← Critical Metals
Redundancy· Critical Metals · Link
Molybdenum, Climax mine (Freeport)
Colorado, United States39.37°N 106.19°W
computed criticality10/100
reading
China ~40% of world molybdenum; Climax the main primary mine outside China (2024, USGS)
2024Fault line
Molybdenum is mostly a by-product of copper mines, but Climax, in the Rockies, is the emblematic primary deposit and one of the few Western volumes drivable by molybdenum demand alone. Supply stays relatively diversified between China and the Americas, hence moderate criticality driven by special steels.
Actors
Freeport-McMoRan (Climax, Henderson)
Sources
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2025