Mineral Resources Program Projects

This project evaluated the petrology and metallogeny of rare earth element-mineralized 1.4 Ga intrusive systems at Mountain Pass and in the St. Francois Mountains relative to those of other, apparently, unmineralized 1.4 Ga intrusive systems in the conterminous U.S.

The USGS Mineral Resources Program completed a comprehensive assessment and inventory of potential mineral resources covering approximately10 million acres of federal and adjacent lands in Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Montana.

The project objective is to better understand the role fluids play in the formation of ore-grade rare earth element enrichment. In many rare earth element deposits, enrichment of rare earth elements is largely controlled by their transport in fluids (orthomagmatic, hydrothermal, groundwater). The project focuses on carbonatite-related deposits because these deposits are the world's primary source...

Project goals were to produce interpretive products based on the existing national-scale geochemical and mineralogical data and maps for soils of the conterminous U.S.

In 2012, this project initiated a multi-year effort to characterize domestic nonmetallic industrial mineral resources that are important for national infrastructure, agriculture, and energy development. Activities included (1) a national-scale compilation of production data, providing a snapshot of the nonmetallic industrial mineral deposits that were of significance through the 20th century and...

TThe USGS Denver Microbeam Laboratory provides critical analytical and characterization support for a wide variety of internal USGS projects and external collaborators. In addition, the lab continually works to develop new methods or improve existing methods to analyze a variety of sample matrices.

Project objectives were to improve the understanding of critical mineral enrichment in black shales and improve accuracy of resource assessments.

We sought to characterize the Dotson Zone heavy-rare earth element (HREE) enriched deposit at Bokan Mountain, Alaska, and conduct a parallel characterization and comparison of a less well-mineralized HREE analogue at Dora Bay, Alaska.

This multidisciplinary study seeks to image and characterize the mineral resource potential of the Midcontinent Rift System. Combining various geophysical methods with detailed mapping and geochemical analyses will help to define the geographic extent of the Rift and clarify its geologic makeup and configuration.

Rare-earth elements (REE) are an essential component of numerous advanced technology applications including high efficiency batteries, emerging energy technologies, and key defense systems. The goal of this study was to assist in the evaluation of the distribution of rare earth element deposits in the southeastern U.S., with a focus on sediment-hosted resources.

This project helped to streamline the workflow from geophysical data acquisition to data distribution, and additionally provided user support for integration and interpretation of these complex data sets. There were four main objectives: 1) contracting geophysical surveys, 2) converting data from analog to digital format, 3) archiving, retrieving, and integrating geophysical data, and 4) outreach.

Available geophysical data for Alaska have not been fully exploited. Project objectives were to conduct systematic analysis of existing gravity, aeromagnetic and airborne electromagnetic data to map geologic trends, structural geologic and tectonic patterns, and identify key lithologies for direct integration with geologic framework and mineral potential studies.

The USGS Airborne Geophysics for Rare Earth Element Deposits (AGREED) project coordinated with industry to use high resolution airborne geophysical data collected over some of the advanced rare earth element (REE) projects in the U.S. These data were analyzed, interpreted and modeled to generate an improved understanding of the geologic setting, framework, and ore genesis for REE deposits. In...

In 2004, the Mineral Resources Program introduced an External Research Program, which ran through 2014. This grant and/or cooperative agreement opportunity was available to universities, state agencies, industry, or other private sector organizations that had the ability to conduct research in topics that met the goals of the Mineral Resources Program.

Project objectives were to publish a map of the nation's geologic basement. The map portrayed these pieces (domains) from the most ancient to recent, by the events that influenced their composition, starting with their origin.

This project used the results of the USGS Global Mineral Resource Assessment project to illustrate how USGS provides science in support of policy and decision-making, and also maintained the project's data library.

This project developed a geochemical information base through studies ranging in scale from site-specific to regional and national.

In response to the growing demand for information on the global mineral-resource base, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed assessments for undiscovered resources of porphyry and sediment-hosted copper, platinum-group elements, and potash.

The Integrated Methods Development Project (IMDP) was an interdisciplinary project to develop tools and conduct research requiring integration of geologic, geophysical, geochemical, and remote-sensing expertise.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted an Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Initiative during the fiscal years 1997 through 2001 to provide technical assistance in support of Federal Land Management Agency (FLMA) actions to remediate contamination associated with abandoned hard rock mining activities. This initiative was part of a larger strategy by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S...

The Headwaters Province project provided geoscience data and interpretations to the Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMA) that were basic to sound policy and land-stewardship practices.