Without the ultra-pure natural quartz that comes from Spruce Pine, North Carolina we would not have the ultra-sophisticated electronic gadgets that we enjoy so much and the global economy would collapse. So is it just a coincidence that Spruce Pine was absolutely devastated by Hurricane Helene
The two facilities that produce this ultra-pure natural quartz in Spruce Pine are both shut down at this point…
Two North Carolina facilities that manufacture the high-purity quartz used for making semiconductors, solar panels and fiber-optic cables have been shut down by Hurricane Helene with no reopening date in sight.
Sibelco and The Quartz Corp both shut down operations in the Appalachian town of Spruce Pine on Thursday ahead of the storm that swept away whole communities in the western part of the state and across the border in East Tennessee. The town is home to mines that produce some of the world’s highest quality quartz.
Hopefully these facilities will be able to open again before the end of the year, because they are absolutely critical to the global economy.
According to ABC News, it is estimated that somewhere between 70 percent and 90 percent of all crucibles that are used to make silicon chips worldwide are made out of natural quartz from Spruce Pine…
“To make silicon chips, you need to first melt down a highly-purified material called polysilicon. That can only be done in crucibles that are themselves made of a material so pure it will not react chemically with the polysilicon and is also able to withstand enormous heat,” he said. “The best material for those crucibles is ultra-pure quartz. Spruce Pine is the source of the purest natural quartz ever found on Earth.”
An estimated 70-90% of the crucibles used worldwide are made from Spruce Pine quartz, he said.
Without this natural quartz from Spruce Pine, our way of life would change dramatically.
The following comes from a Wired article entitled “The Ultra-Pure, Super-Secret Sand That Makes Your Phone Possible”…
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