Critical Finding

The discovery of key minerals at Utah’s Silicon Ridge is a geopolitical game-changer

Millions of years ago, volcanic formations deposited critical minerals like gallium and germanium in the ground, biding their time be discovered by and become useful to humans. Most of those deposits were in China, but one recently discovered deposit is in Utah. It’s a big one that happens to be 20 miles from the state’s Silicon Slopes tech and innovation hub and close to key infrastructure that will make mining it easier. Given that China has placed heavy restrictions on exports of its rare earths, the discovery at Silicon Ridge comes at an opportune time. Another stroke of luck is that the 16 critical minerals found there are in clay rather hard rock, making them relatively easy and cheap to extract.

‘Thought We Were Hallucinating’

The Silicon Ridge mine is leased by Ionic Minerals Technology, which has drilled to a depth of 100 feet over 600 acres, has been in search of nanosilicon for EV lithium-ion batteries. Last summer, Ionic MT testing showed that the halloysite clay deposits on the Utah school trust lands contain heavy rare earth and critical technology minerals.

“At first we thought we were hallucinating,” founder and CEO Andre Zeitoun told Deseret News.

That the minerals are contained in clay mean Ionic MT can extract them without using chemicals or explosives and with virtually zero waste.

“We really view ourselves as kind of a next generation of mining,” Zeitoun told the Salt Lake Tribune, “and of responsible mining.”

Utah can produce 40 of the 50 minerals defined as critical by the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Silicon Ridge discovery is a big win for Gov. Spencer Cox’s Operation Gigawatt, which aims to more than double the state’s energy production in the next decade.

Our state is uniquely positioned to lead the transition to cleaner energy by developing next-generation resources right in our own backyard. By doing so, we reduce reliance on foreign nations and secure America’s energy future,” Utah Senate President Stuart Adams said.

Halloysite Gold Rush

These elements are critical for the manufacture of EVs, semiconductors, fiber optics cables, satellites, magnets, and a host of other electronics.

The volcanic activity 30 million years ago that created the halloysite also formed unique tube structures in the clay.

“Those tubes can suck in rare earth elements and other critical metals, like lithium,” Katie Potter, a geologist at Utah State University, told the Tribune, “and prevent it from being leached or weathered away.”

Potter said the discovery could trigger a “gold rush” for halloysite, an aluminum-silicon mineral, helps EV batteries charge more quickly and last longer.

“You can charge a vehicle as quickly as it takes to fill up a tank of gas,” Zeitoun said, “which is considered one of the key enablers of EV mass adoption.”

Since Ionic MT already has permits for the Silicon Ridge site and there are already roads and power in place, extraction can move rapidly, he said. The preliminary economic assessment should show potential for a fast, clean, and scalable domestic supply chain for these critical minerals.

Strategic Importance

The Silicon Ridge find is strategically vital for the U.S. in geopolitics, and Zeitoun said the federal government has expressed interest in supporting the mine.

“If the critical mineral stores at Silicon Ridge prove to be as extensive as is thought, it would be an enormous boon to the U.S. energy and defense sectors,” said National Association of Manufacturers director of energy and resources policy Michael Davin said. “America needs to strengthen its domestic critical mineral supply chains to reduce our dependence on foreign imports. Developing this deposit and growing our processing infrastructure is a manufacturing and a national security imperative.”

Ionic MT raised $29 million in July to scale to 1,000 metric tons per year of Ionisil™ nano-silicon anode material and 5,000 metric tons per year of IonAl™ high-purity boehmite alumina for lithium-ion battery separators and advanced ceramics. The funding round also advanced the company toward Tier 1 partner validation, which should mean it can hit the ground running as a critical supplier of critical minerals.

“Ionic Mineral Technologies’ work at Silicon Ridge is the prime example of how responsible development creates jobs, strengthens our national security and builds resilient, American-made supply chains,” Adams said.

It could make Silicon Ridge the new Silicon Valley.