High-purity quartz mines in Spruce Pine, which Axios reported on last week, say they do not anticipate supply chain hang-ups as damage assessments continue at their facilities. Why it matters: Two manufacturers of the world's purest quartz — a rare,

However, they remain closed as surrounding communities in a remote mountain region deal with pervasive power and water outages, as well as washed-out roads.

Two North Carolina facilities that manufacture the high-purity quartz used for making semiconductors, solar panels and fiber optic cables have been shut down by Hurricane Helene.

The owner of a North Carolina quartz mine that’s a key source for high-purity quartz used in global semiconductor manufacturing said its operations sustained only minor damage in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

The Sibelco mine in North Carolina is one of the most crucial sites to the global production of semiconductors.