Mineral Resources Program
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The USGS Mineral Resources Program (MRP) delivers unbiased science and information to increase understanding of ore formation, undiscovered mineral resource potential, production, consumption, and how minerals interact with the environment. MRP supports data collection and research on a wide variety of non-fuel mineral resources that are important to the Nation’s economic and national security.
Mineral Statistics and Commodity Information
Statistics and information on minerals and materials essential to the U.S. economy, the national security, and the flow of materials through production, supply chains, recycling and sustainability.
Minerals InformationMineral Resources Online Spatial Data
Interactive maps and downloadable data for regional and global geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and mineral resources.
USMIN Mineral Deposit Database
Find DataScience Priorities
We study geologic processes that concentrate known mineral resources at specific localities in the Earth's crust, and assess quantities, qualities, and areas of undiscovered mineral resources, or potential future supply.
Minerals Information and Material Flow
Characterization and Identification of Critical Mineral Resources
Regional Studies and Mineral Resources
Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)
Discover Our ScienceNews
GeoFlight Takes to the Air to Help Identify Geothermal and Mineral Resources at the Salton Sea
The following is an excerpt from a joint blog post issued by the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office and the Department of the Interior’s Office of Water & Science regarding the new GeoFlight: Salton Trough initiative.
USGS Seeks Public Comment on Draft List of 50 Minerals Deemed Critical to US National Security and the Economy
List includes minerals key to all sectors of economy including tech and defense
Editor's note: A correction was made to this news release and the Federal Register Notice November 17 to fix an issue with the public comment section. The published correction can be found here.
To make a public comment, click here.
USGS and Rio Tinto Partner to Survey for Critical Minerals in Southwest Montana
A new partnership between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the science agency for the U.S. Department of the Interior, and Rio Tinto, a leading mining and metals company, will provide a clearer picture of the potential for critical mineral resources beneath the Continental Divide near Montana’s Boulder Batholith.
Publications
Tungsten skarn potential of the Yukon-Tanana Upland, eastern Alaska, USA—A mineral resource assessment
Tungsten (W) is used in a variety of industrial and technological applications and has been identified as a critical mineral for the United States, India, the European Union, and other countries. These countries rely on W imports mostly from China, which leaves them vulnerable to supply disruption. Consequently, the U.S. government...
Case, George N.D.; Graham, Garth E.; Marsh, Erin E.; Taylor, Ryan; Green, Carlin J.; Brown II, Philip J.; Labay, Keith A. Mapping critical minerals from the sky
Critical mineral resources titanium, zirconium, and rare earth elements occur in placer deposits over vast parts of the U.S. Atlantic Coastal Plain. Key questions regarding provenance, pathways of minerals to deposit sites, and relations to geologic features remain unexplained. As part of a national effort to collect data over regions prospective...
Shah, Anjana K.; Morrow, Robert; Pace, Michael; Harris, M.Scott; Doar III, William Geochemistry and mineralogy of metallurgical slag
Slag is a waste product from the pyrometallurgical processing of natural ores or the recycling of man-made materials. This chapter provides an overview of the geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of different types of slag. A review of the analytical methods used to determine these characteristics is also provided. Ferrous slags include...
Piatak, Nadine M.; Ettler, Vojtech; Hoppe, Darryl Andre