Open pit rare earth element mine at Mountain Pass, California. Stepped sides of the pit and access for mining vehicles are shown.
Where can I get information about a mine's ownership or maps of a mine?
Mining records for shaft mining used to be maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, which closed in 1996. Their records are in the National Archives and National Technical Reports Library. States are currently the best source for mine ownership records.
The USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) might provide some information. The U.S. Bureau of Mines database MAS/MILS (Mineral Availability System/Mineral Industry Location System) was merged into the USGS MRDS database in the early 2000s, so records from both predecessor databases might be present for an individual mine. The MAS/MILS records tend to emphasize economic and operational characteristics, and the MRDS tends to emphasize the geologic setting of the deposits, though this is a general statement and in many cases the records are mixtures of those themes.
The USGS does not produce maps of individual mines. The DOI Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has a National Mine Map Repository. The facility stores over 246,000 mine records of closed and/or abandoned, surface, and underground mines throughout the United States.
Related Content
What is a critical mineral?
The Energy Act of 2020 defined critical minerals as those that are essential to the economic or national security of the United States; have a supply chain that is vulnerable to disruption; and serve an essential function in the manufacturing of a product, the absence of which would have significant consequences for the economic or national security of the U.S. The act further specified that...
Where can I find information about mineral commodities?
For statistical information about mineral commodities, visit the USGS Commodity Statistics and Information website. For locations outside the United States, USGS International Minerals Statistics and Information is the best starting point.
How do we extract minerals?
The primary methods used to extract minerals from the ground are: Underground mining Surface (open pit) mining Placer mining The location and shape of the deposit, strength of the rock, ore grade, mining costs, and current market price of the commodity are some of the determining factors for selecting which mining method to use. Higher-grade metallic ores found in veins deep under the Earth’s...
How many pounds of minerals are required by the average person in a year?
To maintain our standard of living, each person in the United States requires over 40,630 pounds of minerals each year: 10, 765 pounds of stone 7,254 pounds of sand and gravel 685 pounds of cement 148 pounds of clays 383 pounds of salt 275 pounds of iron ore 168 pounds of phosphate rock 35 pounds of soda ash 34 pounds of aluminum 12 pounds of copper 11 pounds of lead 6 pounds of zinc 5 pounds of...
How can I find U.S. Bureau of Mines publications?
After 85 years of service, the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) closed in 1996. Certain functions, such as the collection, analysis, and dissemination of minerals information, have been returned to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). For information on former USBM programs or publications, please see the following sources: The National Technical Reports Library (part of the National Technical...
Mountain Pass REE mine in California
Open pit rare earth element mine at Mountain Pass, California. Stepped sides of the pit and access for mining vehicles are shown.
PubTalk 7/2018— Extreme acid mine drainage at Iron Mountain California
Title: Iron Mountain, California: An Extreme Acid Mine Drainage Environment
Title: Iron Mountain, California: An Extreme Acid Mine Drainage Environment
2017 Oct. Public Lecture — Global Trends in Mineral Commodity Supplies
- The U.S. is increasingly reliant on supply of mineral raw materials from other countries.
- Advanced technologies are increasingly making use of nearly the entire periodic table of the elements.
- Dynamic studies of critical and strategic mineral supply and demand can identify emerging potential supply risks.
- The U.S. is increasingly reliant on supply of mineral raw materials from other countries.
- Advanced technologies are increasingly making use of nearly the entire periodic table of the elements.
- Dynamic studies of critical and strategic mineral supply and demand can identify emerging potential supply risks.
Supergene Leached Zone at Silver Bell Mine
Supergene Leached zone at Silver Bell Mine, AZ.
Supergene Leached zone at Silver Bell Mine, AZ.
Ray Copper Mine
Production level in the Ray porphyry copper mine, AZ.
Production level in the Ray porphyry copper mine, AZ.
Related Content
What is a critical mineral?
The Energy Act of 2020 defined critical minerals as those that are essential to the economic or national security of the United States; have a supply chain that is vulnerable to disruption; and serve an essential function in the manufacturing of a product, the absence of which would have significant consequences for the economic or national security of the U.S. The act further specified that...
Where can I find information about mineral commodities?
For statistical information about mineral commodities, visit the USGS Commodity Statistics and Information website. For locations outside the United States, USGS International Minerals Statistics and Information is the best starting point.
How do we extract minerals?
The primary methods used to extract minerals from the ground are: Underground mining Surface (open pit) mining Placer mining The location and shape of the deposit, strength of the rock, ore grade, mining costs, and current market price of the commodity are some of the determining factors for selecting which mining method to use. Higher-grade metallic ores found in veins deep under the Earth’s...
How many pounds of minerals are required by the average person in a year?
To maintain our standard of living, each person in the United States requires over 40,630 pounds of minerals each year: 10, 765 pounds of stone 7,254 pounds of sand and gravel 685 pounds of cement 148 pounds of clays 383 pounds of salt 275 pounds of iron ore 168 pounds of phosphate rock 35 pounds of soda ash 34 pounds of aluminum 12 pounds of copper 11 pounds of lead 6 pounds of zinc 5 pounds of...
How can I find U.S. Bureau of Mines publications?
After 85 years of service, the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) closed in 1996. Certain functions, such as the collection, analysis, and dissemination of minerals information, have been returned to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). For information on former USBM programs or publications, please see the following sources: The National Technical Reports Library (part of the National Technical...
Mountain Pass REE mine in California
Open pit rare earth element mine at Mountain Pass, California. Stepped sides of the pit and access for mining vehicles are shown.
Open pit rare earth element mine at Mountain Pass, California. Stepped sides of the pit and access for mining vehicles are shown.
PubTalk 7/2018— Extreme acid mine drainage at Iron Mountain California
Title: Iron Mountain, California: An Extreme Acid Mine Drainage Environment
Title: Iron Mountain, California: An Extreme Acid Mine Drainage Environment
2017 Oct. Public Lecture — Global Trends in Mineral Commodity Supplies
- The U.S. is increasingly reliant on supply of mineral raw materials from other countries.
- Advanced technologies are increasingly making use of nearly the entire periodic table of the elements.
- Dynamic studies of critical and strategic mineral supply and demand can identify emerging potential supply risks.
- The U.S. is increasingly reliant on supply of mineral raw materials from other countries.
- Advanced technologies are increasingly making use of nearly the entire periodic table of the elements.
- Dynamic studies of critical and strategic mineral supply and demand can identify emerging potential supply risks.
Supergene Leached Zone at Silver Bell Mine
Supergene Leached zone at Silver Bell Mine, AZ.
Supergene Leached zone at Silver Bell Mine, AZ.
Ray Copper Mine
Production level in the Ray porphyry copper mine, AZ.
Production level in the Ray porphyry copper mine, AZ.