Strategic and Critical Mineral Position of the United States with Respect to Chromium, Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, and Platinum (Draft Final Report)

摘要

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, in both strategic military and economic terms. At least four of these elements are the subject of the 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 converters and its restricted geologic availability. The report not only evaluates the possibilities for domestic production of deposits of interest. It seeks to analyze the characteristics of world and U.S. deposits of interest, the realistic chances of production from U.S. resources, and the conditions under which such production could occur.