One of America's Most Significant Mines - Unimin - Spruce Pine NC

This is probably the most important mine on the planet. Almost all semiconductor quartz comes from there. There are only a few other smaller deposits. From this mine, the US can control who can make semiconductors. Back in the 1940's they used only take the feldspar, the quartz was a waste material. Not anymore, the quartz sells for over $50,000 a ton. The process of purifying it us a closely guarded secret.

hi. are you srtill in Spruce Pine?

After this week’s export restrictions of gallium and germanium from China, been looking into possible counter moves from US. It’s my understanding the pure silicon from these minds is needed for a the crucible’s that are used to melt lower grade silicon.

Worked on Chalk mountain for a bit.

I work at one of these plants,its called sibelco Now,more to it than what it looks like

I worked for an Asheville engineering firm in the 80's that had this mine as a client. Mostly erosion control design and permitting stuff. I got to digitize or trace electronically the huge topo maps the mine co provided us. My digitizer was 36" x 48". Several visits to the mine and hiked it from bottom to top. Cool stuff. Thanks for the memories.

A family member just got a job as a geologist to develop more mines in the area. I want to prospect there because you can get radioactive minerals with the pegmatites. If anyone knows a good hole to look for radioactive stuff please let me know. I am brand new to rock hounding.

I'm not sure if you knew this specifically, but the Ultra Pure Quartz coming from that mine are MORE than 90% of the GLOBAL supply for the HIGHEST LEVEL of semiconductor chips. It is absolutely required to make the chips with 3 nanometer (or less) technology. The chips may get made mostly in Asia, BUT the base material necessary AND the Expertise to develop them is almost exclusively American.

A little side note; Biden just very recently sent down an order that Americans are now forbidden to work in the Chinese microchip industry, or lose their US citizenship. As one might imagine, there was a sudden overnight mass resignation event in the Chinese semiconductor industry. This will effectively kill China's efforts to advance their own technological base. Such technology bans began under Trump, but Biden's administration seems keen on continuing the policy. Combined with the recent Chips Act, semiconductor manufacturing in the US may get much more interesting in the not too distant future.

Silica for Semi-Conductors. It's the only power we have left after giving away oil and gas to Russia and The Saudi's. Better protect this place!

In January 1979 I was doing some exploritory drilling for large mining company just north of Spruce Pine. I met some very feiendly people there as I stayed in Spruce Pine for 4 months. I remember one man in particular Mr. Ray Wiseman. I would love to go back and visit this town again.

It is THE purest quartz in the world.

Spruce pine is home to spruce pine batch, one of the most loved source s of batch powder to melt into molten glass for glassblowing. Thanks to the mines in your county, and workers like your dad a huge number of glass makers get to live our dreams

My great grandmother worked trimmung mica. There are TONS of old mines around here, you can barely walk around the woods without falling into one. I always wanted to go explore in one but the fear of copperheads keeps me out.

The portals are so degraded that you'd have to crawl in on hands and knees. I fear that if I went into one I may never leave it. There's a lot of sand dirt and most mines are flooded.

I’m gonna put in an app at sibleco I worked for the quartz before

Are these mines accessible to the public to hunt for themselves ?

I have been to this mine back in the 1990s. I live in Canton, Ohio and I was a long hall truck driver back then. I drove for a trucking company in Akron, Ohio and they had me down there making a delivery somewhere in the Carolinas. I needed a load to get back home and they sent me to this silica mine in Spruce Pine. The road up to the mine was a very winding road that really wasn't meant for a semi. I was pulling a 53 foot trailer, and my truck took up the entire width of the road on the way up there and back down. They loaded me up with barrels of silica sand and I took the sand back to Willoughby Ohio to a General Electric plant where they used the silica sand to make glass light bulbs.

I too was raised in Spruce Pine , My dad worked in the spar mill at Minpro , My grand dad run a Mica house on the Chalk highway , all this back in late 40`s . I have always been interested in Mitchell cty. & it`s minerals . Thank you for this great article!!!

My dad worked there.

Truck is 30'. Bus is limited to 45'. School buses visible in Spruce Pine are 30'.

I use to live on pine mountain. And we use to swim in that green water. We called it the water hole. The water is powerful, I’ve been struck by lightning 3 times and it hurts the lightning more than me. That is a magical place...every one use to call me a flat lander.