Indium in Zinc-Lead and Other Mineral Deposits-A Reconnaissance Survey of 1118 Indium Analyses Published before 1985

摘要

Indium is a very soft, silvery-white metal. Alloys of indium can be plated onto metal and evaporated onto glass in a variety of critical technology applications. Its uses include: the manufacture of portable computer screens, television screens, video monitors, watches, infrared detectors, high-speed transistors, high-efficiency photovoltaic devices, electrical fuses, dental alloys, solders, nuclear control rods, fog- and frost-free windshields, and energy-efficient windows and light-emitting diodes. World consumption of indium is increasing. Imports by the United States increased 10 percent in 2003, the last year for which import data are available. The United States is 100 percent reliant on imported indium from China (49%), Canada (21%), Japan (9%), France (6%), and other countries (15%). This report provides a reconnaissance summary and survey of 1118 indium analyses of a diverse suite of minerals, including monomineralic and polymineralic ores and mineral concentrates, from 12 mineral-deposit types, principally zinc-lead deposits, from 16 countries.