Most Underreported Aspect Of Hurricane Helene: The World’s Semiconductor Industry Hinges On A Single Quartz Factory In North Carolina Which Just Got Hit With Devastating Flooding (Video)

Well, this one could be really, really bad.  One of the most underreported aspects of the devastating flooding in North Carolina centers around the town of Spruce Pine, which is the home of the Spruce Pine Quartz mine.  The mine produces ultra-high-purity quartz for semiconductors.  While the town has experienced massive flooding, the status of the mine itself is yet unknown.

Mitchell County, where Spruce Pine is located, serves as the head of the value chain for semiconductors.  The quartz in the area is unique globally and required for wafer production (The silica is used in crucibles in which the silicon is melted and from which the single crystal is pulled).

Here’s what Spruce Pine looked like after Hurricane Helene.

Many still have not heard from loved ones in the area.

“I’ve seen lots of pictures of spruce pine, NC. It does not look good. Anyone able to reach anyone there? My Husband’s entire family lives there,” wrote Allison Dean-Woody in a Facebook post to 2024 HURRICANE & TROPICAL STORM UPDATES.

The spectre of how the semiconductor market may be hit by this damage remains to be seen, but several people have pointed out the pivotal role that this mine played in the industry.

Among the many under reported aspects of this flooding disaster from Hurricane Helene in Appalachia, specifically Western NC is the question the status of Spruce Pine Quartz mine.

While the town of Spruce Pine received significant flooding per FB photos, I haven’t seen any… https://t.co/BuNMuH3Nof

— maybe: k*rk (@oldscarf1stweek) September 29, 2024

This is the kind of quality quartz the mine produced.

However, it does appear that this is indeed really, really rare.

The modern economy rests on a single road in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. The road runs to the two mines that is the sole supplier of the quartz required to make the crucibles needed to refine silicon wafers.

There are no alternative sources known. From Conway’s Material World: pic.twitter.com/mYfrfub8dw

— Ethan Mollick (@emollick) March 9, 2024

Mark Tyson reported back in March of this year that “the world’s semiconductor industry hinges on a single quartz factory in North Carolina.”

Tyson wrote:

Regular readers will be well aware of several vital companies and locations that sustain the semiconductor industry as we know it. We have published numerous articles about Intel, TSMC, ASML, Samsung, and other companies. Moreover, locations such as Silicon Valley, Hsinchu Science Park, Bengaluru, and the Shenzhen SEZ have become household names due to their tech hub status. Put into this perspective, the remarkable nature of Spruce Pine is all the more eyebrow-raising.

Mollick provides an excerpt from Conway’s Material World, which discusses the probable “end of computer chip manufacture as we know it,” should something untoward happen at Spruce Pine or in the skies above it.

or further insight into why the Spruce Pine location is so unique, the official Sibelco pages do a pretty good job of encapsulating the story of this particular mine. It is the world’s leading high-purity quartz (HPQ) provider, and the firm claims it produces “the world’s highest quality quartz” at this mine.

Geologically speaking, the uniquely pure minerals at Spruce Mine were created about 380 million years ago when Africa collided with North America. This momentous collision, however slow, caused intense friction and heat miles below the Earth’s surface. According to Sibelco, the Spruce Mine minerals were created by a rich mineral-forming liquid that cooled and crystallized over time. A standout feature of these minerals is that they were made in their purest forms due to a lack of water, which caused all the friction.

In more recent history, it is claimed that the Spruce Pine site has been mined for centuries, with Native American peoples known to have mined Mica. In addition to Mica and the headlining HPQ, the mine is a rich source of kaolin and feldspar.

Spruce pine-sourced minerals were first used for electronics by Thomas Edison, who used Mica as an insulator in some of his inventions as far back as 1879.

The fused quartz from Spruce Pine HPQ offers “unparalleled optical, mechanical, and thermal properties” for semiconductors, solar photovoltaic cells, optical fiber, and quartz lighting.

Returning to the question of Spruce Pine’s particular importance, Mollick makes it clear in his social media thread that, yes, fully synthetic techniques are available to create similarly pure quartz. However, any sudden closure or interruption of the mining at Spruce Pine would likely cause “pretty catastrophic” disruption (and extra expense) for a few years as the industry scales up manufacturing.

Couple this with Taiwan about to be hit with a massive typhoon and it’s a recipe for a major tech catastrophe.

Article posted with permission from Sons of Liberty Media

The post Most Underreported Aspect Of Hurricane Helene: The World’s Semiconductor Industry Hinges On A Single Quartz Factory In North Carolina Which Just Got Hit With Devastating Flooding (Video) appeared first on The Washington Standard.