I did not know this until reading the Michael Snyder article and doing some internet surfing of my own: https://michaeltsnyder.substack.com/p/one-of-the-most-important-substances. There is an ultra-pure natural quartz that comes from Spruce Pine, North Carolina, and this material is used in a whole array of electronic devices, such as semiconductors, solar panels and fiber-optic cables. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, the two factories that produce this material have closed, and it is not known when they can reopen: https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/north-carolina-town-produces-quartz-needed-tech-products-114411374.
"Spruce Pine quartz is used around the world to manufacture the equipment needed to make the silicon chips that underpin all our digital devices, Vince Beiser, author of "The World in a Grain," said in an email.
"To make silicon chips, you need to first melt down a highly-purified material called polysilicon. That can only be done in crucibles that are themselves made of a material so pure it will not react chemically with the polysilicon and is also able to withstand enormous heat," he said. "The best material for those crucibles is ultra-pure quartz. Spruce Pine is the source of the purest natural quartz ever found on Earth."
An estimated 70-90% of the crucibles used worldwide are made from Spruce Pine quartz, he said."
This raises the big question which is not known at present as to how soon can the companies get back into production? If there are very lengthy delays, this could have a dire impact upon the production of electronics. And most of us did not even know about this.