Images

Mineral Supply Risk Analysis for the 2022 List of Critical Minerals

The USGS leads the government in developing the List of Critical Minerals, using a data-driven methodology to assess mineral supply risk.

Critical minerals are essential the Nation’s economy and security, and have supply chains vulnerable to disruption. 

Map showing the 23 mineral systems identified by the Mineral Resources Program and Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)

Map showing Earth MRI data acquisitions from 2019-2021. See all acquisitions here. 

Map showing Earth MRI data acquisitions from select years. See all acquisitions here. 

Map showing Earth MRI data acquisitions from select years. See all acquisitions here. 

Map showing areas within the 23 mineral systems identified by the Mineral Resources Program and Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI).

Pie chart showing relative amounts of copper produced by leading copper producing states in the U.S. in 2019 (derived from data in Flanagan, D.M., 2019, Copper, in Metals and minerals: U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook 2019, v. 1, p. 20.1-20.30.

Global map showing locations of porphyry copper deposits from John, D.A., Ayuso, R.A., Barton, M.D., Blakely, R.J., Bodnar, R.J., Dilles, J.H., Gray, Floyd, Graybeal, F.T., Mars, J.C., McPhee, D.K., Seal, R.R., Taylor, R.D., and Vikre, P.G., 2010, Porphyry copper deposit model, chap. B of Mineral deposit models for resource assessment: U.S.

Photograph of Ray Copper Mine, Arizona, taken by USGS Emeritus Mark Coker, September 1, 2007. Revised for USGS Webpage carousel for brightness, sharpness, contrast, color saturation, and cropping.

Pie chart showing copper production in leading copper producing U.S. states in 2020 by Eric Anderson of the Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, August 2024

Infographic about critical mineral commodities use in renewable energy, published online by the USGS Office of Communications and Publishing in June 2019.

Schematic diagram of water flow through a conventional copper-ore flotation plant and unlined tailings storage facility illustrating water losses (in italics), reclamation of process water, and addition of makeup water.

Table of annual water use in acre-feet per year by major copper mines in Arizona from 2004-2008 published by Singh (2010)

Graph showing electricity generated by hydropower, wind, solar, bioenergy, and geothermal renewable energy sources in the U.S. from 2000-2020

Map showing locations of copper producing mines in the Lower Colorado River Basin, produced by Eric Anderson of the Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center on August 19, 2024.

This map shows, in green, areas that are part of Mineral Systems identified by the USGS. These mineral systems are used to create focus areas for mapping through the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI). 

This infographic shows some of the natural resources that the USGS Energy Resources Program studies, including oil and gas, geothermal, geologic hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide, wind, solar, coal, gas hydrates, uranium and water resources. 

This image shows a 3d visualization of geophysical data collected over the Idaho Cobalt Belt by the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI). 

World map of expected annual disruption of copper refinery production, in metric tons, from potential seismic activity.

This image depicts the magnetic anomaly map of the region covered by the Southwest New Mexico aeromagnetic/aeroradiometric survey. These data allow us to model the subsurface structure and composition of the upper crust.

Infographic on USGS critical mineral supply chain analysis. 

Minerals are essential to power homes and businesses and to manufacture products and technologies, from phones to vehicles.