They are talking about McDowell County NC I believe.
They have pure quartz.
Yeah, prior/past story...quartz = silicon wafers for semiconductors, not lithium for batteries. Other sources/mines provide “quartz” (silicon dioxide (SiO2)). Quartz mines in Australia, Canada, Brazil, Norway, etc.. (In addition to Spruce Pine, NC).
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08120099.2024.2362296#d1e2010