Mineral Resources Program

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.

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.

The natural gas reservoirs of the United States contain an estimated 306 billion cubic feet of recoverable helium, according to a new report from the U.S. Geological Survey. This is the first-ever estimate of recoverable helium resources from the USGS.

Residents and visitors should not be alarmed to see a low-flying helicopter over Lemhi and Custer Counties west of Salmon, Idaho from September 6 to October 18, 2021. 

Newly published research indicates permafrost, or seasonally frozen, soils may be an overlooked source of greenhouse gases (GHG) prior to complete thaw, which could have implications for how thawing of this thick subsurface layer of soil will impact the global carbon budget and how future climate conditions are studied.  

Geoscience Australia, the Geological Survey of Canada, and the U.S. Geological Survey have released a new online portal and the world’s largest database of critical mineral concentrations in and around mineral deposits.

As Spring 2021 ends, here are a few highlights from the USGS Mineral Resources Program’s recent activities and publications. 

USGS Low-level Helicopter Surveys Begin Early June

Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in informing the local communities is appreciated.

Editor:  In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project.  Your assistance informing the local communities is appreciated.  

USGS Low-level Airplane Surveys Beginning Soon

Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in informing the local communities is appreciated.

In the latest database update based on the Critical Minerals List, the USGS has added Gallium to USMIN.