Metalpedia
Metalpedia
  • Zinc: resource distribution and production
  • Metallic zinc resources are distributed widely in nature, and zinc commonly exists in sulfide state. The mineral spreads over blende (mainly), as well as a few oxidized ores like smithsonite, willemite, hemimorphite and hydrocincite. Currently, the identified zinc resources of the world are about 1.9 billion metric tonnes.
  • The zinc resource distribution in the world is as follows:
  • Area distribution: Asian, Oceania, North America and South America.
  • Country distribution: China, United States, Australia, Canada, Kazakhstan, Peru and Mexico, etc. The zinc reserves of four countries — Australia, China, the United States and Kazakhstan — account for about 57% of world reserves, and cover 64.66% of the world’s reserve base.
  • The figures of zinc reserves reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in 2014 were as follows:
  • Source: Zinc- U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, February 2014
  • The figures of zinc mine production reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in 2014 were as follows:
  • Source: Zinc- U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, February 2014
  • Zinc consumption by country and industry, 2011 were as follows:
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