Germanium Deposits and Production Sites in the United States

The U.S. Geological Survey's data release documents germanium production sites, with public records for a single U.S. mine. It details the Apex mine in Utah, which produced germanium in the 1980s, and notes other potential byproduct sources in Alaska, Washington, and Tennessee. The dataset compiles information on deposits, production history, and critical mineral classifications.

Use Cases

• Map potential germanium-bearing deposits in Alaska, Washington, and Tennessee using geological and location tags
• Analyze the historical production timeline of the Apex mine in Utah for economic geology studies
• Assess critical mineral supply chains by linking deposit data with import reliance statistics from sources like Belgium and China
• Study the association of germanium with sulfide minerals like sphalerite (ZnS) for geochemical modeling

Strengths

• Compiled from authoritative sources including published papers, reports, and the U.S. Geological Survey
• Focuses on a mineral classified as critical due to U.S. import reliance exceeding 50%
• Includes detailed contextual data on global production, such as China's 85,000-ton annual output and U.S. reserves near 2,500 tons

Limitations

• Public production information is limited to a single documented site, the Apex mine
• Data for other mentioned deposits in Alaska, Washington, and Tennessee lacks documented production records
• Primary data format is XML, which may require specific parsing tools for analysis

Provenance

Source

U.S. Geological Survey, National Minerals Information Center (NMIC), Department of the Interior

Collection Method

Derived from published papers, reports, and data as part of the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)

Time Range

Includes historical data from the mid-1980s (Apex mine production) and references up to 2020.

Freshness

Last updated in January 2026.

Geography

United States, with specific sites in Utah, Alaska, Washington, Tennessee; includes global context for deposits in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Namibia.