@cookpj.bsky.social
Climate and Energy Analyst at the Breakthrough Institute (he/him)
https://thebreakthrough.org/people/peter-cook
https://thebreakthrough.org/people/peter-cook
As the US debates how to secure critical minerals, some insist that we first must wholly reform mining before we embrace its role in decarbonization
The latest @thebti.bsky.social article argues how the stringent standards miners already follow make that attitude counterproductive 🧵
The latest @thebti.bsky.social article argues how the stringent standards miners already follow make that attitude counterproductive 🧵
October 21, 2025 at 6:05 PM
As the US debates how to secure critical minerals, some insist that we first must wholly reform mining before we embrace its role in decarbonization
The latest @thebti.bsky.social article argues how the stringent standards miners already follow make that attitude counterproductive 🧵
The latest @thebti.bsky.social article argues how the stringent standards miners already follow make that attitude counterproductive 🧵
I'd be interested in hearing other interpretations though.
The outcrops straddle Twin Rocks Creek at about 39.80496708457175, -122.96868941625242 if you want to weigh in!
The outcrops straddle Twin Rocks Creek at about 39.80496708457175, -122.96868941625242 if you want to weigh in!
October 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
I'd be interested in hearing other interpretations though.
The outcrops straddle Twin Rocks Creek at about 39.80496708457175, -122.96868941625242 if you want to weigh in!
The outcrops straddle Twin Rocks Creek at about 39.80496708457175, -122.96868941625242 if you want to weigh in!
Another possibility, California hosts the Coastal Range Ophiolite which outcrops along a north-south trend across Sonoma and Lake County, ending at the north end just about where I took the photo.
October 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Another possibility, California hosts the Coastal Range Ophiolite which outcrops along a north-south trend across Sonoma and Lake County, ending at the north end just about where I took the photo.
The Clear Lake Volcanic field, for example, lies about 50 miles to the south and hosts the 4,300 foot Mount Konocti and the Geysers geothermal steam field.
October 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
The Clear Lake Volcanic field, for example, lies about 50 miles to the south and hosts the 4,300 foot Mount Konocti and the Geysers geothermal steam field.
I went hiking in the Mendocino National Forest and think I spotted some volcanics.
It's a little hard to see, but the two dark outcrops look like the nubs of a sill that I imagine eroded as the valley formed and cut through it.....🧵
It's a little hard to see, but the two dark outcrops look like the nubs of a sill that I imagine eroded as the valley formed and cut through it.....🧵
October 10, 2025 at 8:30 PM
I went hiking in the Mendocino National Forest and think I spotted some volcanics.
It's a little hard to see, but the two dark outcrops look like the nubs of a sill that I imagine eroded as the valley formed and cut through it.....🧵
It's a little hard to see, but the two dark outcrops look like the nubs of a sill that I imagine eroded as the valley formed and cut through it.....🧵
The NRC announced some exciting news for the U.S. nuclear sector on Tuesday
DISA received an approval for their license application to collect uranium ore from abandoned uranium mine waste using a method called High-Pressure Slurry Ablation 🧵
DISA received an approval for their license application to collect uranium ore from abandoned uranium mine waste using a method called High-Pressure Slurry Ablation 🧵
October 2, 2025 at 9:56 PM
The NRC announced some exciting news for the U.S. nuclear sector on Tuesday
DISA received an approval for their license application to collect uranium ore from abandoned uranium mine waste using a method called High-Pressure Slurry Ablation 🧵
DISA received an approval for their license application to collect uranium ore from abandoned uranium mine waste using a method called High-Pressure Slurry Ablation 🧵
I am very pleased to see @thebti.bsky.social cited and described as the optimistic perspective when it comes to critical minerals thought leadership in a new book by Thea Riofrancos called "Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism."
September 23, 2025 at 9:26 PM
I am very pleased to see @thebti.bsky.social cited and described as the optimistic perspective when it comes to critical minerals thought leadership in a new book by Thea Riofrancos called "Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism."
Once production starts, Stibnite Gold could meet roughly a sixth of U.S. antimony demand over its 15 year lifetime. Starting from nothing, this is a huge leap forward.
September 19, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Once production starts, Stibnite Gold could meet roughly a sixth of U.S. antimony demand over its 15 year lifetime. Starting from nothing, this is a huge leap forward.
Antimony sees use in batteries, semiconductors, and specialty alloys. Yet, the U.S. has up until now remained dangerously reliant on imports (Net Import Reliance ~85%).
September 19, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Antimony sees use in batteries, semiconductors, and specialty alloys. Yet, the U.S. has up until now remained dangerously reliant on imports (Net Import Reliance ~85%).
As the wet dense oceanic plates dive under the relatively buoyant continent they release water which melts the surrounding mantle to create magma. That magma works its way to the surface to give us peaks along the northern west coast like Mt St. Helens which erupted in 1980.
September 12, 2025 at 4:50 PM
As the wet dense oceanic plates dive under the relatively buoyant continent they release water which melts the surrounding mantle to create magma. That magma works its way to the surface to give us peaks along the northern west coast like Mt St. Helens which erupted in 1980.
Part of the Ring of Fire, the Cascades host a number of volcanoes that formed by the Juan De Fuca, Explorer, and Gorda plates of the Pacific ocean subducting under the North American continental plate.
September 12, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Part of the Ring of Fire, the Cascades host a number of volcanoes that formed by the Juan De Fuca, Explorer, and Gorda plates of the Pacific ocean subducting under the North American continental plate.
Traveling to Seattle last week, my flight from San Francisco flew north along the Cascade Range and treated me to a great view of Mount Shasta - a 14,163 foot high stratovolcano. 🧵
September 12, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Traveling to Seattle last week, my flight from San Francisco flew north along the Cascade Range and treated me to a great view of Mount Shasta - a 14,163 foot high stratovolcano. 🧵
Digging through some photos from my time at Nyrstar and found this one of the barite brain
Nyrstar had so many great samples in their collection from years of mining. Gem hunters know it as the Elmwood Mine, famous for its fluorite with irregular etching called Carthage Corners
Nyrstar had so many great samples in their collection from years of mining. Gem hunters know it as the Elmwood Mine, famous for its fluorite with irregular etching called Carthage Corners
September 5, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Digging through some photos from my time at Nyrstar and found this one of the barite brain
Nyrstar had so many great samples in their collection from years of mining. Gem hunters know it as the Elmwood Mine, famous for its fluorite with irregular etching called Carthage Corners
Nyrstar had so many great samples in their collection from years of mining. Gem hunters know it as the Elmwood Mine, famous for its fluorite with irregular etching called Carthage Corners
Heading to DC for the Abundance event to join my @thebti.bsky.social colleagues and Im already excited to hear what more the Anthropocene has in store
But if you are ever pessimistic, a dose of the New York City skyline is always a great reminder of what the human-built world can be like
But if you are ever pessimistic, a dose of the New York City skyline is always a great reminder of what the human-built world can be like
September 3, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Heading to DC for the Abundance event to join my @thebti.bsky.social colleagues and Im already excited to hear what more the Anthropocene has in store
But if you are ever pessimistic, a dose of the New York City skyline is always a great reminder of what the human-built world can be like
But if you are ever pessimistic, a dose of the New York City skyline is always a great reminder of what the human-built world can be like
Without knowing more detail, the rationale for production cuts seems suspicious. Kazakhstan already boasts a large amount of low-cost reserves and it doesn’t seem like market conditions have worsened in recent years.
September 2, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Without knowing more detail, the rationale for production cuts seems suspicious. Kazakhstan already boasts a large amount of low-cost reserves and it doesn’t seem like market conditions have worsened in recent years.
Production cuts could significantly drive up uranium prices which have already been steadily increasing since 2017 - levels not seen since the 2000s
September 2, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Production cuts could significantly drive up uranium prices which have already been steadily increasing since 2017 - levels not seen since the 2000s
It’s great to see the momentum in nuclear energy grow, but we will need uranium to fuel it and Kazakhstan is consistently the world's largest natural uranium producer, accounting for 43% of global production in 2022.
September 2, 2025 at 3:35 PM
It’s great to see the momentum in nuclear energy grow, but we will need uranium to fuel it and Kazakhstan is consistently the world's largest natural uranium producer, accounting for 43% of global production in 2022.
China possesses a lot of these laterite deposits which has given them an advantage in the rare earth industry - particularly in heavy rare earth processing that the US is only starting to catch up on at Mountain Pass.
Here's a link to the map:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Here's a link to the map:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
August 27, 2025 at 4:55 PM
China possesses a lot of these laterite deposits which has given them an advantage in the rare earth industry - particularly in heavy rare earth processing that the US is only starting to catch up on at Mountain Pass.
Here's a link to the map:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Here's a link to the map:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Some may not realize that rare earths are mined together as a combination of elements.
The USGS reports the distribution for some prominent mines. I thought it was more striking as a bar chart with some color so I adapted it into the chart shown below 🧵
The USGS reports the distribution for some prominent mines. I thought it was more striking as a bar chart with some color so I adapted it into the chart shown below 🧵
August 27, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Some may not realize that rare earths are mined together as a combination of elements.
The USGS reports the distribution for some prominent mines. I thought it was more striking as a bar chart with some color so I adapted it into the chart shown below 🧵
The USGS reports the distribution for some prominent mines. I thought it was more striking as a bar chart with some color so I adapted it into the chart shown below 🧵
I’m looking forward to the Abundance event next week in D.C., but will still miss the @thebti.bsky.social's Dialogue.
What other conference could you argue about critical minerals then slip out to the Marin Headlands during the lunch break for a roadside outcrop field trip?
What other conference could you argue about critical minerals then slip out to the Marin Headlands during the lunch break for a roadside outcrop field trip?
August 26, 2025 at 6:21 PM
I’m looking forward to the Abundance event next week in D.C., but will still miss the @thebti.bsky.social's Dialogue.
What other conference could you argue about critical minerals then slip out to the Marin Headlands during the lunch break for a roadside outcrop field trip?
What other conference could you argue about critical minerals then slip out to the Marin Headlands during the lunch break for a roadside outcrop field trip?
For anyone interested in seafloor minerals, the
USGS has a great web viewer of different ocean regions based on nodule vs crustal occurrences:
geonarrative.usgs.gov/globalmarine...
USGS has a great web viewer of different ocean regions based on nodule vs crustal occurrences:
geonarrative.usgs.gov/globalmarine...
August 25, 2025 at 5:53 PM
For anyone interested in seafloor minerals, the
USGS has a great web viewer of different ocean regions based on nodule vs crustal occurrences:
geonarrative.usgs.gov/globalmarine...
USGS has a great web viewer of different ocean regions based on nodule vs crustal occurrences:
geonarrative.usgs.gov/globalmarine...
Take antimony (Sb) for example
Antimony is a critical mineral that the US doesnt mine. Sure enough, China dominates global production and has not been shy about restricting exports
Thankfully the upcoming Stibnite project in Idaho will mine not only gold, but also antimony.
Antimony is a critical mineral that the US doesnt mine. Sure enough, China dominates global production and has not been shy about restricting exports
Thankfully the upcoming Stibnite project in Idaho will mine not only gold, but also antimony.
August 22, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Take antimony (Sb) for example
Antimony is a critical mineral that the US doesnt mine. Sure enough, China dominates global production and has not been shy about restricting exports
Thankfully the upcoming Stibnite project in Idaho will mine not only gold, but also antimony.
Antimony is a critical mineral that the US doesnt mine. Sure enough, China dominates global production and has not been shy about restricting exports
Thankfully the upcoming Stibnite project in Idaho will mine not only gold, but also antimony.
Mines often produce more than one metal from the same deposit. This chart shows the amounts that some metals are produced as byproducts of gold mining (Au)
August 22, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Mines often produce more than one metal from the same deposit. This chart shows the amounts that some metals are produced as byproducts of gold mining (Au)
The value that society places on gold compared to other metals fascinates me given that less than 10% of it sees any type of practical application!
But society still benefits even if you dont wear a Rolex because all that money invested into gold subsidizes other metals🧵
But society still benefits even if you dont wear a Rolex because all that money invested into gold subsidizes other metals🧵
August 22, 2025 at 6:26 PM
The value that society places on gold compared to other metals fascinates me given that less than 10% of it sees any type of practical application!
But society still benefits even if you dont wear a Rolex because all that money invested into gold subsidizes other metals🧵
But society still benefits even if you dont wear a Rolex because all that money invested into gold subsidizes other metals🧵
They even jumped the gun a bit and separately added metallurgical coal:
August 11, 2025 at 10:56 PM
They even jumped the gun a bit and separately added metallurgical coal: