The Library

Knowledge Centre

Educational articles on critical minerals, the Black Hills district, and US supply chains — plain-English guides to the minerals we explore for and why they matter.

Articles & Explainers

Thirteen Guides, One District

From mineral fundamentals to federal policy and the geology of the Black Hills — the background reading behind the Volney Project, newest first.

June 1, 2026

What Is Lithium? Definition, Uses, and Types Explained

Lithium is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal with the atomic number 3.
June 1, 2026

What Is Tin? Uses in Electronics, Solder, and the US Supply Gap

Tin is a silvery-white post-transition metal with the atomic number 50 and the chemical symbol Sn (from the Latin stannum).
June 1, 2026

What Is Tantalum? Capacitors, Defense Applications, and the 100% US Import Gap

Tantalum is a hard, blue-grey, corrosion-resistant transition metal with the atomic number 73 and the chemical symbol Ta.
May 21, 2026

Critical Minerals and the China Supply Chain: Understanding the Risk

The global supply chain for critical minerals runs disproportionately through China at nearly every stage, from mining to refining to finished component manufacturing.
May 21, 2026

Critical Minerals and Defense: How Federal Policy Is Addressing Supply Chain Vulnerability

The US defense industrial base depends on a supply chain of mined materials that the country largely imports.
May 21, 2026

Tin Supply Chain in the United States

The United States has not mined tin since 1993 or smelted it domestically since 1989, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
May 11, 2026

2025 Critical Minerals List: The Complete Guide to All 60 Minerals

The 2025 Critical Minerals List is the most comprehensive critical minerals designation in US history.
May 11, 2026

What Are Critical Minerals? Definition, List, and Why They Matter

Critical minerals are minerals, elements, substances, or materials that are essential to the economic or national security of the United States, have supply chains vulnerable to…
May 11, 2026

The US Tantalum Supply Chain: 100 Percent Import Reliance and the Path Forward

Tantalum has not been mined in the United States since 1959. Today, the United States imports 100 percent of the tantalum it consumes.
May 11, 2026

The Black Hills: America’s Overlooked Critical Minerals Corridor

The Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming has been continuously productive as a mining region since 1876.
May 11, 2026

The Homestake Mining District: History, Geology, and the Search for the Next Homestake

The Homestake Mining District sits in the northern Black Hills of South Dakota, centered on the city of Lead in Lawrence County.
April 28, 2026

South Dakota as a Modern Mining Jurisdiction

South Dakota holds a distinctive position in North American mining. The state is home to the Black Hills district, which has produced over 40 million ounces of gold across more than 150…
October 31, 2025

The Black Hills: America’s Overlooked Mining Powerhouse

The story of Black Hills mining is one of enduring discovery and remarkable geological potential.
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