 Helium |
| After an oil drilling operation in 1903 in Dexter, Kansas produced a gas geyser that would not burn, Kansas state geologist
Erasmus Haworth collected samples of the escaping gas and took them back to the University of Kansas at Lawrence where it
was discovered that 1.84% of the gas sample was helium. This showed that despite its overall rarity on Earth, helium was concentrated
in large quantities under the American Great Plains, available for extraction from natural gas.
|
| The United States Navy sponsored three small experimental helium production plants during World War I, the goal being to supply
barrage balloons. A total of 5,700 m3 of 92%-pure helium was produced in the program even though less than 100 litres of the gas had previously been obtained.
|
| In 1925 the government of the United States set up the National Helium Reserve at Amarillo, Texas with the goal of supplying
military airships in time of war and commercial airships in peacetime. Due to a US military embargo against Germany that restricted helium supplies, the Hindenburg was forced to use hydrogen as the lift gas. Helium use following World War II was depressed but the reserve was expanded in the 1950s to ensure a supply
of liquid helium as a coolant to create oxygen/hydrogen rocket fuel (among other uses) during the Space Race and Cold War. Helium use in the United States in 1965 was more than
eight times the peak wartime consumption.
|
| For many years the United States produced over 90% of commercially usable helium in the world, while extraction plants in
Canada, Poland, Russia, and other nations produced the remainder. In the mid-1990s, a new plant in Arzew, Algeria producing 1.7 x 107 m3 began operation, with enough production to cover all of Europe's demand. In 2004-2006, two additional plants, one in Ras
Laffen, Qatar and the other in Skikda, Algeria were built, but as of early 2007, Ras Laffen is functioning at 50%, and Skikda has yet to start up. Algeria quickly became
the second leading producer of helium.
|
| Figures for 2002 show the USA produced 86% of the world's helium, Algeria 9% and Russia/Poland 5%. |
| Analysts predict that the USA will decrease its helium production from 77 million to 44 million cubic km by 2030. |
| Lithium |
| In the United States lithium is recovered from brine pools in Nevada. The USA has deposits of spodumene (the most important
of the lithium ores) LiAlSi2O6.
|
| Beryllium |
| In 2006, the USA produced 3830 tonnes of beryl (Al2Be3Si6O18), one of the most important commercial compounds of beryllium. World production of beryl in 2006 was around 500 tonnes.
|
| Boron |
| Turkey and the USA are the world's largest producers of boron. The Mojave Desert of California has economically important
sources of the ores rasorite (kernite) and tincal (borax ore), with borax being the most important source there.
|
| Carbon (Diamond) |
| In the US, diamonds have been found in Arkansas, Colorado and Montana. In 2004, a discovery of a microscopic diamond in the
US led to the January 2008 bulk-sampling of kimberlite pipes in a remote part of Montana.
|
| Magnesium |
| In 1995 the US produced around 45% of world's supply, but as of 2005 this has dropped to 7%. |
| Silicon |
| The United States produced 276000 tons of silicon in 2006. World production of silicon in 2006 was 5.1 million tons. |
| Sulfur |
| In 2006, the USA produced around 9 million tonnes of sulfur. Total world production was 65.7 million tonnes. |
| Potassium |
| California, New Mexico and Utah are some of the main sources of potash, the principal source of potassium. |
| Calcium |
| The USA's production of gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O) in 2006 was approx. 21.2 million tonnes. World production of gypsum in 2006 was 142.5 millions tonnes.
|
| Titanium |
| In 2006, the USA produced approx. 500000 tonnes of ilmenite (FeTiO3), one of only two commercially important titanium ores.
|
| Iron |
| The USA's production of iron ore in 2006 was 52.9 million tonnes. Total world production of iron ore in 2006 was 1.81 billion
tonnes.
|
| Production of pig iron in the USA in 2006 was 39.3 million tonnes. Total world production of pig iron in 2006 was 925.8 million
tonnes.
|
| Copper |
| In 2006, the USA's production of copper by mining was 1.22 million tonnes, total world production was 15.1 million tonnes. |
| In 2006, the USA produced 1.25 million tonnes of refined copper, total production of refined copper was 17.2 million tonnes. |
| Zinc |
| In 2006, the USA was the fourth largest producer of zinc, with around 727000 tonnes, approx. 7% of world total. |
| Gallium |
| Data on world production of primary gallium are unavailable because data on the output of the few producers are considered
to be proprietary.
|
| In 2007, world primary production was estimated to be about 80 metric tons. China, Germany, Japan, and Ukraine were the leading producers. |
| Countries with smaller output were Hungary, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Slovakia. Refined gallium production was estimated to be about 103 metric tons; this figure includes some scrap refining. |
| Gallium was recycled from new scrap in Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. |
| Germanium |
| In 2006, the USA produced 5 tonnes of germanium. |
| Bromine |
| In 2006, the USA was the largest producer, approx. 226000 tonnes, world wide production was 481 thousand tonnes. |
| The largest bromine reserve in the United States is located in Columbia and Union County, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Molybdenum |
| The US is the world's largest producer of molybdenum, with large mines in Climax, Colorado. |
| Rhodium |
| In 2004 an estimated 22.4 tonnes of rhodium was produced. North America produced around 2% (~0.5 tonnes). |
| Zirconium |
| In 2006, the USA produced around 143000 tonnes of zircon (ZrSiO4), the main commercial source of zirconium, making it the world's third largest producer.
|
| Palladium |
| In 2006, the USA was the world's third largest producer (equal with Canada) of platinum by mining, with approx. 14 tonnes. |
| Cadmium |
| In 2006, the USA produced 892 tonnes of cadmium, world production was around 21100 tonnes. |
| Tellurium |
| In 2006, the USA was the world's largest producer of tellurium with 50 tonnes, world production was around 122 tonnes. |
| Iodine |
| In 2006, the USA produced approx. 1.2 million tonnes of iodine, around 4.5% of the world total, making it the world's second
largest producer.
|
| Barium |
| In 2006, the USA produced approx. 540 thousand tonnes of barytes (BaSO4), the main source of barium. World production of barytes in 2006 was 8.8 million tonnes.
|
| Iridium |
| Smaller reserves of iridium can be found in the United States. Annual world-wide production in 2000 was around three tonnes. |
| Platinum |
| In 2006, the USA was the world's fifth largest producer of platinum by mining, with 4.29 tonnes. |
| Gold |
| In 2006, the US's mine production of gold was approx. 242 tonnes. Total amount of gold mined in 2006 was 2310 tonnes. |
| Mines in South Dakota and Nevada supply two-thirds of the gold in the United States. |
| Mercury |
| In 2006 it's estimated that the USA produced 15000 tonnes, around 1% of the world total. |
| Lead |
| In 2006, the USA produced 452900 tonnes of lead from mining. The total amount of lead mined in 2006 was 3.5 million tonnes. |
| In 2006, the USA's production of refined lead was 1.297 million tonnes. Total world production of refined lead in 2006 was
8 million tonnes.
|
| Radium |
| Carnotite sands in Colorado provide some of the element, but richer deposits of the uranium-bearing ore where radium is to
be found, pitchblende, are located in New Mexico, Utah and Virginia.
|
| Thorium |
| It's believed that the United States has reserves of around 300 tonnes of monazite, the primary thorium mineral. |
| Uranium |
| The USA was the eighth largest producer of uranium in 2006, 1579 tonnes, around 4% of the world total. |
