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Publications

Results from our Program’s research and minerals information activities are published in USGS publications series as well as in outside journals.  To follow Minerals Information Periodicals, subscribe to the Mineral Periodicals RSS feed.

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Minerals Information Publications

2019 MCS report cover

National Mineral Information Center (NMIC) products focus on the worldwide supply of, demand for, and flow of minerals and materials. These products are organized by mineral commodity, geographic area, or monthly/annual statistical compilation.

NMIC Publications

Product Collections

Product collections resulting from previous science activities and external research program grant final reports.

Select Mineral Resources Program (MRP) & Earth MRI Publications, Data Releases, and Webpages Digital Handout

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Select the USB image or button below to open a downloadable and printable handout in .pdf format. The handout provides a select listing of publications, data releases, and websites directly related to the MRP funded science priorities. 

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Filter Total Items: 2294

Fluorine

Fluorine compounds are essential in numerous chemical and manufacturing processes. Fluorspar is the commercial name for fluorite (isometric CaF2), which is the only fluorine mineral that is mined on a large scale. Fluorspar is used directly as a fluxing material and as an additive in different manufacturing processes. It is the source of fluorine in the production of hydrogen fluoride or hydrofluo
Authors
Timothy S. Hayes, M. Michael Miller, Greta J. Orris, Nadine M. Piatak
By
Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Germanium and indium

Germanium and indium are two important elements used in electronics devices, flat-panel display screens, light-emitting diodes, night vision devices, optical fiber, optical lens systems, and solar power arrays. Germanium and indium are treated together in this chapter because they have similar technological uses and because both are recovered as byproducts, mainly from copper and zinc sulfides.The
Authors
W.C. Pat Shanks, Bryn E. Kimball, Amy C. Tolcin, David E. Guberman
By
Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, National Minerals Information Center

Critical mineral resources of the United States—An introduction

Many changes have taken place in the mineral resource sector since the publication by the U.S. Geological Survey of Professional Paper 820, “United States Mineral Resources,” which is a review of the long-term United States resource position for 65 mineral commodities or commodity groups. For example, since 1973, the United States has continued to become increasingly dependent on imports to meet i
Authors
Klaus J. Schulz, John H. DeYoung, Robert R. Seal, Dwight Bradley
By
Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, National Minerals Information Center

Cobalt

Cobalt is a silvery gray metal that has diverse uses based on certain key properties, including ferromagnetism, hardness and wear-resistance when alloyed with other metals, low thermal and electrical conductivity, high melting point, multiple valences, and production of intense blue colors when combined with silica. Cobalt is used mostly in cathodes in rechargeable batteries and in superalloys for
Authors
John F. Slack, Bryn E. Kimball, Kim B. Shedd
By
Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, National Minerals Information Center

Vanadium

Vanadium is used primarily in the production of steel alloys; as a catalyst for the chemical industry; in the making of ceramics, glasses, and pigments; and in vanadium redox-flow batteries (VRBs) for large-scale storage of electricity. World vanadium resources in 2012 were estimated to be 63 million metric tons, which include about 14 million metric tons of reserves. The majority of the vanadium
Authors
Karen D. Kelley, Clint Scott, Désirée E. Polyak, Bryn E. Kimball
By
Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, National Minerals Information Center

Critical mineral resources of the United States—Economic and environmental geology and prospects for future supply

SummaryMineral commodities are vital for economic growth, improving the quality of life, providing for national defense, and the overall functioning of modern society. Minerals are being used in larger quantities than ever before and in an increasingly diverse range of applications. With the increasing demand for a considerably more diverse suite of mineral commodities has come renewed recognition

By
Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, National Minerals Information Center

Rare-earth elements

The rare-earth elements (REEs) are 15 elements that range in atomic number from 57 (lanthanum) to 71 (lutetium); they are commonly referred to as the “lanthanides.” Yttrium (atomic number 39) is also commonly regarded as an REE because it shares chemical and physical similarities and has affinities with the lanthanides. Although REEs are not rare in terms of average crustal abundance, the concentr
Authors
Bradley S. Van Gosen, Philip L. Verplanck, Robert R. Seal, Keith R. Long, Joseph Gambogi
By
Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, National Minerals Information Center

Rhenium

Rhenium is one of the rarest elements in Earth’s continental crust; its estimated average crustal abundance is less than 1 part per billion. Rhenium is a metal that has an extremely high melting point and a heat-stable crystalline structure. More than 80 percent of the rhenium consumed in the world is used in high-temperature superalloys, especially those used to make turbine blades for jet aircra
Authors
David John, Robert R. Seal, Désirée E. Polyak
By
Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Manganese

Manganese is an essential element for modern industrial societies. Its principal use is in steelmaking, where it serves as a purifying agent in iron-ore refining and as an alloy that converts iron into steel. Although the amount of manganese consumed to make a ton of steel is small, ranging from 6 to 9 kilograms, it is an irreplaceable component in the production of this fundamental material. The
Authors
William F. Cannon, Bryn E. Kimball, Lisa A. Corathers
By
Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, National Minerals Information Center

Niobium and tantalum

Niobium and tantalum are transition metals that are almost always found together in nature because they have very similar physical and chemical properties. Their properties of hardness, conductivity, and resistance to corrosion largely determine their primary uses today. The leading use of niobium (about 75 percent) is in the production of high-strength steel alloys used in pipelines, transportati
Authors
Klaus J. Schulz, Nadine M. Piatak, John F. Papp
By
Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

Gallium

Gallium is a soft, silvery metallic element with an atomic number of 31 and the chemical symbol Ga. Gallium is used in a wide variety of products that have microelectronic components containing either gallium arsenide (GaAs) or gallium nitride (GaN). GaAs is able to change electricity directly into laser light and is used in the manufacture of optoelectronic devices (laser diodes, light-emitting d
Authors
Nora K. Foley, Brian W. Jaskula, Bryn E. Kimball, Ruth F. Schulte
By
Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, National Minerals Information Center

Titanium

Titanium is a mineral commodity that is essential to the smooth functioning of modern industrial economies. Most of the titanium produced is refined into titanium dioxide, which has a high refractive index and is thus able to impart a durable white color to paint, paper, plastic, rubber, and wallboard. Because of their high strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance, titanium metal and tita
Authors
Laurel G. Woodruff, George M. Bedinger, Nadine M. Piatak
By
Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, National Minerals Information Center