We assess geologic energy resources.
We lead the government in developing the List of Critical Minerals.
We analyze global supply, demand and trade to strengthen mineral supply chains.
We study mine wastes across the Nation and their potential as a resource.
Energy and Mineral Resources Mission Area
We are the Nation’s primary source of impartial scientific information on geologic energy and mineral resources and their supply chains. We deliver actionable science that informs crucial resource management decisions and investments impacting the Nation.
Our Earth MRI initiative is mapping geology and mineral resources across the Nation. We also lead development of the List of Critical Minerals.
Meet our Research Programs
Meet our Research Programs
Our Programs deliver actionable science about the Nation's geologic resources.
Discover our Science
Discover our Science
Click on each topic below to learn about our science and its impact.
News
Interior Highlights Critical Mineral Prospectivity on the Seafloor
Interior Highlights Critical Mineral Prospectivity on the Seafloor
USGS releases assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Los Angeles Basin
USGS releases assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Los Angeles Basin
Low-level helicopter flights to image geology over Michigan and Wisconsin
Low-level helicopter flights to image geology over Michigan and Wisconsin
Publications
Statistical approaches for modeling correlated grade and tonnage distributions and applications for mineral resource assessments
Correlations between grade and tonnage exist in mineral resource data compiled from published reports, but they are not always addressed during quantitative assessment of undiscovered mineral resources. Failure to account for correlated grade and tonnage distributions can result in geologically unrealistic assessment results. Current software tools simulate univariate ore tonnage and...
Critical Minerals in Ores (CMiO) database
Critical minerals are commodities essential to modern industrial and strategic technologies and are highly vulnerable to supply chain disruption. The Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative (CMMI) is a collaboration among the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Geological Survey of Canada, and Geoscience Australia that aims to deepen global understanding of where critical minerals are...
Tungsten skarn quantitative mineral resource assessment and gold, rare earth elements, graphite, and uranium qualitative assessments of the Kuldjuktau and Auminzatau Ranges, in the central Kyzylkum region, Uzbekistan
A new quantitative mineral resource assessment for tungsten skarn was conducted for the Auminzatau and Kuldjuktau mountain ranges in Central Uzbekistan, along with qualitative assessments of orogenic gold, rare earth elements (REEs), amorphous graphite, and uranium. By integrating a variety of geological, geochemical, geophysical, and remote sensing data sets, estimates of undiscovered...