Purity of China quartz deposit ‘highly similar’ to US Spruce Pine standard: study

3-MIN READ3-MIN1ListenPublished: 5:12pm, 9 Sep 2026Updated: 6:44pm, 9 Sep 2026Geologists say they have identified a new deposit in central China that can yield high-purity quartz comparable to the quality produced at a critical world-leading mine in the United States.The quartz from the Chinese deposit is described as having “highly similar” properties to the resources produced at North Carolina’s Spruce Pine, which is crucial to the global production of solar panels and semiconductors.In the US, there is a growing call from the industry to use high-purity quartz as a weapon against China’s rare earths export ban.08:58What are rare earths, and why is China’s dominance facing global pushbackChinese researchers say the newly explored deposit near Shiyan in Hubei province is the latest in a string of quartz discoveries that could help the country cut its reliance on US imports.