Mineral Resources Program Projects

Critical minerals have been identified in most Alaskan placers, yet little is known about the concentration of these phases. Historic and active placer mines have typically produced gold and are widespread across Alaska. Activity in the placer districts has resulted in gravel piles and sluice tailings that are products of gold mining. Gold has been the traditional target of placer mining; however...

The USGS, in combination with Geoscience Australia and the Geological Survey of Canada, formed the Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative (CMMI) in 2019 to combine expertise and collaboratively conduct research on critical mineral resources.

The project focuses on the development of novel geophysical techniques that improve our ability to understand Earth's subsurface, with broad relevance to the Mineral Resources Program and the USGS Science Strategy. Our goal is to develop and maintain state-of-the art geophysical capabilities that support the diverse science needs of USGS projects that aim to meet the challenges of the 21st century...

The Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF) site provides descriptions of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences for individual U.S. Geological Survey 1:250,000-scale quadrangles in Alaska.

In January 2016, the U.S. Geological Survey released the first ever digital geologic map of Alaska. This map reflects more than a century of work and provides a visual context for the abundant mineral and energy resources found throughout the state. The map also is available to use in three different formats: a professional GIS database, a public interactive version via a web browser, and an...

This project provides Mineral Resources Program scientists with access to state-of-the-art analytical laboratories and expertise to advance the Program mission. The project also develops new analytical techniques and methodologies to improve data quality and geological interpretations for USGS scientists.

This project supports the USGS argon geochronology laboratory in Denver. The USGS 40Ar/39Ar geochronology laboratory is a state-of-the-art research facility for determining absolute ages of minerals and rocks. The 40Ar/39Ar laboratory contributes critical geochronology to individual USGS research projects and to partners in academia and other Federal agencies. This laboratory develops methodology...

Critical minerals are essential to the Nation’s economy and security. Demand for critical minerals is increasing, and it is essential to balance the societal need for these minerals with efforts to understand the effects of mining on other natural resources and to develop techniques to minimize these effects. The USGS Minerals Resources Life Cycle Integrated Science Team (IST) focuses on the life...

Interest in revitalizing domestic production of critical minerals and continued interest in reclamation of legacy mine sites have raised the question of whether above-ground materials at mine sites in Alaska may be reprocessed to recover critical minerals. The goal of this study is to implement a multi-resource integrated assessment (MRIA) approach to evaluate benefit and risk scenarios within and...

We provide GIS and database support for Alaska-based research projects, including database design, data capture, and maintenance, GIS analysis and display, and production of datasets and metadata for publication and data releases.

The Project objective is to facilitate the full potential of stable isotope (C,H,N,O,S), noble gas isotope (He, Ar, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe), active gas geochemistry (CO2, H2S, SO2, CH4, HF, HCl, N2, H2, organics, light hydrocarbons), and solute geochemistry measurements of minerals and fluids (including single fluid inclusions) in multidisciplinary studies of fundamental processes that affect mineral...

Mine wastes can be a hazard – and a potential source of minerals. We study both active and legacy mining to understand the impac­t that mining has on other natural resources and to explore the potential for reusing mine wastes as a resource.

Mineral supply chains are complex, constantly changing, and global in scale. Decision-makers rely on our mineral supply chain science to make sense of these complicated systems and make strategic policy, trade and land-use decisions.

This project supports the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (EarthMRI) by developing a mineral systems approach for defining focus areas. This project is investigating domestic sources of critical minerals in three sequential stages: inventory, research, and assessment. 1) Inventory the abundance of critical minerals in ore, minerals, and processed materials from major deposits in each system...

We support the geospatial component of Mineral Resources Program research and provide public access to research results and geospatial information. We facilitate all aspects of the data life cycle, including the publication and archiving of geospatial information and products. We also develop and steward national-scale data layers considered foundational to the Mineral Resources Program as well as...

Our objective is to provide a strategic framework for planning, coordination, and execution of the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) in Alaska. Earth MRI aims to improve knowledge of the U.S. geologic framework through new geological and geophysical mapping and to identify areas that have the potential to contain undiscovered critical mineral resources.

Critical minerals are essential to the U.S. economy and national security, have a supply chain that is vulnerable to disruption, and serve an essential function in the manufacturing of many products. Often, critical minerals are found as co- or by-products in deposits mined for precious or base metals.

Ultramafic lands are geologically and ecologically diverse areas that host naturally elevated concentrations of chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and scandium (Sc). While Cr is a potential carcinogen, Co, Mn, Ni, and Sc are considered critical minerals in the United States owing to their importance in current electric battery formulations. The research conducted...

Reliance on imports for many critical mineral commodities (including rare earth elements) puts the U.S. at high risk for supply disruption. Undiscovered deposits of some of these critical and strategic minerals undoubtedly exist in the United States, but a lack of modern geological, geophysical, and topographic data makes exploration challenging. This project plans to improve our knowledge of the...

The objective of this project is to provide targeted research results to benefit cooperators managing legacy mine land sites in the western U.S. by addressing three persistent scientific challenges: (1) determining the contribution of mining-related metal sources to water quality degradation when substantial natural background metal sources are also present; (2) adequately characterizing key...

The National Geochemical Database project assembles, reformats, corrects, and archives historical data obtained from the geochemical analysis of millions of geologic samples collected for USGS studies. These data, representing hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of USGS research, are provided to USGS researchers; other Federal agencies; State Geological Surveys and Environmental Protection...