Strategic and Critical Mineral Position of the United States with Respect to Chromium, Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, and Platinum

Scarce draft report from the early 1980s on the availability of strategic minerals in the United States.

“Since the end of World War II and the beginning of the cold war, the United States has had a public concern about the supply and availability of a number of minerals that are important, in some cases irreplaceable, to both strategic military and economic terms. At least four of these elements are the subject of this study, namely chromium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese. More recently, platinum has also become an element of concern, primarily because of its increased use in catalytic convertors and its restricted geologic availability.” – Introduction.

This fascinating draft report is uncredited and undated, but an online library holding indicates it was eventually published by the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment in 1983. Despite its status as a working copy, most of the input is merely grammatical and spelling changes. The volume offers a geological description, economic analysis, and overview of America’s capabilities regarding five key strategic elements: chromium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and platinum.

Each rare mineral performed a key role in an important industry, such as the need for chromium in stainless steel and cobalt for batteries. Much of the content, which includes maps, diagrams, and tables of statistics, highlights how domestic production and availability of these scarce resources in the U.S. are both quite low – a high reliance on foreign partners will be necessary to ensure adequate supply. Predictions for potential innovations in mining and metallurgy are offered through 2010.

Source.