Global Mineral Resource Assessments Completed
In response to the growing demand for information on the global mineral-resource base, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed assessments for undiscovered resources of porphyry and sediment-hosted copper, platinum-group elements, and potash.
Understanding the global distribution of nonfuel mineral resources
The USGS conducts national and global assessments of renewable and nonrenewable resources to support decision making. Mineral resource assessments provide a synthesis of available information about where mineral deposits are known and suspected in the Earth's crust, what commodities may be present, and amounts of undiscovered resources.
After completing the first quantitative national mineral resource assessment in the 1990s, the USGS conducted a feasibility study to determine whether a global assessment was possible with current knowledge and technology. That study demonstrated that the work would be possible, if conducted in partnership with geological surveys and other interested organizations worldwide. The Global Mineral Resource Assessment Project started in 2002 as a cooperative international effort to assess the world's undiscovered nonfuel mineral resources.
The purposes of the study were to provide
- the first globally consistent and comprehensive analysis of selected types of undiscovered nonfuel mineral resources, and
- all nations with a regional and global context for evaluating their mineral resources, planning for new mineral exploration and anticipating the economic, environmental, and social impacts of mineral development, and making land use decisions.
The results of this global project are reported in the form of
- maps showing regions in which it is likely that there are undiscovered resources of copper, platinum-group elements (PGE), and potash,
- compilations of known deposits of these important commodities,
- descriptions of the characteristics of the known deposits, and
- estimates of the probable amounts of undiscovered copper, PGEs, and potash to depths of 1 to 3 kilometers below the Earth's surface.
The products of this assessment can be used as the foundation for
- potential mineral supply/sustainable mineral supply and development,
- environmental planning/anticipate potential impacts,
- land use planning/biodiversity, land-use conflicts, and
- economic planning/jobs, poverty reduction, economic development.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Global mineral resource assessment
Dzhezkazgan and associated sandstone copper deposits of the Chu-Sarysu basin, Central Kazakhstan
Porphyry copper assessment of the Mesozoic of East Asia: China, Vietnam, North Korea, Mongolia, and Russia: Chapter G in Global mineral resource assessment
Porphyry copper assessment of the Tibetan Plateau, China: Chapter F in Global mineral resource assessment
Economic filters for evaluating porphyry copper deposit resource assessments using grade-tonnage deposit models, with examples from the U.S. Geological Survey global mineral resource assessment: Chapter H in Global mineral resource assessment
Sandstone copper assessment of the Chu-Sarysu Basin, Central Kazakhstan: Chapter E in Global mineral resource assessment
Quick-start guide for version 3.0 of EMINERS - Economic Mineral Resource Simulator
Porphyry copper assessment of British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada: Chapter C in Global mineral resource assessment
Global mineral resource assessment: porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: Chapter A in Global mineral resource assessment
Spatial Databases of Geological, Geophysical, and Mineral Resource Data Relevant to Sandstone-Hosted Copper Deposits in Central Kazakhstan
Spectral assessment of new ASTER SWIR surface reflectance data products for spectroscopic mapping of rocks and minerals
Global mineral resource assessment
An Index to PGE-Ni-Cr Deposits and Occurrences in Selected Mineral-Occurrence Databases
Below are news stories associated with this project.
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
In response to the growing demand for information on the global mineral-resource base, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed assessments for undiscovered resources of porphyry and sediment-hosted copper, platinum-group elements, and potash.
Understanding the global distribution of nonfuel mineral resources
The USGS conducts national and global assessments of renewable and nonrenewable resources to support decision making. Mineral resource assessments provide a synthesis of available information about where mineral deposits are known and suspected in the Earth's crust, what commodities may be present, and amounts of undiscovered resources.
After completing the first quantitative national mineral resource assessment in the 1990s, the USGS conducted a feasibility study to determine whether a global assessment was possible with current knowledge and technology. That study demonstrated that the work would be possible, if conducted in partnership with geological surveys and other interested organizations worldwide. The Global Mineral Resource Assessment Project started in 2002 as a cooperative international effort to assess the world's undiscovered nonfuel mineral resources.
The purposes of the study were to provide
- the first globally consistent and comprehensive analysis of selected types of undiscovered nonfuel mineral resources, and
- all nations with a regional and global context for evaluating their mineral resources, planning for new mineral exploration and anticipating the economic, environmental, and social impacts of mineral development, and making land use decisions.
The results of this global project are reported in the form of
- maps showing regions in which it is likely that there are undiscovered resources of copper, platinum-group elements (PGE), and potash,
- compilations of known deposits of these important commodities,
- descriptions of the characteristics of the known deposits, and
- estimates of the probable amounts of undiscovered copper, PGEs, and potash to depths of 1 to 3 kilometers below the Earth's surface.
The products of this assessment can be used as the foundation for
- potential mineral supply/sustainable mineral supply and development,
- environmental planning/anticipate potential impacts,
- land use planning/biodiversity, land-use conflicts, and
- economic planning/jobs, poverty reduction, economic development.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Global mineral resource assessment
Introduction In response to the growing demand for information on the global mineral-resource base, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting the Quantitative Global Mineral Resource Assessment Project (GMRAP), a cooperative international project, begun in 2002, to assess the world's undiscovered nonfuel mineral resources. Primary Objectives The USGS conducts national and global assessmentsFilter Total Items: 54Dzhezkazgan and associated sandstone copper deposits of the Chu-Sarysu basin, Central Kazakhstan
Sandstone-hosted copper (sandstone Cu) deposits occur within a 200-km reach of the northern Chu-Sarysu basin of central Kazakhstan (Dzhezkazgan and Zhaman-Aibat deposits, and the Zhilandy group of deposits). The deposits consist of Cu sulfide minerals as intergranular cement and grain replacement in 10 ore-bearing members of sandstone and conglomerate within a 600- to 1,000-m thick Pennsylvanian fAuthorsStephen E. Box, Reimar Seltmann, Michael L. Zientek, Boris Syusyura, Robert A. Creaser, Alla DolgopolovaPorphyry copper assessment of the Mesozoic of East Asia: China, Vietnam, North Korea, Mongolia, and Russia: Chapter G in Global mineral resource assessment
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collaborated with the China Geological Survey (CGS) to conduct a mineral resource assessment of Mesozoic porphyry copper deposits in East Asia. This area hosts several very large porphyry deposits, exemplified by the Dexing deposit in eastern China that contains more than 8,000,000 metric tons of copper. In addition, large parts of the area are undergoing active eAuthorsSteve Ludington, Mark J. Mihalasky, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Gilpin R. Robinson, Thomas P. Frost, Kathleen D. Gans, Thomas D. Light, Robert J. Miller, Dmitriy V. AlexeievPorphyry copper assessment of the Tibetan Plateau, China: Chapter F in Global mineral resource assessment
The U.S. Geological Survey collaborated with the China Geological Survey to conduct a mineral-resource assessment of resources in porphyry copper deposits on the Tibetan Plateau in western China. This area hosts several very large porphyry deposits, exemplified by the Yulong and Qulong deposits, each containing at least 7,000,000 metric tons (t) of copper. However, large parts of the area are undeAuthorsSteve Ludington, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Gilpin R. Robinson, John L. Mars, Robert J. MillerEconomic filters for evaluating porphyry copper deposit resource assessments using grade-tonnage deposit models, with examples from the U.S. Geological Survey global mineral resource assessment: Chapter H in Global mineral resource assessment
An analysis of the amount and location of undiscovered mineral resources that are likely to be economically recoverable is important for assessing the long-term adequacy and availability of mineral supplies. This requires an economic evaluation of estimates of undiscovered resources generated by traditional resource assessments (Singer and Menzie, 2010). In this study, simplified engineering costAuthorsGilpin R. Robinson, W. David MenzieSandstone copper assessment of the Chu-Sarysu Basin, Central Kazakhstan: Chapter E in Global mineral resource assessment
Mineral resource assessments represent a synthesis of available information to estimate the location, quality, and quantity of undiscovered mineral resources in the upper part of the Earth’s crust. This report presents a probabilistic mineral resource assessment of undiscovered sandstone copper deposits within the late Paleozoic Chu-Sarysu Basin in central Kazakhstan by the U.S. Geological SurveyAuthorsStephen E. Box, Boris Syusyura, Timothy S. Hayes, Cliff D. Taylor, Michael L. Zientek, Murray W. Hitzman, Reimar Seltmann, Vladimir Chechetkin, Alla Dolgopolova, Pamela M. Cossette, John C. WallisQuick-start guide for version 3.0 of EMINERS - Economic Mineral Resource Simulator
Quantitative mineral resource assessment, as developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), consists of three parts: (1) development of grade and tonnage mineral deposit models; (2) delineation of tracts permissive for each deposit type; and (3) probabilistic estimation of the numbers of undiscovered deposits for each deposit type (Singer and Menzie, 2010). The estimate of the number of undiscoveAuthorsWalter J. Bawiec, Gregory T. SpanskiPorphyry copper assessment of British Columbia and Yukon Territory, Canada: Chapter C in Global mineral resource assessment
The U.S. Geological Survey does regional, national, and global assessments of resources (mineral, energy, water, biologic) to provide science in support of land management and decision making. Mineral resource assessments provide a synthesis of available information about where mineral deposits are known and suspected to be in the Earth’s crust, which commodities may be present, and estimates of aAuthorsMark J. Mihalasky, Arthur A. Bookstrom, Thomas P. Frost, Steve LudingtonGlobal mineral resource assessment: porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: Chapter A in Global mineral resource assessment
Mineral resource assessments provide a synthesis of available information about distributions of mineral deposits in the Earth’s crust. A probabilistic mineral resource assessment of undiscovered resources in porphyry copper deposits in Mexico was done as part of a global mineral resource assessment. The purpose of the study was to (1) delineate permissive areas (tracts) for undiscovered porphyryAuthorsJane M. Hammarstrom, Gilpin R. Robinson, Steve Ludington, Floyd Gray, Benjamin J. Drenth, Francisco Cendejas-Cruz, Enrique Espinosa, Efrén Pérez-Segura, Martín Valencia-Moreno, José Luis Rodríguez-Castañeda, Rigobert Vásquez-Mendoza, Lukas ZürcherSpatial Databases of Geological, Geophysical, and Mineral Resource Data Relevant to Sandstone-Hosted Copper Deposits in Central Kazakhstan
Central Kazakhstan is host to one of the world's giant sandstone-hosted copper deposits, the Dzhezkazgan deposit, and several similar, smaller deposits. The United Stated Geological Survey (USGS) is assessing the potential for other, undiscovered deposits of this type in the surrounding region of central Kazakhstan. As part of this effort, Syusyura compiled and partially translated an array of mosAuthorsBoris Syusyura, Stephen E. Box, John C. WallisSpectral assessment of new ASTER SWIR surface reflectance data products for spectroscopic mapping of rocks and minerals
ASTER reflectance spectra from Cuprite, Nevada, and Mountain Pass, California, were compared to spectra of field samples and to ASTER-resampled AVIRIS reflectance data to determine spectral accuracy and spectroscopic mapping potential of two new ASTER SWIR reflectance datasets: RefL1b and AST_07XT. RefL1b is a new reflectance dataset produced for this study using ASTER Level 1B data, crosstalk corAuthorsJ.C. Mars, L. C. RowanGlobal mineral resource assessment
Introduction In response to the growing demand for information on the global mineral-resource base, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting the Quantitative Global Mineral Resource Assessment Project (GMRAP), a cooperative international project, begun in 2002, to assess the world's undiscovered nonfuel mineral resources. Primary Objectives The USGS conducts national and global assessmentsAn Index to PGE-Ni-Cr Deposits and Occurrences in Selected Mineral-Occurrence Databases
Databases of mineral deposits and occurrences are essential to conducting assessments of undiscovered mineral resources. In the USGS's (U.S. Geological Survey) global assessment of undiscovered resources of copper, potash, and the platinum-group elements (PGE), only a few mineral deposit types will be evaluated. For example, only porphyry-copper and sediment-hosted copper deposits will be considerAuthorsJ. Douglas Causey, John P. Galloway, Michael L. Zientek - Web Tools
- News
Below are news stories associated with this project.
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Below are partners associated with this project.