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National Minerals Information Center

Statistics and information on the worldwide supply of, demand for, and flow of minerals and materials essential to the U.S. economy, national security, and protection of the environment.

News

Value of U.S. mineral production rose last year, driven by precious metals prices

Value of U.S. mineral production rose last year, driven by precious metals prices

Interior Department releases final 2025 List of Critical Minerals

Interior Department releases final 2025 List of Critical Minerals

Department of the Interior releases draft 2025 List of Critical Minerals

Department of the Interior releases draft 2025 List of Critical Minerals

Publications

Future water constraints on United States lithium mining under climate change Future water constraints on United States lithium mining under climate change

Lithium is necessary for low-carbon technologies that combat climate change, but lithium extraction is water-intensive. Changes in temperature and precipitation arising from climate change are altering water distribution, which could further strain supplies for new mines and industry, farms, and households. Here we explored how climate change, water use, and mining siting could impact...
Authors
Jenna Nicole Trost, Nedal T. Nassar, Jennifer B. Dunn

Mineral commodity summaries 2026 Mineral commodity summaries 2026

Introduction Each mineral commodity chapter of the 2026 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...

Quantitative mineral resource assessment of lithium pegmatite deposits in the Appalachian Orogen, USA Quantitative mineral resource assessment of lithium pegmatite deposits in the Appalachian Orogen, USA

Lithium is classified as a U.S. critical mineral commodity, and its demand is projected to drastically increase through 2040, driven by electric vehicle production and energy storage applications (IEA 2021).Most global lithium production is not in the United States increasing vulnerability to a supply disruption. The U.S. Geological Survey is actively assessing domestic lithium deposits...
Authors
Niki E. Wintzer, Joshua Mark Rosera, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Dalton M. McCaffrey, Kelsey Elizabeth Crocker, Joshua Aaron Coyan, Graham W. Lederer

Science

What are Critical Minerals?

Critical minerals are essential to the economy and national security of the Nation and have supply chains that are vulnerable to disruption. The USGS leads the Federal government in developing the List of Critical Minerals and provides crucial and rich information about critical mineral availability, supply chains, and economic impacts. The USGS uses a cross-sectoral and data-driven approach to...
What are Critical Minerals?

What are Critical Minerals?

Critical minerals are essential to the economy and national security of the Nation and have supply chains that are vulnerable to disruption. The USGS leads the Federal government in developing the List of Critical Minerals and provides crucial and rich information about critical mineral availability, supply chains, and economic impacts. The USGS uses a cross-sectoral and data-driven approach to...
Learn More

About the 2025 List of Critical Minerals

This page contains information about the 2025 List of Critical Minerals, including Frequently Asked Questions, related publications and more.
About the 2025 List of Critical Minerals

About the 2025 List of Critical Minerals

This page contains information about the 2025 List of Critical Minerals, including Frequently Asked Questions, related publications and more.
Learn More

Mineral Resources Program Projects

Explore our active and completed projects to learn more about the scientific investigations we conduct. Use keywords and the available filters to narrow your search scope.
Mineral Resources Program Projects

Mineral Resources Program Projects

Explore our active and completed projects to learn more about the scientific investigations we conduct. Use keywords and the available filters to narrow your search scope.
Learn More
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