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Mineral Statistics and Commodity Information

Information on domestic and international supplies and uses of mineral commodities essential to the U.S. economy and to national security

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Critical Mineral Resources

Research and assessment activities for current information on the nation and world's critical mineral resources

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Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)

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Assessments of Undiscovered Mineral Resources

Our scientists study existing mineral deposits in order to understand where potential deposits may occur

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Mineral System Life Cycles

Studies to promote sustainable development and responsible stewardship of our natural resources

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Mineral Resources Program

The USGS Mineral Resources Program (MRP) delivers unbiased science and information to increase understanding of ore formation, undiscovered mineral resource potential, production, consumption, and how minerals interact with the environment. MRP supports data collection and research on a wide variety of non-fuel mineral resources that are important to the Nation’s economic and national security.

Mineral Statistics and Commodity Information

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Statistics and information on minerals and materials essential to the U.S. economy, the national security, and the flow of materials through production, supply chains, recycling and sustainability.

Minerals Information

Mineral Resources Online Spatial Data

Example GIS data layers

Interactive maps and downloadable data for regional and global geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and mineral resources.

USMIN Mineral Deposit Database

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Science Priorities

We study geologic processes that concentrate known mineral resources at specific localities in the Earth's crust, and assess quantities, qualities, and areas of undiscovered mineral resources, or potential future supply.

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News

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Biden-Harris Administration Invests Over $74 Million in Federal-State Partnership for Critical Minerals Mapping

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Everything Old is New Again

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USGS Participates in Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction

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Publications

Petrogenesis and rare earth element mineralization of the Elk Creek carbonatite, Nebraska, USA

Although carbonatites are the primary source of the world’s rare earth elements (REEs), the processes responsible for ore-grade REE enrichment in carbonatites are still poorly understood. In this study, we present a petrologic, geochemical, and isotopic evaluation of the Elk Creek carbonatite in southeast Nebraska to constrain the origin of REE mineralization. The Elk Creek carbonatite is a multil
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Surface parameters and bedrock properties covary across a mountainous watershed: Insights from machine learning and geophysics

Bedrock property quantification is critical for predicting the hydrological response of watersheds to climate disturbances. Estimating bedrock hydraulic properties over watershed scales is inherently difficult, particularly in fracture-dominated regions. Our analysis tests the covariability of above- and belowground features on a watershed scale, by linking borehole geophysical data, near-surface
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Geophysical imaging of the Yellowstone hydrothermal plumbing system

The nature of Yellowstone National Park’s plumbing system linking deep thermal fluids to its legendary thermal features is virtually unknown. The prevailing concepts of Yellowstone hydrology and chemistry are that fluids reside in reservoirs with unknown geometries, flow laterally from distal sources and emerge at the edges of lava flows. Here we present a high-resolution synoptic view of pathways
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
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Science

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2022 Post-Doctoral Fellow - Geophysical Techniques for Off-World Resource Surveys

USGS is partnering with NASA and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD) for Research and Engineering to increase capabilities in off-world resource surveying. We propose to explore the utility and feasibility of geophysical techniques to characterize potential resources in the near subsurface of the Moon and Mars, improving our ability to detect, map, and characterize in situ...
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Energy and Minerals, Mineral Resources Program, National Land Imaging Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, National Innovation Center
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2022 Post-Doctoral Fellow - Geophysical Techniques for Off-World Resource Surveys

USGS is partnering with NASA and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (OUSD) for Research and Engineering to increase capabilities in off-world resource surveying. We propose to explore the utility and feasibility of geophysical techniques to characterize potential resources in the near subsurface of the Moon and Mars, improving our ability to detect, map, and characterize in situ...
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geothermal springs

Integrated Hyperspectral, Geophysical and Geochemical Studies of Yellowstone National Park Hydrothermal Systems

We are researching the subsurface groundwater flow systems in Yellowstone and the relation of these systems to understanding the regional movement of water in a volcanic center. New geophysical data will be integrated with existing data sets from hyperspectral data from Yellowstone's thermal areas and thermal water geochemistry to help define regionally extensive mineral assemblages, the evolution...
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
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Integrated Hyperspectral, Geophysical and Geochemical Studies of Yellowstone National Park Hydrothermal Systems

We are researching the subsurface groundwater flow systems in Yellowstone and the relation of these systems to understanding the regional movement of water in a volcanic center. New geophysical data will be integrated with existing data sets from hyperspectral data from Yellowstone's thermal areas and thermal water geochemistry to help define regionally extensive mineral assemblages, the evolution...
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Mineral Resource Online Data Catalog

This project makes the digital spatial data produced by the Mineral Resources Program available via a web portal so that users can easily access spatial data for solving scientific and technical problems: the Mineral Resources Online Spatial Data site.
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center
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Mineral Resource Online Data Catalog

This project makes the digital spatial data produced by the Mineral Resources Program available via a web portal so that users can easily access spatial data for solving scientific and technical problems: the Mineral Resources Online Spatial Data site.
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