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Publications

The Center conducts analyses of and develops information on minerals-related issues, including minerals conservation, sustainability, availability, materials flow, and the economic health of the U.S. minerals industry. 

Key Publications

Historical and Time Series Data

Graph from Zeolites 2016 chapter showing increasing production trend with fluctuations since 1975

A compilation of data on mineral production, imports, exports, stocks, reported and apparent consumption publications.

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Periodic Publications

sphalerite, cubes of pyrite, and covellite

A subset of our monthly, quarterly, and annual publications

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Special Publications

scientists sampling mineral deposit

Fact Sheets - Short introductions to mineral commodities, materials flow, and supply chain topics

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Filter Total Items: 583

Examining industry vulnerability: A focus on mineral commodities used in the automotive and electronics industries

Automotive manufacturing is material-intensive and dependent on a broad range of mineral commodities. Moreover, the automotive manufacturing industries are reliant on complex and sometimes opaque multi-tiered global supply chains. Among the many industries on which automotive supply chains depend are the electronics and semiconductor industries, which are themselves material-intensive and reliant
Authors
Ross Manley, Elisa Alonso, Nedal T. Nassar
By
National Minerals Information Center

Global tellurium supply potential from electrolytic copper refining

The transition towards renewable energy requires increasing quantities of nonfuel mineral commodities, including tellurium used in certain photovoltaics. While demand for tellurium may increase markedly, the potential to increase tellurium supply is not well-understood. In this analysis, we estimate the quantity of tellurium contained in anode slimes generated by electrolytic copper refining by co
Authors
Nedal T. Nassar, Haeyeon Kim, Max Frenzel, Michael S. Moats, Sarah M. Hayes
By
National Minerals Information Center

USGS Critical Minerals Review: 2021

In 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) continued to play a central role in understanding and anticipating potential supply chain disruptions by defining and quantitatively evaluating mineral criticality. In addition, the USGS continued to evaluate new sources of domestic critical minerals by conducting mineral resource assessments, mapping and surveying regions prospective for critical minera
Authors
Steven M. Fortier, Nedal T. Nassar, Garth E. Graham, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Warren C. Day, Jeffrey L. Mauk, Robert R. Seal
By
National Minerals Information Center

Rock-to-metal ratio: A foundational metric for understanding mine wastes

The quantity of ore mined and waste rock (i.e., overburden or barren rock) removed to produce a refined unit of a mineral commodity, its rock-to-metal ratio (RMR), is an important metric for understanding mine wastes and environmental burdens. In this analysis, we provide a comprehensive examination of RMRs for 25 commodities for 2018. The results indicate significant variability across commoditie
Authors
Nedal T. Nassar, Graham W. Lederer, Jaime L. Brainard, Abraham De Jesus Padilla, Joseph D. Lessard
By
National Minerals Information Center

Assessing mineral supply concentration from different perspectives through a case study of zinc

Increasing demand for nonfuel mineral commodities has increased concerns regarding the reliability of their supplies. “Criticality” assessments over the past decade have attempted to capture this concern through a set of indicators, the most common of which quantifies the risk associated with market concentration by applying the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) to the world production of a given c
Authors
Christine L. Thomas, Nedal T. Nassar, John H. DeYoung
By
Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Mineral Resources Program, National Minerals Information Center

Mineral commodity summaries 2022

IntroductionEach mineral commodity chapter of the 2022 edition of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Commodity Summaries (MCS) includes information on events, trends, and issues for each mineral commodity as well as discussions and tabular presentations on domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, 5-year salient statistics, and world production, reserves, and resources. The
Authors
By
National Minerals Information Center

Methodology and technical input for the 2021 review and revision of the U.S. Critical Minerals List

Pursuant to Section 7002 (“Mineral Security”) of Title VII (“Critical Minerals”) of the Energy Act of 2020 (Public Law 116–260, December 27, 2020, 116th Cong.), the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, is tasked with reviewing and revising the methodology used to evaluate mineral criticality and the U.S. Critical Minerals List no less than every 3 y
Authors
Nedal T. Nassar, Steven M. Fortier
By
Energy and Minerals Mission Area, National Minerals Information Center

USGS 2020 critical minerals review

Concerns about the lack of domestic production and availability of essential mineral raw materials were a recurring theme throughout the 20th century, particularly in the periods around armed conflicts (Congressional Research Service, 2019). These concerns resulted in the designation of particular minerals as “strategic” or “critical,” terms that commonly depend on the perspective of the user, but
Authors
Steven M. Fortier, Nedal T. Nassar, Karen D. Kelley, Graham W. Lederer, Jeffrey L. Mauk, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Warren C. Day, Robert R. Seal
By
Mineral Resources Program, National Minerals Information Center

Mineral commodity summaries 2021

IntroductionEach mineral commodity chapter of the 2021 edition of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Commodity Summaries (MCS) includes information on events, trends, and issues for each mineral commodity as well as discussions and tabular presentations on domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, 5-year salient statistics, and world production and resources. The MCS is the

Authors
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National Minerals Information Center

Investigation of U.S. Foreign Reliance on Critical Minerals—U.S. Geological Survey technical input document in response to Executive Order No. 13953 Signed September 30, 2020

Over the past few decades (1990–2019), the United States has become reliant on foreign sources to meet domestic demand for a large and growing number of mineral commodities. In combination with recent trends towards progressively concentrated supply of mineral commodities from a limited number of countries, this heightened import reliance may increase the risk to the United States economy and nati
Authors
Nedal T. Nassar, Elisa Alonso, Jaime L. Brainard
By
National Minerals Information Center

U.S. mineral supply chain security in the age of pandemics and trade wars

Modern technology makes use of numerous mineral commodities whose production is concentrated in a few countries. New research identifies the commodities whose supply disruption poses the greatest risk to the manufacturing sector. While the analysis is applied to the U.S. manufacturing sector, the principles are equally applicable to other economies heavily reliant on imported mineral materials.
Authors
Nedal Nassar, Steven M. Fortier
By
National Minerals Information Center

Meeting the challenge: U.S. Geological Survey North Atlantic and Appalachian Region fiscal year 2020 in review

The utilization, preservation, and conservation of the Nation’s resources requires well-informed management decisions. The North Atlantic and Appalachian Region (NAAR) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) supports science-based decision making for Federal, State, and local policymakers to meet the challenges of today and into the future. The science centers in the NAAR have well-deserved reputatio
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Chesapeake Bay Activities, Florence Bascom Geoscience Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center, National Minerals Information Center, New England Water Science Center, New Jersey Water Science Center, New York Water Science Center, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center, Virginia and West Virginia Water Science Center, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center, Office of Tribal Relations