The southeastern United States was hit badly by Hurricane Helene with scores of people dying, 225 kilometres an hour winds and massive rainfalls in a number of areas.

Associated Press reports Spruce Pine was drenched by 600 millimetres of rain from Tuesday to Saturday which is a huge amount of water in a short space of time. The mining district of the area is where high purity quartz (HPQ) used in the production of silicon wafers for semiconductors and solar panel cells is extracted; it is one of, if not the, most important source of the critical mineral.

That’s silicon dioxide, and it’s very pure.

How do I express that I’m concerned about the people of western NC and I’m also concerned about the potential future global economic disaster because Spruce Pine is the sole producer of ultra pure Quartz for crucibles that all global semiconductor production relies on? pic.twitter.com/pcg4bonoJn

— Fossil Locator (@FossilLocator) September 29, 2024

It’s not the only place in the world where HPQ is produced. Canada, Norway, Brazil, Russia and India are also listed as producers, with Australia pondering whether to start mining for the mineral as well, given HPQ’s massive importance for the global economy.

However, Belgian global mining giant Sibelco’s Spruce Pine has pretty much a total worldwide monopoly on HPQ:

“Sibelco’s high-purity quartz sand raw material is sourced from the Spruce Pine area in North Carolina, known for its white granite-type high-purity quartz ore. This is the only high-purity quartz deposit globally affected by the Alleghany greenstone belt movement, characterised by a large ore body, low fluid impurities in quartz, and stable ore quality.”

Rescue operations are underway in the area to ensure people’s safety and to restore water supply, food, medical assistance and roading.