Helene halts quartz mining in North Carolina, sparks misinformation online

Oct 4

Karah Rucker Reporter

By Karah Rucker (Reporter), Alex Delia (Producer), Bast Bramhall (Video Editor)

Update:
According to an assessment by Sibleco, key sites for quartz “only sustained minor damage.” The Quartz Corp also remarks they will be able to “avoid” any supply disruptions.

Hurricane Helene has severely disrupted quartz mining operations in North Carolina, raising concerns about a potential ripple effect across the global tech industry. Meanwhile, misinformation is spreading online with unfounded conspiracy theories gaining traction on social media.

Spruce Pine, a small Appalachian town that is home to one of the world’s only sources of high-purity quartz, suffered significant flooding from Helene, halting operations at major producers Quartz Corp. and Sibelco.

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The high-purity quartz mined there is essential for producing silicon wafers used in semiconductors, smartphones and solar panels.

Experts warn that prolonged shutdowns could lead to significant delays in global supply chains and shortages of critical components needed for the tech industry

Adding to these challenges are viral conspiracy theories on platforms like TikTok and X. They claim that the hurricane was an orchestrated form of weather manipulation.

These theories suggest the storm was part of a government plan to disrupt quartz mining and advance lithium mining interests. Some allege that the hurricane was a political maneuver to displace voters or seize land, echoing similar claims made during the Maui wildfires of 2023.

However, experts have repeatedly debunked these ideas, pointing out that hurricanes are natural phenomena, and no credible evidence supports such theories.

As cleanup efforts begin, the residents of Spruce Pine are focused on restoring basic services, with the mining industry uncertain of when full operations will resume. The long-term effects of this disruption on quartz supply, particularly for tech industries in both the U.S. and China, remain to be seen.

Tags: conspiracy theories, Extreme weather, hurricane, Hurricane Helene, Hurricane season, lithium, Mining, National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service, North Carolina, Severe Weather, Social Media, TikTok, X

A TOWN IN NORTH CAROLINA DEVASTATED BY HURRICANE HELENE IS HOME TO A KEY MINERAL MINING OPERATION, AND MANY FEAR THE DAMAGE MAY CAUSE RIPPLE EFFECTS IN TECH INDUSTRIES ACROSS THE ENTIRE PLANET.

THE APPALACHIAN TOWN OF SPRUCE PINE, AMERICA’S ONLY SOURCE OF HIGH-PURITY QUARTZ, EXPERIENCED SEVERE FLOODING, LEADING TO MAJOR DISRUPTIONS IN TWO MAJOR MINING OPERATIONS. PRODUCERS QUARTZ CORP AND SIBELCO BOTH SUSPENDED THEIR ACTIVITIES AS THEY ASSESS THE DAMAGE FROM HURRICANE HELENE, WHICH DUMPED OVER TWO FEET OF RAIN ON THE AREA.

THE QUARTZ MINED IN THIS REGION IS VITAL FOR PRODUCING SILICON WAFERS USED IN ELECTRONICS, INCLUDING SMARTPHONES, SEMICONDUCTORS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES LIKE SOLAR PANELS. EXPERTS WARN THAT IF OPERATIONS REMAIN SHUT DOWN FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD, WE COULD SEE SIGNIFICANT DELAYS IN GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS AND SHORTAGES OF ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS.

ADDING TO THE UNCERTAINTY… MISINFORMATION IS SPREADING ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS X AND TIKTOK, WITH SOME CONSPIRACY THEORIES CLAIMING THAT THE HURRICANE IS A FORM OF WEATHER MODIFICATION BY DEMOCRATS… IN A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT BY THE U-S GOVERNMENT TO DISPLACE RED VOTERS BEFORE THE ELECTION AND ESTABLISH EMINENT DOMAIN ON A NEARBY LITHIUM MINING OPERATION ALSO DEVASTATED BY FLOODING. THESE THEORIES SEEMINGLY ECHO ONLINE CLAIMS DURING THE MAUI WILDFIRES OF 2023 REGARDING ALLEGED CORRUPTION FOR LAND OWNERSHIP GAINS.

EXPERTS EMPHASIZE THAT HURRICANES ARE NATURAL OCCURRENCES AND THERE IS NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE SUPPORTING THESE THEORIES.

AS RECOVERY EFFORTS BEGIN, THE COMMUNITY IN SPRUCE PINE IS FOCUSED ON RESTORING ESSENTIAL SERVICES FOR RESIDENTS. SINCE THERE ARE NO CURRENT PLANS TO FIND REPLACEMENT SOURCES FOR THE MINERAL… THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS FOR QUARTZ SUPPLY AND THE INDUSTRIES THAT DEPEND ON IT IN BOTH THE U-S AND CHINA… REMAINS TO BE SEEN.

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS… I’M KARAH RUCKER.