The above graph shows the percent reliance of the United States on foreign sources for 61 mineral commodities.

In March 2011, Ford Motor Co. and other major car manufacturers announced that orders for black and red vehicles would no longer be accepted for some period of time to come. The reason was that a patented pigment in the auto paint was suddenly unavailable because the sole producer of the pigment—a plant located on the east coast of Japan—had been damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and affected by the release of nuclear radiation from the Fukushima nuclear plant. Luckily, the cars themselves could still be produced, and the major manufacturers did not expect a loss in profits. But what if the missing material had been essential to the function of the car—to the brakes, for example, or the catalytic converter?

Breaks in the supply chain have long been a concern of Government and industry. Ensuring the supply of critical materials, especially those essential to maintain a strong economy and national defense, is an essential part of the Government’s work.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is the principal Federal provider of research and information on nonfuel mineral resources, and the information it provides is central to the Government’s ability to respond strategically to interruptions in supply. The USGS searches for new mineral resources and keeps track of what countries and companies are using existing mineral resources and how the minerals are being used. For instance, in 2013, the United States was 100 percent dependent on foreign suppliers for 17 mineral commodities and more than 50 percent dependent on foreign sources for at least 24 other mineral commodities.

What Makes a Mineral “Critical”?

Rare earth elements include 17 elements: Yttrium, Scandium, and the Lanthanide Series. Photo credit: Peggy Greb, Agricultural Research Service, USDA.

All mineral commodities are important to someone or they wouldn’t be produced. So what makes a mineral “critical” and/or “strategic?” These two terms are often used together and sometimes interchangeably.

Criticality to some extent is determined by the industrial and commercial uses of the raw materials. Although currently no U.S. Government-wide definition exists, broadly speaking, if a vital sector of the economy requires a mineral in order to function, that mineral would likely be deemed “critical.” On the other hand, when viewed from a national perspective, a strategic mineral may be defined as one that is important to the Nation’s economy, particularly for defense issues; doesn’t have many replacements; and primarily comes from foreign countries. Usually, the term implies a nation’s perception of vulnerability to supply disruptions, and of a need to safeguard its industries from repercussions of a loss of supplies. Disruptions in supply can take place for a number of reasons, such as natural disasters, civil wars, and labor strikes.

What minerals are deemed to be “critical and strategic” thus necessarily changes over time. In 1803, when sending Lewis and Clark on the expedition to survey lands acquired in the Louisiana Purchase, for example, President Thomas Jefferson instructed Captain Meriwether Lewis to take note of “mineral productions of every kind; but more particularly metals, limestone, pit coal, & saltpetre [sic].”  Two centuries later, things have changed significantly, and the list has become more complex. Early computers, for instance, needed less than ten different mineral components. Now, just smartphones and tablets need dozens. The list can vary over time too. Rare-earth elements (REEs), which are among those minerals that are considered most critical today, have been added to the list only within the past decade.

Principal rare earth elements districts in the United States.

Why Rare-Earth Elements?

Rare-earth elements are necessary components of more than 200 products across a wide range of applications, especially high-tech consumer products, such as cellular telephones, computer hard drives, electric and hybrid vehicles, and flat-screen monitors and televisions. Significant defense applications include electronic displays, guidance systems, lasers, and radar and sonar systems.

Although the amount of REE used in a product may not be a significant part of that product by weight, value, or volume, the REE can be necessary for the device to function. For example, magnets made of REE often represent only a small fraction of the total weight, but without them, the spindle motors and voice coils of desktops and laptops would not be possible.

In 1993, 38 percent of world production of REEs was in China, 33 percent was in the United States, 12 percent was in Australia, and five percent each was in Malaysia and India. Several other countries, including Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, made up the remainder. However, in 2008, China accounted for more than 90 percent of world production of REEs, and by 2011, China accounted for 97 percent of world production.

Beginning in 1990 and beyond, supplies of REEs became an issue as the Government of China began to change the amount of the REEs that it allows to be produced and exported. The Chinese Government also began to limit the number of Chinese and Sino-foreign joint-venture companies that could export REEs from China.

Other Critical Minerals

Rare earth elements are hardly the only critical minerals. They’re not even the only minerals critical to the high-end technology sector. Another mineral vital to the functioning of your smart phone is gallium, a soft, silvery metal. Without gallium, the semiconductors that power smartphones and data-centric networks would not be possible. Unlike rare earths, gallium is not a common metal in the Earth’s crust, but it does occur regularly alongside aluminum in a mineral known as bauxite. One of gallium’s other claims to fame is that it has such a low melting point that it will melt if held in your hand.

Another critical mineral is manganese, which is an important metal alloying ingredient. Without manganese, stainless steel would not be possible. In addition, it helps other metals resist rust and corrosion, such as iron and aluminum. Manganese is a fairly common element in the Earth’s crust, and exists in many concentrations easily mineable.

The Role of USGS

The USGS is the primary scientific resource for the U.S. Government as well as U.S. industry to monitor the status of critical minerals to prevent supply disruption. In 2010, the USGS completed an inventory of domestic rare-earth reserves and resources to enhance the Government’s ability to respond to the potential shortage of REEs.  The primary U.S. source for REEs is the Mountain Pass mine in California, and advanced exploration projects for new REE deposits are underway at Bokan Mountain, AK, and Bear Lodge, WY.

The USGS maintains a workforce of geoscientists with expertise in critical minerals and materials, including REEs.  The USGS continuously collects, analyzes, and disseminates data and information on domestic and global REEs reserves and resources, production, consumption, and use.  This information is published annually in the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, which also includes a description of current events, trends, and issues related to REE supply and demand.

The past has shown that demand for critical and strategic minerals is only going to increase, and as the world becomes more interconnected, ensuring a steady and secure supply for those minerals will remain a vital responsibility for the U.S. Government. USGS will play its part by continuously tracking the global supplies and flow of these minerals, as well as constantly seeking new sources for them.

Read More

• China’s Rare-Earth Industry
• Gallium—A Smart Metal
• International Strategic Minerals Inventory Summary Report—Manganese
• International Strategic Minerals Inventory Summary Report—Rare-Earth Oxides
• Mineral Commodity Summaries 2013
• Minerals Yearbook
• Mines and Mineral Processing Facilities in the Vicinity of the March 11, 2011, Earthquake in Northern Honshu, Japan
• The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits of the United States—A Summary of Domestic Deposits and a Global Perspective
• Rare Earth Elements—End Use and Recyclability
• Rare Earth Element Mines, Deposits, and Occurrences
• Recent Strikes in South Africa’s Platinum-Group Metal Mines: Effects Upon World Platinum-Group Metal Supplies

The four unique photos were originally part of the personal collection of George F. Kunz (1856-1932), a mineralogist and gemologist, gentleman explorer, and employee of the USGS and Tiffany & Co. These four photos are unique because they are not included in the official documentation of the Russian Crown Jewels, “Russia’s Treasure of Diamonds and Precious Stones,” published in 1925. The USGS also has a copy of this 1925 publication in Kunz’s collection.

“Russia’s Treasure of Diamonds and Precious Stones” is considered the most complete inventory of the Russian Crown Jewels and 22 of the photographs from Kunz’s 1922 album appear to be the same images used in the official Russian 1925 publication. The four pieces portrayed in the album discovered by the USGS that do not appear in the later publication include a sapphire and diamond tiara, a sapphire bracelet, an emerald necklace, and a sapphire brooch in the shape of a bow.

Researchers have determined that the sapphire brooch was sold in London in 1927, but the fate of the other three pieces is a mystery to this day.  USGS librarians are trying to trace the history with assistance from experts from around the world.

“This 1922 album contains photographs that document the Imperial Crown Jewels and augments the official 1925 catalog with images of pieces that were not previously known to exist,” said USGS Library Director Richard Huffine. “The USGS has preserved this collection in obscurity for over 75 years, and now that it’s been discovered, we’re excited to share this material with the world to support research and understanding of these rare materials today.”

“Russia’s Treasure of Diamonds and Precious Stones” collection contains 100 unbound plates with accompanying text and was published as the inventory of the Romanov jewels. The USGS Library’s copy of “Russia’s Treasure” is missing two plates, but is otherwise in excellent condition. A different copy of “Russia’s Treasure of Diamonds and Precious Stones” sold on auction at Christie’s in 2007 for £72,000, over $141,984.

This photograph is of the bracelet found as one of the undocumented jewels.

This photograph is of the necklace that was one of the four undocumented jewels.

The album “Russian Diamond Fund,” however, is believed to be the only copy in existence. The album begins with an exquisitely hand-colored title page, followed by 88 photographs of the Romanov jewelry with descriptive captions in Russian.

The rich history of the Russian people is reflected in the origins of the Imperial Crown Jewels of Russia.  The jewels were worn by the Romanov Royal Family (1613-1917) until they were seized by the new government during the Russian Revolution and secured in secret until 1922.  In 1922 the jewels were unpacked and a full inventory taken. The “Russian Diamond Fund” album dates to the same year and the photographs appear to have been part of the initial inventory.

“These images are unique representations of a bygone era-taken at a key moment for Russia, buried in quiet bookshelves for almost a hundred years, then rediscovered to add one more tiny but important part to the infinite puzzle of history,” said USGS librarian Jenna Nolt.

Research was conducted by USGS librarians in collaboration with the Hillwood Museum and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and the

This diadem was one of the four undocumented jewels.

Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, Calif. to find additional information on the historical value of the photographs and information on the four photographs of unique pieces from the 1922 album.

USGS Library

More information about the discovery can be found on the USGS Library website.

Video with More Details

Listen to a video podcast with more information about the mystery jewels.

Check Out the Photographs

See photographs of the jewels and the “Russian Diamond Fund” book.

This photograph is of the brooch that was one of the undocumented jewels.

Yes, we need to admit it: minerals are a major player in our everyday life, in the cars we drive, the electronics on which we work and play, in nearly everything we do and use throughout the day.

All That Glitters:

Production level in the Ray porphyry copper mine, AZ.

When you think of minerals, the first ones that likely pop into your head are the precious metals and gemstones: gold, silver, diamonds, etc. These minerals are indeed very valuable and well-known. But, they have uses other than jewelry. For instance, gold is a required element in computers and in jet engines. Diamonds, in addition to being a highly-sought after gemstone, are one of the most versatile engineering materials because their supreme toughness and durability makes them the cutting material of choice in many industrial operations. Learn more about gold and diamonds!

Can’t Live Without

The previous minerals are, indeed, important and necessary, but there are also lesser-known minerals we take for granted that power our modern conveniences. For example, if you’re reading this article on a smart phone or other mobile device, then you’re indebted to a series of elements called “rare earths.”

Rare earths are a series of 17 elements, with unusual names like Yttrium, Scandium and the Lanthanides. They’re called rare earths because, although they are abundant in the soil, they’re hard to find in concentrations that are profitable to mine. These elements, though, are necessary for smart phones and mobile devices because they can yield rare-earth magnets, which allow vital computing components to be miniaturized. Find out more about rare earths!

Guess Again: The Most Valuable Mineral

Up until the recession, the most valuable mineral by total value produced in the United States was not what you’d expect. Nope — it wasn’t gold, silver or platinum. Instead, it was crushed stone, mostly used in construction. Although each individual unit is fairly low in cost, billions of tons of crushed stone are used each year for building and repairing roads, buildings, houses, and other projects. It adds up!  Find out more about crushed stone!

Following the Money

Because  minerals are so important, USGS has placed a priority on researching and tracking the flow of nearly 90 mineral commodities important to the economy and national security of the United States. In fact, USGS issues an annual mineral commodity report, tracking the reserves, production, refining and use of these minerals in the United States and about 180 other countries. It’s called the Mineral Commodity Summaries, and the 2012 edition was just published.

Each year, USGS calculates US net reliance on imports for 70 mineral commodities. This graph shows these mineral commodities in decreasing order of reliance on imports, with the countries from which we get the majority of that mineral on the right-hand side.

In addition to the Mineral Commodity Summaries and Mineral Yearbooks, USGS mineral commodity specialists track these commodities and analyze market trends in light of their expertise with each mineral. A full list of the commodities can be found here.

Visit the USGS Mineral Resources Program

Visit the USGS National Minerals Information Center

Recent Headlines for USGS Minerals:

• 2012 Mineral Commodity Summaries Published
• 2012 Mineral Research Grants Announced

USGS scientists have worked closely with Afghan geologists, both to verify old Soviet and Afghan mineral research and to expand and enhance the total knowledge of Afghanistan's mineral wealth.

It’s not just the U.S. military working to bring a better future to Afghanistan. For Afghanistan to recover and prosper, it needs a sound understanding of its land and resources.

That’s where the USGS comes in, bringing its full range of scientific expertise to bear. From water, energy, and mineral resource assessments to geologic and climate-based hazard evaluations, the USGS has worked closely with the Government of Afghanistan to provide objective science to inform the decisions of land and resource managers in Afghanistan.

Now, after two years of exhaustive research, the USGS, Afghan Geological Survey, and the Task Force for Business and Stability Operations have released the results for 24 areas of prime mineral development in Afghanistan.

Many of these areas are world-class formations, with large deposits of critical and strategic minerals such as rare earths, gold, copper, and iron.

As the Government of Afghanistan moves forward with its plans to develop its mineral resources, the data collected by the USGS and the task force will play an important part in reducing the risk of investment for companies interested in mining these minerals.

The Reports

The 24 areas studied are those with the best chance to yield high-grade mineral resources. Using geologic and airborne geospatial techniques, geochemical analysis of ground samples from each of the areas, and a cutting-edge tool called hyperspectral imaging, USGS scientists were able to create information data packets to help the Government of Afghanistan attract mineral development companies.

Mineral production and development involves considerable investment. For companies interested in developing mineral deposits, the more that is known about a deposit, the lower the risk of investment. By providing detailed analyses of these 24 areas of high mineral potential, the USGS has helped provide the Government of Afghanistan with some of the tools it needs to hold transparent, competitive bidding to develop Afghanistan’s mineral resources.

A Long and Storied History

“The USGS has a long and storied history in Afghanistan,” said Marcia McNutt, Director of the USGS. “We hope our neutral and unbiased analysis of the location, supply, and flow of these strategic minerals will help the Afghans understand the true extent of their mineral wealth.”

The USGS has worked with Afghan scientists and collaborated on research projects there since the 1970s. Most recently, the USGS has partnered with other U.S. government agencies and the Afghan Geological Survey to do several resource and hazard assessments.

Water Assessment

Working with the Afghan Geological Survey and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in 2010 the USGS released an assessment of water resource availability and needs for Kabul and surrounding areas. In the next 50 years, it is estimated that drinking water needs in the Kabul Basin of Afghanistan may increase sixfold due to population increases resulting from returning refugees. It is also likely that future water resources in the Kabul Basin will be reduced as a result of increasing air temperatures associated with global climate change.

(News Release: Kabul Basin Faces Major Water Challenges; Report: Water Resources in the Kabul Basin)

Energy Assessment

In 2009, with assistance from the Afghan Geological Survey and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the USGS released the first-ever assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources, estimating a mean of 1.596 billion barrels of oil and a mean of 36.462 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Much of the petroleum resource potential of Afghanistan and all of the known crude oil and natural gas reserves are in northern Afghanistan.

(News Release: USGS Assessment Significantly Increases Afghanistan Petroleum Resource Base; Assessment: Undiscovered Petroleum Resources of Northern Afghanistan.)

Seismic Hazard Map

To aid in Afghanistan’s reconstruction efforts, USAID and the Afghan Geological Survey asked the USGS to help create a seismic hazard map for Afghanistan. In 2007, the map, along with an assessment of total seismic hazards, was released. The map showed that Afghanistan is located in a geologically active part of the world and without planning for the potential devastation that earthquakes can wreak years of investment in restoring Afghanistan infrastructure could be undermined in a matter of seconds.

(News Release: How Earthquakes Pose Risks to Afghanistan; Report: Earthquakes Pose a Serious Hazard in Afghanistan)

Preliminary Mineral Assessment

This latest mineral research is not the first time the USGS has done mineral work for Afghanistan. Back in 2007, at the request of the Afghan Geological Survey and Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, the USGS analyzed old, unpublished Soviet-era data and historical information collected by the Afghan Geological Survey and did some initial ground research to verify existing mineral deposit knowledge. The USGS was able to validate much of the data and predicted significant mineral deposits throughout Afghanistan. The latest published work confirms these predictions.

(News Release: Undiscovered Resources in Afghanistan)

On the Cutting Edge

USGS research in Afghanistan fulfills more than simply diplomatic relations and development of Afghanistan’s infrastructure. It also gives the USGS a chance to test cutting edge techniques and tools. One of them, hyperspectral imaging, was used to a greater extent than ever before, with USGS scientists covering an unprecedented 96 percent of the country with the tool, a higher percentage than any other country in the world.

(Science Pick: What does hyperspectral imaging mean for the future of mineral research?)

“The potential that these findings have for the future wellbeing of the Afghan people is significant,” said Ambassador Marc Grossman, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. “The United States will continue to support the Government of Afghanistan’s efforts to develop these resources through private-sector investment in a responsible, transparent, and sustainable manner that benefits the Afghan people, expands markets, and promotes regional prosperity.”

Collage of minerals and what can be created using minerals.

Today the United States is the world’s leading user of mineral commodities. Every year about 25,000 pounds of new, non-fuel mineral materials are extracted from the Earth for e very person in the United States. But what are these minerals and how do we use them? Join us on October 5th to learn more about the minerals we use on a daily basis, where these resources come from, and the steps involved from mineral discovery to mineral use.

Free and Open to the Public!

Requests for accommodations (i.e. sign language interpreting) require notice at least two weeks before the event. Please either email Joan Corley or contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at 703-648-7770.

This announcement and directions can be found online.

Follow this event live on Twitter!

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Federal Facility — Photo Id is Required
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20192
Phone:  703-648-4748

Smoke streaming from Ground Zero illuminates the night skyline of lower Manhattan in a view looking east from New Jersey. The photo was taken on September 16, 2001, by USGS field crew members Todd Hoefen and Gregg Swayze.

On September 11, 2001, as the twin towers of the World Trade Center exploded and collapsed, clouds of dust billowed into the sky and across the city.

Photographs from the outskirts show the thick clouds swallowing much of lower Manhattan. Satellite images reveal that the clouds were large enough to be seen from space. Survivors overtaken by the clouds emerged covered in a thick layer of dirt and debris. They reported that the clouds were so dense that they blacked out the sun.

As the dust settled, it coated outdoor surfaces in a layer of fine powdered material up to 3 inches thick. It snuck in through doors, windows, and ventilation systems, contaminating apartments, offices, and public buildings.

The dust from these clouds was inhaled and ingested by thousands of people, not only on September 11, but for days afterward.

Many were concerned about the health and environmental implications of the dust and debris. What were the clouds formed out of? How harmful was it to breathe the pulverized particulates? How would the dust respond to environmental processes?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Public Health Service asked the USGS to examine the dust, to categorize its components, and to identify those substances that might affect the health of emergency responders, residents, visitors, and survivors of the terrorist attacks.

Data from Above

 

Of particular concern was whether the dust contained a significant amount of asbestos. To find out, USGS remote sensing expert Roger Clark worked with NASA to arrange an airplane to fly over lower Manhattan carrying a special instrument that the USGS had been using in other asbestos studies.

This remote sensing platform, called the Airborne Visible and Infra-Red Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), measures light (in the visible through near-infrared spectrum) reflected from the ground surface. Because individual minerals reflect light in characteristic ways, scientists would be able to use the light reflection measurements gathered by AVIRIS to identify and map the materials in the settled dust.

(Read How Spectrometry Works)

Locating Fires

The measurements from AVIRIS came back to the USGS electronically, and Clark and his remote sensing colleagues immediately began processing the data.

Through a creative use of the data, they were able to make and send emergency responders a thermal image — one that showed firefighters where fires were still burning deep in the debris. In some areas, temperatures were over 1300°F.

The USGS team provided this information to emergency response agencies on September 18, 2001. Another flyover on September 23 revealed that by that date most of the hot spots had been eliminated or reduced in intensity.

(See Thermal Hot Spot Maps)

Collecting and Analyzing Samples

Two USGS scientists, Gregg Swayze and Todd Hoefen, flew from Denver to New York City on one of the first available commercial flights after the terrorist attacks. During the day, they collected ground data needed to calibrate the remotely sensed data from AVIRIS. At night, they walked around lower Manhattan collecting both indoor and outdoor samples of the dust and debris around the fallen towers. The sample suite they collected for analysis ended up being the most comprehensive of all studies done on the dusts, both in terms of the number of samples collected and the spatial extent over which the samples were collected.

Sample of the dust and debris from the fallen towers.

When Swayze and Hoefen returned, they and an entire team of USGS researchers, including Geoff Plumlee, Greg Meeker, Phil Hageman, Heather Lowers, Paul Lamothe, Eric Livo, and many others, brought their expertise together to analyze the samples and provide answers about the components of the dust.

They analyzed the samples for a variety of mineralogical and chemical parameters. They used reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with x-ray micro-analysis, x-ray diffraction, chemical analysis, chemical leach testing, and other more specialized analyses.

The team worked with a somber drive.

“Our team of analysts got busy, throwing all of our analytical capabilities at the dusts, driven by the hope that we would be able to help deal with the disaster that had shaken the nation,” wrote Plumlee in a 2009 article for Earth Magazine.

Dust Components

The dust samples were largely made up of a mix of materials commonly used in building construction or found in office buildings: particles of glass fibers, gypsum wallboard, concrete, paper, window glass, etc.

The dust contained higher amounts of lead, zinc, antimony, copper, and other elements of building materials than found in natural soils. The level of lead in some samples was high enough to be a potential concern.

The team also found the less dangerous variety of asbestos, chrysotile asbestos, in most samples at higher levels than what is found in urban particulate matter.

However, the team was grateful not to find amphibole asbestos — the kind generally viewed as the more dangerous, more carcinogenic form of asbestos — in any of the samples.

Even though this more dangerous form of asbestos was absent from the dust samples, the materials that were found indicated a potential health threat, and USGS scientists reported that cleanup of dusts and debris should be done with appropriate respiratory protection and dust control measures.

By combining the remotely sensed data with the lab results, the team produced a series of maps that showed the distribution of asbestos, concrete, and other materials in the dust around lower Manhattan. As one might expect, heavier materials tended to settle closer to Ground Zero, while lighter materials traveled further away.

Mixing with Water

Some metals found in the dust (such as aluminum, chromium, and antimony) are soluble, and another issue of both health and environmental concern was whether water that interacted with the dust would be harmful.

To find out, the USGS team performed chemical leach tests on the dust samples. Water they passed through the samples that had been collected indoors came away highly alkaline and caustic, but the water passed through the samples collected outside had much lower pH values.

The difference was that the outdoor samples had been exposed to rain before the samples had been collected. The higher pH values from the indoor samples were produced by dissolution of calcium hydroxide from the concrete particles. The outdoor dust samples, however, had already been at least partly neutralized by reactions with carbonic acid in the rainwater.

These results indicated that the dust could be chemically reactive when it came in contact with rain or wash water — or moisture in the eyes, mouth, or respiratory system. Fortunately, continued reactions of water and atmospheric carbon dioxide with the dust helped to neutralize their caustic alkalinity. Dust indoors, on the other hand, was potentially more harmful than the dust that had been exposed to rain and other elements.

(Read the Chemical Leaching Study.)

Identifying World Trade Center Dust in the Long Term

Like many natural and human-caused disasters, the potential dangers posed by the collapse of the twin towers didn’t end with the event itself. With wildfires, there is the risk of landslides. With earthquakes, there is the risk of aftershocks and compromised buildings. With erupting volcanoes, there is the risk of damage from the ash clouds to airplanes. And after the collapse of the twin towers, there remained the risks of dust contamination.

Years after the event, questions remained about the possible presence of dust from the World Trade Center in both indoor and outdoor environments.

To address these questions, officials needed a way to positively identify dust that originated from the World Trade Center. And with so many agencies and organizations involved in different studies and efforts, they needed some standardization of methods for determining if dust came from the September 11 events.

But how do you tell one urban dust sample from any other?

They needed a diagnostic signature that could be used as a sort of fingerprint for identifying dust from the World Trade Center.

USGS scientists Gregory Meeker, Amy Bern, Heather Lowers, and Isabelle Brownfield set to work to develop analytical methods and standards that would help others to detect and measure trace levels of World Trade Center dust.

By examining the dust samples, they were able to determine common abundance ratios of major and minor components of the dust. They found that five components — slag wool, rock wool, soda-lime glass, concrete particles, and gypsum — could be used to as primary signature components for identifying dust from the World Trade Center. They also identified possible secondary signature components: FeOx, ZnOx, silica, and chrysotile.

(Read the Determination of a Diagnostic Signature for World Trade Center Dust, Analysis of Background Residential Dust for World Trade Center Signature Components, Particle Atlas of World Trade Center Dust.)

Trying to Identify Dust in the Lungs

More recently, scientists have been trying to determine whether this dust signature can help link exposure to World Trade Center dust to respiratory problems experienced by some of the September 11 survivors and emergency responders.

In 2009, Dr. David Prezant, the chief medical officerat the Office of Medical Affairs for the New York City Fire Department, asked Meeker to examine the lung tissue of a firefighter who had developed pulmonary fibrosis. Prezant wanted to know whether particles the firefighter had inhaled as a first responder may have contributed to the disease.

Due to his disease, the firefighter had had a lung transplant, and with both a sample of lung tissue and the means to potentially identify World Trade Center dust, USGS scientists examined the tissue to see if they could demonstrate a link.

What they found was inconclusive. They found an abundance of particles in the lung tissue, but no definitive proof that any of it was dust from the World Trade Center. This lack of proof was not surprising as most glass fibers dissolve in the lungs over time, and it would be unlikely that the particles found in the lung tissue years after the event would be in the same ratios and form as the samples collected.

But this was just one sample, and as more lung tissue becomes available for testing more data may help experts to find better answers about the possible link between exposure to the dust and long-term health problems.

Applying What we have Learned to Other Disasters

Firefighter surrounded by dust and debris from the twin towers. Photo credit Jim Watson, U.S. Navy

Over the past 10 years, the USGS has responded to a number of events, both natural and human-caused, in which emergency responders, public health officials, cleanup organizers, and citizens need information to understand the material fallout of a disaster, how these materials could interact with the environment, and how these materials might impact the environment and human health.

Events such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 (PDF), the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 2004 and the eruption of Alaskan volcanoes in 2008 and 2009, the Gulf oil spill in 2010, the wildfires in Southern California in 2007 and 2009 and those in Texas occurring now remind us that there will always be new challenges to face.

(Video: Spectrometer use in  2007 Wildfires Ash Study)

With each event, we have learned valuable lessons, and we continue to improve our capabilities for analyzing materials and contamination, for understanding and predicting their behavior in the environment, for examining how best to protect our communities from their potentially harmful impacts, and for communicating results in ways that are useable and understandable.

It is impossible to remember the events of September 11, 2001, without a sense of honor for those who lost and gave their lives.

As individuals, our hearts remain with those who lost their lives or those of loved ones. As a Nation, we are grateful for those who put their lives on the line for the sake of others. And as an agency, we stand at the ready to provide lawmakers, community planners, emergency responders, public health officials, and every American with the mapping and natural science information they need to understand, prepare for, and respond to such events.

Examples of Energy & Minerals Science

Please answer questions about USGS Energy & Minerals science.

Learn More