Sources are discussed to identify risks to the United States associated with critical supply of this strategic mineral / metal and to provide supply chain transparency to policymakers. Focus is on the post-mining, pre-consumer-product part of the chain.

Explains how we use these chemical elements, where they come from, and characteristics of the global supply and demand for them.

<h1>Introduction</h1> Tantalum has a unique set of properties that make it useful in a number of diverse applications. The ability of the metal to store and release electrical energy makes it ideally suited for use in certain types of capacitors that are

Investigates the complexity of mineral and metal supply chains in general and shows how they can be mapped. A supply chain is made up of all the manufacturers, suppliers, and information networks supplying materials and parts for production.

Niobium and tantalum are found together in nature because they have similar physical and chemical properties. Niobium is used in high-strength steel alloys, while tantalum is used in electronic capacitors.