Header image: Aerial view of the new Silicon Ridge mine in Utah County. Credit: Ionic Mineral Technologies Contemplate for a minute what that minicomputer in your pocket, your phone, is made of. Where it comes from. How it works. The origin story of, among other components, mobile phones, drones, electric cars and windmills involves an intricate life cycle. That cycle includes the discovery, extraction and processing of critical minerals and rare earth elements.