|
Critical mineral |
On US list[1] |
On EU list[2] |
On Japan list[3] |
On India list[4] |
Australian geological potential[5] |
Australian economic demonstrated resources (2020)[6] |
Australian production(2020) |
Global production (2020)[7] |
|
High purity alumina |
Yes[8] |
Yes[9] |
No |
No |
Moderate |
No data |
No data |
No data |
|
Antimony |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Moderate |
125.2 kt |
3.9 kt |
155 kt |
|
Beryllium |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Moderate |
No data |
No data |
240 |
|
Bismuth |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Moderate |
No data |
No data |
17 kt |
|
Chromium |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Moderate |
0 |
0 |
40,000 kt |
|
Cobalt |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
High |
1,495 kt |
5.6 kt |
135 kt |
|
Gallium |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
High |
No data |
No data |
300 t |
|
Germanium |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
High |
No data |
No data |
130 t |
|
Graphite |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes[10] |
Yes |
Moderate |
7,970 kt |
0 |
1,100 kt |
|
Hafnium |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
High |
14.5 kt |
No data |
No data |
|
Helium |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Moderate |
No data |
4 hm³ |
140 hm³ |
|
Indium |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Moderate |
No data |
No data |
900 t |
|
Lithium |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
High |
6,174 kt |
40 kt |
82 kt |
|
Magnesium |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
High |
Magnesite: 286,000 kt |
Magnesite: 799 kt |
Magnesite: 26,000 kt |
|
Manganese |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
High |
Manganese ore: 276,000 kt |
Manganese ore: 4,800 kt |
17,200 kt |
|
Niobium |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
High |
216 kt |
No data |
78 kt |
|
Platinum-group elements |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Moderate |
107 t |
0.522 t |
380 t |
|
Rare-earth elements |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
High |
4,200 kt |
20 kt |
240 kt |
|
Rhenium |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Moderate |
No data |
No data |
53 t |
|
Scandium |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
High |
30.34 kt |
No data |
No data |
|
Silicon |
No |
Yes[11] |
Yes |
Yes |
High |
No data |
No data |
8 kt |
|
Tantalum |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
High |
99.4 kt |
0.1 kt |
1.8 kt |
|
Titanium |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
High |
Ilmenite: 274,000 kt Rutile: 35,300 kt |
Ilmenite: 1,100 kt Rutile: 200 kt |
Ilmenite: 12,000 kt Rutile: 1000 kt |
|
Tungsten |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
High |
577 kt |
Less than 1 kt |
84 kt |
|
Vanadium |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
High |
7,408 kt |
0 |
86 kt |
|
Zirconium |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
High |
Zircon: 79,300 kt |
Zircon: 400 kt |
Zircon: 2,000 kt |
- J Burton, U.S. Geological Survey Releases 2022 List of Critical Minerals, United States Geological Survey (USGS), U.S. Department of the Interior, Federal Government of the United States, 2022, accessed 3 March 2022 ↵
- Joint Research Centre, The Fourth List of Critical Raw Materials for the EU, European Commission, 2020, accessed 3 March 2022 ↵
- J Nakano, translation of a Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) publication as presented in The Geopolitics of Critical Minerals Supply Chains, Centre for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), 2021, p 22, accessed 3 March 2022 ↵
- V Gupta, T Biswas and K Ganesan, Critical Non-Fuel Mineral Resources for India’s Manufacturing Sector—A Vision for 2030, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) and Department of Science & Technology, Government of India, 2016, pp 73–74, accessed 3 March 2022. Minerals that are identified as of high economic importance, high supply risk or both for 2030 are highlighted here. ↵
- Geoscience Australia, Australia’s Identified Mineral Resources 2021, Geoscience Australia, Australian Government, unpublished, accessed 3 March 2022 ↵
- Geoscience Australia, Australia’s Identified Mineral Resources 2021, [dataset], Geoscience Australia, Australian Government, accessed 3 March 2022 ↵
- Geoscience Australia, using estimated world production from USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2021, adjusted with reported Australian production in the dataset of Australia’s Identified Mineral Resources 2021, accessed 17 January 2022 ↵
- The United States identifies aluminium as a critical mineral. ↵
- The European Union identifies bauxite (an ore of aluminium) as critical. ↵
- Japan identifies carbon (which forms graphite) as a critical mineral. ↵
- The European Union identifies silicon metal as a critical mineral. ↵