Maps, Maps, Maps: Where might scientists search for minerals for microchips and other technologies in the U.S.?
Currently, the U.S. imports many of the minerals required to produce microchips and other advanced technologies. How does the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) support the search for potential domestic resources?
Minerals, Minerals, Minerals
Our world today runs on minerals. Microchips, tiny wafer-thin surfaces that are etched with thousands of minute electronic circuits, are the “brains” of advanced technologies as diverse as smartphones, cars, satellites and artificial intelligence supercomputers. Batteries containing cobalt, manganese and rare earth elements are essential for medical devices, home appliances, and energy storage.
Yet, if you have used any of these technologies in the US, it is likely that much of the mineral you are relying on came from overseas.
Through the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI), scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have been exploring where there are sources of important minerals below our own soil. But finding minerals below the ground can be like finding a needle in a haystack: just by looking at the haystack, it would be difficult to know where to start.
The Mineral Systems Map
To solve this problem, USGS scientists developed the “Mineral Systems Map” to predict broad areas where minerals might be.
“There are different recipes for minerals. Different suites of minerals form where the right “ingredients” come together to create a mineral deposit.” said Jane Hammarstrom, an emeritus USGS Geologist who worked on developing the Mineral Systems Map. “Mineral systems are areas with similar geologic characteristics and histories that might produce the same suite of minerals.”
In 2019, USGS scientists worked with State geological surveys to identify 23 mineral systems across the US that contain critical minerals. The map they produced is used to guide more focused mapping efforts through the Earth MRI. This mapping is accelerating USGS’ ability to conduct nation-wide assessments of critical mineral resources and may ultimately result in the discovery of new mineral resources.
The mineral systems map can also show decision makers where local economic opportunities might arise in their area, such as whether their area might contain minerals needed to manufacture advanced technologies. While more data collection is needed to determine whether these areas actually contain undiscovered mineral deposits, and whether those mineral deposits are economically feasible to produce, these maps help guide data collection and investments.
Minerals in Microchips?
Microchips translate electronic pulses into instructions for devices to follow. They are the foundation of electronics in our modern world, allowing our cell phones, computers and even planes and satellites to operate.
This map shows areas with the potential for key critical minerals needed for microchip manufacturing. It was made by identifying areas with the same mineral system as a location with a known deposit.
Minerals for Batteries?
High-capacity batteries are foundational to modern energy needs. They store energy for use in advanced consumer and defense technologies, and to power homes by renewable energy sources.
This map shows areas in the US with the potential for key minerals needed to manufacture high-capacity batteries.
Maps, Maps, Maps
USGS, through the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, has been exploring the 23 mineral systems outlined in the map, collecting geophysical, geochemical, geologic and topographic data to get a higher resolution picture of potential mineral resources. The Initiative has already led to the discovery of a previously unknown deposit of niobium and rare earth elements in Maine.
“These maps may be pragmatic tools in the hunt for domestic mineral resources, but they are also beautiful representations of the potential for resource discovery in the US.” said Dr. Colin Williams, program manager for the USGS Mineral Resources Program.
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