Minerals, critical minerals, and the U.S. economy / Committee on Critical Mineral Impacts on the U.S. Economy, Committee on Earth Resources, Board on Earth Sciences and Resources, Division on Earth and Life Studies, National Research Council of the National Academies.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Critical Mineral Impacts on the U.S. Economy.

National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Earth Resources.

National Research Council (U.S.). Board on Earth Sciences and Resources.

National Research Council (U.S.). Division on Earth and Life Studies.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nonfuel minerals--Economic aspects--United States.

Nonfuel minerals.

Mines and mineral resources--Economic aspects--United States.

Mines and mineral resources.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (264 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : National Academies Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Minerals are part of virtually every product we use. Common examples include copper used in electrical wiring and titanium used to make airplane frames and paint pigments. The Information Age has ushered in a number of new mineral uses in a number of products including cell phones (e.g., tantalum) and liquid crystal displays (e.g., indium). For some minerals, such as the platinum group metals used to make cataytic converters in cars, there is no substitute. If the supply of any given mineral were to become restricted, consumers and sectors of the U.S. economy could be significantly affected. Risks to minerals supplies can include a sudden increase in demand or the possibility that natural ores can be exhausted or become too difficult to extract. Minerals are more vulnerable to supply restrictions if they come from a limited number of mines, mining companies, or nations. Baseline information on minerals is currently collected at the federal level, but no established methodology has existed to identify potentially critical minerals. This book develops such a methodology and suggests an enhanced federal initiative to collect and analyze the additional data needed to support this type of tool.

Contents:

""Front Matter""; ""Preface""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Contents""; ""Summary""; ""1 Critical Minerals""; ""2 Minerals and Materials Uses in the United States""; ""3 Availability and Reliability of Supply""; ""4 Applying the Matrix""; ""5 Mineral Information and Possible Initiatives in Research and Education""; ""6 Conclusions and Recommendations""; ""Appendixes""; ""APPENDIX A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff""; ""APPENDIX B: Workshop Agenda and Participants""; ""APPENDIX C: Glossary""; ""APPENDIX D: Periodic Table of Elements""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9786611300197

9780309134187

0309134188

9781281300195

1281300195

9780309112833

0309112834

OCLC:

923278681