Images

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. 

USGS National Innovation Center UAS Research Center Saucer Shark Project, before science flight tests, Aeroshell and payload. Sling configuration and payload orientation verified before science flight deployment. Payload is on and ready to record!

USGS National Innovation Center UAS Research Center Saucer Shark Project, BisonCore displays the path of the sensor live, as it covers transects. Data received from the payload is then displayed within the BisonCore Ecosystem and is accessible for field viewing. The magnetic map is also used to validate payload directed algorithms.

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

Mineral Resources Program (MRP) Digital Copy of Publications and Websites list USB with USGS VID. 

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. 

Prospect- and Mine-Related Features from U.S. Geological Survey 7.5- and 15-Minute Topographic Quadrangle Maps of the US

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. ​

An AS350 helicopter with forward facing stinger magnetometer. Credit: New-Sense Geophysics Limited 

Airborne geophysical surveys make use of a boom with sensitive equipment installed on small aircraft.