper is the most vital metal not on the United States Geological Survey's list of 35 minerals and metals considered... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
Solar powers demand for rare tellurium
Amongst the rarest of the stable elements on the periodic table and an important ingredient in the emerging thin-film solar panel sector, tellurium embodies what it means to be a metalloid – an... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
Meeting America's strategic antimony need
Best known for its ability to resist heat and corrosion, antimony is in a wide array of consumer goods – from paints and plastics to batteries and wind turbines. This critical mineral is also... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
Exploring for Alaska-type platinum metals
The six platinum group elements – platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium – have one foot firmly planted in the realm of precious metals while the other is firmly... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
Differing paths for critical twin metals
Niobium and tantalum are nearly identical critical mineral twins with unique personalities that takes them on separate career paths in the defense, energy, high-tech and medical sectors. "The... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
Seeing through Alaska's indium paradox
While indium is not part of the everyday lexicon, if you are reading this article on your smartphone, computer or tablet there is a very good chance you are looking at (or more accurately, through)... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
Barite weighs in on critical minerals list
The United States is heavily dependent on China and other foreign suppliers for its barite, a mineral critical to the petroleum sector. Barite derives from barús, the Ancient Greek word for heavy,... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
Tough tungsten at high supply risk in US
America's supply of tungsten, an extremely durable metal that is vital to a broad range of American industrial sectors, is at high-risk. A recent U.S. Geological Survey assessment to identify which... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
Titanium demand is nearly all white
The United States imported more than 90% of the 1.4 million metric tons of titanium minerals it consumed during 2019. What the mass majority of this critical mineral was used for, however, may come... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
A little gallium makes high-tech techier
A semiconductor that will melt in the palm of your hand and has the ability to convert electricity directly into laser light, gallium is a cool critical metal that is an important ingredient in... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
The quantum realm of Alaska germanium
While Alaska is regarded as a geological storehouse of minerals critical to the United States, it is less renowned as a current globally significant supplier of germanium, a zinc byproduct... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
USGS sorts critical mineral hierarchy
When you consider the 17 rare earths and six platinum metals individually, more than 50 of the elements on the periodic table have been deemed critical to the economic wellbeing and security of the... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
North to Alaska for rare earth elements
Due to their vital importance to American manufacturing and the fact that 100% of U.S. supply comes from overseas, primarily China, rare earth elements top the list of minerals and metals deemed... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
EV sector drives massive graphite demand
The rapidly accelerating expansion of the electric vehicle and renewable energy sectors is driving enormous new demand for graphite, a major ingredient in lithium-ion batteries. The World Bank... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story
COVID exposes chink in US metal armor
In addition to dealing a major blow to the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic has shined a spotlight on a chink in the United States' economic and security armor – an overreliance on foreign countries... — Updated 12/23/2020 Full story