Global Distribution of Selected Mines, Deposits, and Districts of Critical Minerals

The point and polygon layers within this geodatabase present the global distribution of mineral resource features (deposits, mines, districts, mineral regions) for 22 minerals or mineral commodities considered critical to the economy and security of the United States as of 2017. These data accompany the report by Schulz and others (2017) which provides national and global information on antimony (Sb), barite (barium, Ba), beryllium (Be), cobalt (Co), fluorite or fluorspar (fluorine, F), gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), graphite (carbon, C), hafnium (Hf), indium (In), lithium (Li), manganese (Mn), niobium (Nb), platinum-group elements (PGE), rare-earth elements (REE), rhenium (Re), selenium (Se), tantalum (Ta), tellurium (Te), tin (Sn), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), and zirconium (Zr) resources. The geospatial locations for deposits containing selenium, which is recovered mainly as a byproduct of other produced mineral commodities, is not included in this geodatabase. These geospatial data and the accompanying report are an update to information published in 1973 in U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 820, United States Mineral Resources. For the current and full discussion of the individual critical minerals, their uses, identified resources, national and global distribution, geologic overview, resource assessment, and geoenvironmental considerations see:

Schulz, K.J., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., Seal, R.R., II, and Bradley, D.C., eds., 2017, Critical mineral resources of the United StatesEconomic and environmental geology and prospects for future supply: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1802, 777 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1802