Top 13 of 2013

The end of the year is prime time for celebration, as well as a good time to reflect. Join us as we review the top 13 blog posts of 2013, always remembering how minerals make America.

1. Majoring in minerals mining pays off
   “Two mining majors – metallurgical and mining & mineral engineering – both ranked in the top 10 college majors with the highest earnings, according to a new study by Anthony Carnevale, an economist at Georgetown University. The study found that a student’s choice in major, more than choice in school, significantly affects their future earning potential – and engineering appears to be a safe bet.”
2. Guest post: The power of the mining industry
   “Right now, the U.S. is tied with Papua New Guinea as the country with the least efficient permitting system globally, according to the annual Behre Dolbear list of ‘Where Not to Invest.’
   The economic health and national security of the U.S. depends on the continued availability of, and access to, reliable and affordable energy and mineral resources.”
3. Mining could push unemployment lower
   “Mining is one of the few industries on pace to consistently add jobs through 2020 — 11,000 to 13,000 jobs annually. Beyond that, mining is a jobs creator in the manufacturing and construction industries as well as many others. For every job in metals mining, an estimated 2.5 additional jobs are generated, and for every nonmetals mining job, an additional 1.8 jobs are created.”
4. Defending Duluth
   “Arthur E. Englund of Pengilly, Minn., is a retired minerals engineer and a member of the Society of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers who recently took to the Duluth News Tribune to advocate for minerals mining in northeast Minnesota.Englund, responding to a previous letter, explains all the necessities of mining to the United States and the rest of the world. ‘If it can’t be grown, it has to be mined,’ Englund said.”
5. The (solar) power of graphene
   “With the administration’s focus on solar technology development, opening up access to domestic minerals like graphene only makes sense. A common sense permitting process would give the United States an advantage by providing a stable supply chain to manufacture the energy technologies of tomorrow here at home.”
6. On Manufacturing Day, minerals’ importance to manufacturing can’t be overstated
   “As facilities across the country open their doors to the public to mark the 2nd Annual Manufacturing Day, there has never been a better time to highlight the numerous crucial components, services and supply chains that manufacturers depend on to compete in a global economy. Chief among them are critical minerals, including rare earth minerals and metals.”
7. Hal Quinn: Without minerals, no solar technology
   “July was a month of contradictions in Washington, in which the administration took action to block new mining claims on 300,000 acres of federal lands in Colorado and across the West in a bid to advance solar development — a move that hampers development of the very minerals integral to solar technology.”
8. Guest post: Critical thinking
   “With the multiplication of materials supply-chains for any single product, the effects of materials shortages become more extreme as we saw in 2010 when the prices of rare earth metals like neodymium, europium, terbium and dysprosium spiked up to more than 10 times their 2009 prices.”
9. New Joy Global video highlights role of minerals in technology
   “Joy Global, a National Mining Association member and equipment supplier to the mining industry, released a video showcasing the essential role of minerals in modern technology. Using a reverse time-lapse, the video rewinds the production process of a tablet from an assembled handheld device to its humble beginnings as an unprocessed mineral resource.”
10. WATCH: Playing for the future
    “Reclamation is the restoration of mining land to its original state, to be used by the community far into the future.Our Playing for the Future video depicts just how important reclamation is to the mining industry. In fact, our members have reclaimed hundreds of thousands of acres.”
11. Unreliable mineral supplies impede US innovation
    “In order to keep up with global innovation and ensure success for the companies developing and manufacturing the technology of tomorrow, our nation needs a sound minerals strategy that promotes responsible domestic development.”
12. Metals in fireworks light up the sky
    “The components of fireworks, when heated to specific temperatures, give off a colorful glow. Metals such as aluminum, magnesium and titanium burn very brightly and are useful for increasing the temperature of the firework. Barium is combined to create green colors and copper is used at lower temperatures to create blue. Patriotic reds are created with lithium and bright whites are made from magnesium or aluminum.”
13. Guest post: The foundation and future of mining lies in research
    “As one of very few universities in the world conducting research on cold climate-related challenges to mining, our work will prove critical in the coming years as new technologies and opportunities arise to pursue mineral extraction in the far north.”