Moye, and 2 co-authors, reported in 2016 that minerals in the Southeast resources contributed significantly to Colonial economies, the struggle for independence, and the rise of the United States as a world power. The first metals mined by Europeans in the United States were extracted in 1621 from a lead deposit in Virginia. This same deposit supplied shot for the Continental Army during the American Revolution, and was a point of contention during the Civil War.
In the early 19th century, the first gold rush in North America spread across the southern Appalachian Piedmont from a small farm in central North Carolina.
During the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries, mines in the Southeast were generally numerous and small, often producing minerals for local use. Mines were fewer in number but larger in scale during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, serving mostly regional and national markets. Today, there are relatively few mines in the Southeast, but the area's existing mines are commonly large or highly specialized operations that produce minerals for the global marketplace. The Southeast is currently a major supplier of zinc, cadmium, germanium, lithium, pyrophyllite, olivine, mica, and feldspar.
[A basic well-done publication, but without reference to the whole collection of chapters. Will hopefully encounter that actual book soon]
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