Quartz deposit purity in central China ‘highly similar’ to US Spruce Pine standard: study
Geologists say they have identified a new deposit in central China that can produce high-purity quartz comparable to the quality produced at a critical world-leading mine in the United States. The high-purity quartz from the Chinese deposit is described as having “highly similar” properties to the resources produced at North Carolina’s Spruce Pine, which is crucial to the global production of…
Geologists in central China have discovered a new quartz deposit that possesses high-purity properties comparable to the renowned North Carolina Spruce Pine mine. This quartz is deemed highly similar in characteristics to the premier US resource, crucial for manufacturing solar panels and semiconductors. Chinese researchers suggest this discovery could aid China in reducing its reliance on US imports, particularly amid the current global demand for high-purity quartz.
The Xiaohuaguo quartz deposit, found near Shiyan in Hubei province, boasts a total impurity content below 50 micrograms per gram, which is a prerequisite to classify it as high-purity quartz. This impurity level is even lower than the 20 micrograms per gram threshold required for use in solar quartz crucibles. The team, comprising experts from the China University of Geosciences, Wuhan Centre of China Geological Survey, and Hubei Geological Bureau, found the deposit's particle size, morphology, and residual fluid inclusion traits were highly similar to those of Unimin's IOTA-CG type.
This high-purity quartz is integral to fields demanding high temperature, corrosion resistance, insulation, and low thermal expansion, including semiconductors, fibre optic communications, new energy, and aerospace applications.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
