AI Boom Revives Interest in Kentucky's Fluorspar Deposits

The largest known fluorspar deposit in the United States lies beneath western Kentucky and southern Illinois, a region that boomed with mining activity over a century ago. The mineral supported steelmaking and employed hundreds during the Great Depression before cheaper imports ended domestic mining in the 1980s. Now, fluorspar's critical role in manufacturing AI microchips and electric vehicle batteries is sparking renewed interest in the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District. The U.S. currently imports all of its fluorspar, but growing tech demand has experts and residents hopeful the regional mining industry could be revived.