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A review of high purity quartz for silicon production in Australia

Created 17/10/2025

Updated 17/10/2025

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High purity quartz (HPQ) is the only naturally occurring and economically viable source for the production of silicon. Silicon is a critical mineral, and a key component in modern technologies such as semiconductors and photovoltaic cells. Critical minerals support the move towards a greater reliance on electrification, renewable energy sources and economic security. The global transition to net zero carbon emissions means there is a growing need for new discoveries of HPQ to supply the silicon production chain. High purity quartz deposits are identified in a multitude of geological settings, including pegmatites, hydrothermal veins, sedimentary accumulations and quartzite; however, deposits of sufficient volume and quality are rare. Quartz is abundant throughout Australia, but the exploration and discovery of HPQ occurrences is notably under-reported, making assessment of the HPQ potential in Australia extremely difficult. This paper presents a much-needed summary of the state of the HPQ industry, exploration and deposit styles in Australia.

Citation: Jennings, A., Senior, A., Guerin, K., Main, P., & Walsh, J. (2024). A review of high-purity quartz for silicon production in Australia. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/08120099.2024.2362296

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Field Value
Title A review of high purity quartz for silicon production in Australia
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/en/dataset/34ed04a5-f6a0-4c18-9a0c-936b0bc607c9
Contact Point
Geoscience Australia Data
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 01/08/2024
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
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}
Data Portal Geoscience Australia

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Geoscience Australia "A review of high purity quartz for silicon production in Australia". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://ecat.ga.gov.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/a-review-of-high-purity-quartz-for-silicon-production-in-australia