Images

USGS scientist J. Poletti examines a carbonatite dike in the wall of the Mountain Pass mine pit.

Fault mapping: George Pharris, an EDMAP student from New Mexico Tech, is digging a soil pit to date a surface offset of the Quaternary-active Alamogordo fault, in central New Mexico. 

The Geologic Map of the Bear Camp Gulch Quadrangle started out as an EDMAP project at Idaho State University. EDMAP student Andrew Yokel-Deliduka worked with the Idaho Geological Survey to publish the map and presented it at GSA Connects 2024 to win the Best Student Geologic Map Competition. The image used here is an excerpt from the original product. 

A USGS hat sits on a bed of black bear berry vegetation. This photo was taken in Kanuti, Alaska. 

A professor and EDMAP student confer about Quaternary surface mapping along the Alamogordo fault in central New Mexico. 

From a 2023 EDMAP project at NM Tech mapping Quaternary slip rate along the Alamogordo fault (New Mexico) using both remote sensing and field-based methods

USGS National Innovation Center UAS Research Center Saucer Shark Project, during flight tests, aeroshell. Saucer Shark on landing approach after completed mission. Just above the landing pad.

USGS National Innovation Center UAS Research Center Saucer Shark Project, during flight tests, drop release attached to USGS UAV. Aircraft sits on landing pad in-between test flights.

USGS National Innovation Center UAS Research Center (UASRC) Saucer Shark Project, during flight tests, fully assembled. Sub assemblies from top down: Drop Release, Sling and Sling Brace, Payload Aeroshell and Payload.​

Nāʻālehu Elementary School keiki explore different properties of rocks and minerals at the grand opening of the Honuworks Robotic Center. UH Hilo photo by Meghann Decker.

A map of the airborne geophysical survey area in the Medicine Mountains region of Wyoming

Maps showing parts of 23 mineral systems that could host critical mineral resources in the United States.  These areas are used to prioritize data collection and analysis by Earth MRI.

A view of the Boulder Mountains from US-12 west of Helena. These mountains lie at the north end of the Boulder Batholith.

NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) welcome the community to a series of Space Economy Workshops intended to coordinate the development of new technologies to detect and assess off-world mineral resources, as well as to discuss the challenges and opportunities for an off-world mineral resource economy. 

A typical survey airplane. The magnetic sensor is placed in an extension on the back of the airplane to reduce the impact of the airplane’s own magnetic field. 

Delta V Plus Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometer and peripherals that include two elemental analyzers, modified GasBench, and combiPAL.

This map shows the airborne geophysical survey area and planned flight paths across the Illinois River Basin in Illinois and northwest Indiana. Surveys will not occur directly above populated areas. Planned flight lines and survey progress can be found online. 

(USGS map) 

Geologic map overlaid on topography for the Mountain Pass region in California.

The anomaly at Pennington Mountain is visible in the geophysical data collected in aerial surveys conducted in 2021.

A fine-grained volcanic rock (trachyte) that hosts rare earth elements, niobium, and zirconium, all which are considered critical mineral resources. This rock was found on Pennington Mountain in Maine. Image courtesy of Chunzeng Wang, University of Maine-Presque Isle.

A Piper Navajo fixed-wing aircraft with rear facing stinger magnetometer. Credit: New-Sense Geophysics Limited 

USGS NIC UASRC Saucer Shark equipment marker showing the Saucer flying over trees, with a ‘I WANT TO BELIEVE’ phrase below it. ​