Who do we partner with?
Our partnerships with State Geological Surveys have been a hallmark of this initiative. We also partner with other Federal agencies, Tribes, private industry, and universities.
Who do our partnerships benefit?
The Public
Through partnerships, we leverage both national-scale coordination and local expertise to maximize the impact and value of our data collection. All of our data are publicly available.
States
Our partnerships with State geological surveys are helping rebuild local geoscience workforces, spur stronger state and regional relationships, and unlock new science directions, skillsets and scientific approaches. As a result, states are gaining a better understanding of their resources and landscapes, enabling them to better plan their economic futures and manage natural resources.
Tribes and Local Communities
Our collaborations with Tribes and local communities allow us to tailor our data collection to better meet local needs, such as enhancing local understanding of groundwater or energy resources.
Land-managers
We partner with private- and public- land managers, collecting data that will be used to make decisions about how to manage resources beneath the ground.
Industry
Industries are already using our publicly-available data to better target exploration for mineral and energy resources. We have also combined forces with industry partners to accelerate our collection of publicly-available data in areas of shared interest.
Universities
Earth MRI partnerships support university research and workforce development. Earth MRI funding and data are supporting the education and professional development of graduate and undergraduate students across the United States.
Examples of Partnerships
- Earth MRI partnered with the Illinois Geological Survey to collect geochemical, geophysical and LiDAR data in the Hicks Dome area. These data have revealed potential rare earth element resources and led to more accurate resource estimates to inform whether production in the area might be economically feasible. This partnership has also nucleated collaborations between industries active in the area, academic institutions and industry labs.
- Earth MRI partnered with the Wyoming Geological Survey to collect geophysical data. Commitments from both the USGS and the state have greatly accelerated survey coverage of the state and has led to other partnerships with private industry interested in augmenting the survey areas and increasing data resolution.
- Earth MRI partnered with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community to enhance data collection around their reservation lands in the Great Lakes Region. Earth MRI is tailoring data collection to cover areas that will help improve local groundwater modelling.
- Earth MRI partnered with NASA to conduct the largest high-quality hyperspectral survey in the world. The partnership leveraged NASA capabilities and USGS expertise to map much of the Great Basin area and represents a major acceleration of data collection that will provide insights into the mineral, energy, soil and other natural resources of the region.
- Earth MRI partnered with company Rio Tinto to conduct geophysical surveys in potential mineral bearing areas of Montana. The partnership allowed Earth MRI to double its survey coverage in Montana.
- Earth MRI partnered with the Colorado School of Mines to use existing geologic mapping, geophysical data and AI to create better geologic
