As Fall 2020 ends, here are a few highlights from the USGS Mineral Resources Program’s recent activities and publications.

Earth MRI FY2020 Projects

Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

The U.S. Geological Survey and the Association of American State Geologists funded new projects in 21 states with $7.97 million in fiscal year 2020 to improve the Nation’s mapping of shallow and deep geology. These projects are part of the USGS Mineral Resources Program’s Earth Mapping Resource Initiative.

CMMI

Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

Just as alloys make steel stronger, research allies make mineral science better. Geoscience Australia, the Geological Survey of Canada, and the USGS are coordinating their critical mineral mapping and research efforts to create a shared foundation of mineral information to help ensure a safe and secure supply of the materials needed for each country’s economy and security.

GeoDAWN Partnership

Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

Resource managers and policymakers will soon have a better idea of the potential for critical mineral and geothermal energy resources in western Nevada, thanks to a new multiagency partnership led by the USGS and the Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office. The effort will include airborne geophysical and lidar data collection, as well as geologic mapping and geochemical analysis of rock and brine samples.

Earth MRI Flights

Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.

When learning more about ancient rocks buried deep beneath the surface of the Earth, it may seem surprising to use futuristic technologies flown hundreds of feet in the air, but that has been central to the USGS Earth Mapping Resource Initiative. Recent flights include Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and South Carolina.

Recent Publications: 

• Technical overview of the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)
• International Geoscience Collaboration to Support Critical Mineral Discovery
• Focus Areas for Data Acquisition for Potential Domestic Resources of 11 Critical Minerals in the Conterminous United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico
• Focus Areas for Data Acquisition for Potential Domestic Resources of 11 Critical Minerals in Alaska
• Porphyry copper potential of the U.S. Southern Basin and Range using ASTER data integrated with geochemical and geologic datasets to assess potential near-surface deposits in well-explored permissive tracts

More USGS Mineral Resources Program Publications can be found here. 

Recent Data Releases: 

• Mineral Resource Database for Deposits Related to the Mesoproterozoic Midcontinent Rift System, United States and Canada
• Bayesian modeling of NURE airborne radiometric data for the conterminous United States: predictions and grids
• Mineralogical analyses of drill core samples from the Canyon uranium-copper deposit, a solution-collapse breccia pipe, Grand Canyon area, Coconino County, Arizona, USA
• U-Pb data for the Coles Hill uranium deposit, Virginia

More USGS Mineral Resources Program Data Releases can be found here. 

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