Images

The life cycle of molybdenum, from primary material to downstream products.

NASA’s ER‑2 high‑altitude research aircraft touches down in Colorado Springs May 11, 2026, after completing a hyperspectral survey flight for the joint USGS–NASA effort to map critical minerals across the western United States.

Graph of U.S. production (in millions of metric tons) of materials from 1900 to 2020, adapted from Materials flow in the United States—A global context, 1900–2020. 

Infographic flowchart summarizing the USGS methodology for technical input to the 2025 List of Critical Minerals. The full methodology is found here: Methodology and technical input for the 2025 U.S.

Mine wastes are produced at each stage of mineral production - mine wastes that can contain critical and other minerals, and could potentially be reprocessed. This infographic shows three kinds of mine wastes produced during mineral production, and a sense of scale of how much waste is produced:

USGS Mineral Resources Program coloring page for cassiterite and the critical mineral tin.

The mineral cassiterite, chemical formula SnO₂, is the most important mineral source for the critical mineral tin. Fun facts: tin is one of the earliest metals used by humans! The chemical symbol for tin, Sn, comes from its Latin name, stannum.

USGS Mineral Resources Program color by number for the critical mineral graphite.

USGS Mineral Resources Program coloring page for the mineral galena and the critical mineral lead.

USGS Mineral Resources Program Critical Mineral Word Scramble Puzzle: Tantalum

Critical Mineral Crossword Puzzle: Manganese

Manganese is listed as a "critical mineral". Learn about where we get manganese and how we use it by solving the crossword puzzle clues!

More information:

USGS Mineral Resources Program coloring page for the critical mineral barite.

Barite, chemical formula BaSO₄, is a critical mineral. Fun fact: barite is one of the heaviest minerals that isn't a metal.

Critical Mineral Crossword Puzzle: Rhenium.

Rhenium is listed as "critical mineral". Learn about where we get rhenium and how we use it by solving the crossword puzzle clues!

More information

False color phase map of host breccia sample from Hicks Dome, Illinois. Image includes the phases of: pyrite, fluorite, quartz, barite-celestite, brookite-anatase, fluorapatite, illite, and dolomite-calcite with Mg-enrichment.

2025 List of Critical Minerals

The 2025 List of Critical Minerals includes 60 critical minerals. 50 of these were also included on the 2022 List of Critical Minerals, and 10 are new. There are 15 rare earth elements included on the List. 

The List of Critical Minerals Informs: 

• Supply chain risk mitigation 

• Federal policy and strategy 

• Stockpiles 

• Permitting Processes 

Map showing locations of placer mines in the Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF, red crosses), primary mineral districts that contain targeted critical minerals (black boxes) and locations that were sampled by the USGS in 2022 through 2024 (yellow stars).

Critical Minerals Coloring Sheet: lepidolite

The critical mineral lithium is sourced from lithium brines, spodumene (LiAlSi₂O₆), petalite (LiAlSi₄O₁₀), and lepidolite (a Li-rich mica). Fun fact: lithium is the lightest metal!

Key Minerals in Data Centers

Map of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and nearby areas of Northern Wisconsin, with areas of overflights shaded in yellow (Wisconsin) and green (Michigan).

Mineral Commodities with Net Import Reliance on China

USGS collects the Nation’s data on the global production, supply, demand and trade of minerals to inform strategic policy, trade and land-use decisions.

Gallium is used in gallium arsenide and gallium nitride compound semiconductors. There is additional production capacity for gallium outside China with the potential to produce gallium in Germany, Kazakhstan and South Korea in response to China’s gallium export ban to the U.S.