Meeting Future U.S. Mineral Resource Needs: The Role of the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Resources Program (2025)
Chapter: 3 Context and Overview of the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Resources Program
3
Context and Overview of the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Resources Program
U.S. FEDERAL ACTIVITIES RELATED TO MINERAL RESOURCES
The role of a federal government in the minerals sector is multifaceted and complex. It understandably and inevitably varies among countries, reflecting differences in the role of minerals in a national economy, the balance between federal and state (or regional) governmental responsibilities, and the philosophy about government’s role in an economy.
Government’s role typically includes, among other activities, collecting and providing scientific and technical data and analysis; supporting research and development; developing and administering land-use and environmental regulations, including requirements for post-mining rehabilitation; developing and administering legal and commercial codes for mineral exploration, mine development, and mining; developing tax and fiscal rules for mining; and facilitating input from nongovernmental entities for decision making about mineral development. Some of these governmental activities are developed largely with other purposes in mind (e.g., rules governing business activities or environmental rules for air quality). Others focus narrowly and directly on mineral exploration, mine development, and mining (e.g., rules governing post-mining land rehabilitation).
In the United States, no single overarching federal policy on minerals and mineral resources exists. Rather, mineral policy represents the aggregation of policies and regulations governing business activities generally, land use, environmental protection, worker health and safety, and other features of the economy. Responsibilities are spread across several agencies and offices that have a stated or authorized interest in or responsibility for minerals-related activities. Within the Department of the Interior alone, in addition to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), are the Bureau of Land Management, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Bureau of Indian
Affairs, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, and Fish and Wildlife Service who all play a role in mineral resource related activities.
Other key federal agencies that have minerals-related activities include the Departments of State, Energy, Defense, Agriculture (U.S. Forest Service), Treasury, and Labor as well as the Environmental Protection Agency. The White House issues executive orders related to minerals; White House offices engaged in minerals include the National Security Council, National Economic Council, Office of Management and Budget, Office of Science and Technology Policy, National Science and Technology Council, Council on Environmental Quality, and Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council. All of these agencies and their respective subsidiary offices have different roles in fulfilling the overarching federal responsibility for minerals.
Some of these entities have regulatory authority over mineral activities (e.g., the Environmental Protection Agency, Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, and U.S. Forest Service). Others focus on the collection and dissemination of mineral science data and information that inform both public and private decisions (e.g., National Science Foundation and Department of Energy). Still others fund activities and programs directed toward economic development and strategic or national interests.
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SERVICES MINERAL RESOURCES PROGRAM
The USGS was created by an act of Congress in 1879. Today, the USGS represents the science arm of the Department of the Interior and “brings an array of earth, water, biological, and mapping data and expertise to bear in support of decision-making on environmental, resource, and public safety issues.” The vision of the USGS is to “[l]ead the Nation in 21st-century integrated research, assessments, and prediction of natural resources and processes to meet society’s needs.” And its mission is to “monitor, analyze, and predict current and evolving Earth-system interactions and deliver actionable information at scales and timeframes relevant to decision makers.” 1
The USGS is divided into mission areas including Energy and Mineral Resources, Core Science Systems, Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, and Water Resources. The Mineral Resources Program (MRP) falls under the Energy and Mineral Resources Mission Area, which also houses the Energy Resources Program. MRP defines its mission as follows:
Our mission is to provide impartial scientific information on mineral resources and their supply chains. We work with federal, state, tribal, and private industry partners to deliver actionable science.2
The MRP mission statement is expanded upon as follows to provide more detail:
As the Mineral Resources Program, we study the full life cycle and supply chains of non-fuel mineral resources, from occurrence through extraction, use, disposal and recycling. We provide objective, credible, and reliable scientific information on the origin,
___________________
1 See https://www.usgs.gov/about/about-us/who-we-are, accessed April 7, 2025.
2 See https://www.usgs.gov/programs/mineral-resources-program/about, accessed April 7, 2025.
distribution, quantity, and quality of mineral resources, assess mineral potential, inform the Nation on global mineral supply-demand and materials flows, and characterize the environmental impact of development.2
MRP implements its mission through wide-ranging research activities and data collection on nonfuel mineral resources. Research areas range from basic research on fundamental physical and chemical processes related to mineral deposits to more applied and user-inspired research with an emphasis on mineral deposit discovery:
We study geologic processes that form known mineral resources at specific areas in the Earth’s crust; assess potential future mineral resource supply; characterize ore deposits by host geology, chemistry, mineralogy, environmental impacts; and compile data on production, consumption, and the sustainability of supply chains.3
Within the broad federal landscape, MRP is principally a science and information entity. It does not advocate either for or against mineral development; instead, its role is to inform decision making in both the public and private sectors. The USGS is not a regulatory entity, although USGS and MRP expertise can be solicited by regulatory agencies.
MRP activities fall into three areas. The first is mineral information and supply chain analysis, which includes compiling and analyzing U.S. and global data on production, consumption, international trade, and other aspects of mineral and metal markets through the National Minerals Information Center (NMIC). Approximately 40% of MRP-funded staff hours are spent on this activity. As part of this activity, NMIC compiles and analyzes information on material flows, develops future scenarios of mineral production and use, and develops the National List of Critical Minerals every 3 years (pursuant to the Energy Act of 2020).
The second area of MRP activity is mineral resource research and assessments, with the goals of understanding mineral systems and deposits, understanding the effects of mineral development, and developing quantitative (probabilistic) assessments of potential undiscovered mineral resources. The area of mineral resource research and assessments represents about 45% of MRP-funded staff hours. The research part of this program area is broad and includes mineral resources research, on various topics, that is proposed by scientific staff, funded by internal competition, and published mainly in academic journals and USGS reports. The assessments part of this program area focuses on estimating mineral resource potential. Activities may be funded internally or externally by agency partners requesting decision support for land management or other purposes. This program area has an emerging activity using methods from artificial intelligence to improve the speed and accuracy of the mineral resource assessments.
The third area is the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI), which started in 2019 in partnership with state geological surveys and represents about 15% of MRP-funded staff hours. It produces geochemical and geophysical data, geologic mapping, and synthesis for understanding the nation’s geologic framework and mineral resources,
___________________
2 See https://www.usgs.gov/programs/mineral-resources-program/about, accessed April 7, 2025.
3 See https://www.usgs.gov/programs/mineral-resources-program/science, accessed April 7, 2025.
including mineral resources still in the ground as well as aboveground resources in mine wastes and other waste streams. Since its inception, Earth MRI developed a vision, established important partnerships, and engaged private-sector contractors to rapidly collect and process its geoscientific information. Projects are undertaken jointly with state geological surveys to acquire geological, geochemical, and geophysical datasets. The information collected includes modern lidar; airborne magnetic, electromagnetic, and radiometric data; hyperspectral surveys; field mapping; and geochemical surveys.
Common to these three areas are support activities as well as education and outreach efforts. While specific activities for each stakeholder group are detailed in Chapter 7, support activities include laboratories that provide geochemical, mineralogical, and geophysical data to help characterize and improve understanding of mineral resources and materials. Diverse techniques and method development support MRP’s research and provide data to other land-management agencies and the public. Comprehensive data storage and digital delivery systems provide mineral resources and related data to USGS scientists and the general public. Education and outreach activities include publication of fact sheets4 on selected commodities. These fact sheets teach about commodities and the important role each one plays in the national economy, national security, and American lives every day. Related educational products include posters, teachers’ guides and other materials that are used in K–12 education to emphasize the vital role that minerals play in our everyday lives.
Finally, MRP products include the following:
- Precompetitive datasets about mineral resources, including mineral assessments, maps, and geophysical and geochemical data. MRP data repositories contain a wide range of geospatial data about geology and mineral resources.
- Mineral-related maps, including maps for mineral resource potential assessments, geologic map data, soil geochemical maps and hyperspectral surface materials maps. In addition to other technical maps, story maps are used to engage the public in the interesting science that is being conducted in MRP.
- Data about the production, use, supply chains, and the supply-chain risks of mineral commodities.
- Peer-reviewed publications.
___________________
4 See, for example, https://www.usgs.gov/programs/mineral-resources-program/information-graphics-and-fact-sheets, accessed April 7, 2025.
