Sign up for our Newsletter
Get geology, energy and minerals data and science updates in your inbox!
Get geology, energy and minerals data and science updates in your inbox!
Discover our Data
We lead the government in developing the List of Critical Minerals.
We provide detailed mapping and foundational data related to geology and mineral resources.
We assess energy and mineral resources, including in energy and mine wastes.
Minerals and American Energy: what's the connection and how is our science helping?
Geology, Energy, and Minerals Mission Area
We lead the Nation’s geologic mapping and provide impartial scientific information on geologic resources and their supply chains. Our work includes leading the development of the List of Critical Minerals, assessing domestic and foreign energy and mineral resources, and mapping areas with resource potential.
Our science informs key investments and crucial resource management decisions to support a strong, secure and sustained Nation.
Our Research Programs
Our Research Programs
Our Programs deliver actionable science about the Nation's geology and geologic resources.
Our Science
Our Science
Click on each topic below to learn about our science.
News
A Case Study for Radon as a Tracer of Seabed Minerals
A Case Study for Radon as a Tracer of Seabed Minerals
Media Alert: Low-level Flights to Image Geology over Eastern California
Media Alert: Low-level Flights to Image Geology over Eastern California
USGS Updates U.S. Critical Mineral Deposits
USGS Updates U.S. Critical Mineral Deposits
Publications
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the Niger Delta Province of Nigeria and Cameroon, 2026 Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the Niger Delta Province of Nigeria and Cameroon, 2026
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional resources of 11.4 billion barrels of oil and 88.2 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Niger Delta Province of Nigeria and Cameroon.
Trace element heterogeneity and crystallization history of the Plesovice zircon: Implications for its use as a U–Pb LA-ICP-MS reference material Trace element heterogeneity and crystallization history of the Plesovice zircon: Implications for its use as a U–Pb LA-ICP-MS reference material
Zircon crystals from Plešovice hyperpotassic granulite (HPG) have been widely used as a reference material for LA-ICP-MS dating. Detailed cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging and trace element analysis reveal a complex internal structure of Plešovice zircon linked to extreme chemical heterogeneity, which allows us to distinguish different zircon domains formed during its crystallization: (i)...
Effect of mineral deposit data on predictions from the three-part approach to quantitative mineral resource assessment—A study of 16 previous U.S. Geological Survey assessments Effect of mineral deposit data on predictions from the three-part approach to quantitative mineral resource assessment—A study of 16 previous U.S. Geological Survey assessments
The three-part approach to quantitative mineral resource assessment requires information about the properties of undiscovered mineral deposits in an assessment area. These properties are unknown, so the properties of discovered mineral deposits of the same mineral deposit type are used instead. In the three-part approach, these discovered mineral deposits come from around the world, and...