Minerals 101
Mineral Resources at the USGS
What is the USGS studying with regards to mineral resources?
How are Minerals Used?
Mineral commodities are starting ingredients in just about every aspect of our lives, from our smartphones to our roads to our homes and even our food.
Mineral Frontiers
The USGS is at the forefront of finding new sources of critical minerals.
Want to know more about minerals? Minerals contribute to industry, national security, and the economy. Keep reading to learn what minerals are and how the USGS studies them.
What’s the difference between a mineral and a rock? Here is how the USGS defines each:
A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic element or compound having an orderly internal structure and characteristic chemical composition, crystal form, and physical properties. Common minerals include quartz, feldspar, mica, amphibole, olivine, and calcite. For answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about minerals, check out our FAQs on Minerals.
A rock is an aggregate of one or more minerals, or a body of undifferentiated mineral matter. Common rocks include granite, basalt, limestone, and sandstone.
Essentially, rocks are made up of minerals. Science plays an essential role in helping people understand minerals, locate deposits, and anticipate future demands.
Now that you know about rocks and minerals, explore the slideshow below to learn about crystals and ores, and how they relate to each other.
Walkthrough of Rocks to Minerals to Ores
Additional Examples of USGS Contributions to Mineral Research
Marine Minerals
Planetary Minerals
Minerals and Environment
Science
USMIN Mineral Deposit Database
Global Marine Mineral Resources
Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)
Critical Mineral Recovery Potential from Tailings and Other Mine Waste Streams
USMIN Mineral Deposit Database
Global Marine Mineral Resources
Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)
Critical Mineral Recovery Potential from Tailings and Other Mine Waste Streams
What is the difference between a rock and a mineral?
A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic element or compound having an orderly internal structure and characteristic chemical composition, crystal form, and physical properties. Common minerals include quartz, feldspar, mica, amphibole, olivine, and calcite. A rock is an aggregate of one or more minerals, or a body of undifferentiated mineral matter. Common rocks include granite, basalt...
What minerals produce the colors in fireworks?
Mineral elements provide the color in fireworks. Additional colors can be made by mixing elements: Color Produced Element(s) Primary mineral ore(s) bright greens barium barite deep reds strontium celestite blues copper chalcopyrite yellows sodium halite (rock salt) brilliant orange strontium + sodium celestite, halite silvery white titanium + zirconium + magnesium alloys ilmenite, rutile, zircon...
How many pounds of minerals are required by the average person in a year?
To maintain our standard of living, each person in the United States requires over 40,630 pounds of minerals each year: 10, 765 pounds of stone 7,254 pounds of sand and gravel 685 pounds of cement 148 pounds of clays 383 pounds of salt 275 pounds of iron ore 168 pounds of phosphate rock 35 pounds of soda ash 34 pounds of aluminum 12 pounds of copper 11 pounds of lead 6 pounds of zinc 5 pounds of...
Where can I find information about mineral commodities?
For statistical information about mineral commodities, visit the USGS Commodity Statistics and Information website. For locations outside the United States, USGS International Minerals Statistics and Information is the best starting point.
What is a critical mineral?
The Energy Act of 2020 defined critical minerals as those that are essential to the economic or national security of the United States; have a supply chain that is vulnerable to disruption; and serve an essential function in the manufacturing of a product, the absence of which would have significant consequences for the economic or national security of the U.S. The act further specified that...
Want to know more about minerals? Minerals contribute to industry, national security, and the economy. Keep reading to learn what minerals are and how the USGS studies them.
What’s the difference between a mineral and a rock? Here is how the USGS defines each:
A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic element or compound having an orderly internal structure and characteristic chemical composition, crystal form, and physical properties. Common minerals include quartz, feldspar, mica, amphibole, olivine, and calcite. For answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about minerals, check out our FAQs on Minerals.
A rock is an aggregate of one or more minerals, or a body of undifferentiated mineral matter. Common rocks include granite, basalt, limestone, and sandstone.
Essentially, rocks are made up of minerals. Science plays an essential role in helping people understand minerals, locate deposits, and anticipate future demands.
Now that you know about rocks and minerals, explore the slideshow below to learn about crystals and ores, and how they relate to each other.
Walkthrough of Rocks to Minerals to Ores
Additional Examples of USGS Contributions to Mineral Research
Marine Minerals
Planetary Minerals
Minerals and Environment
Science
USMIN Mineral Deposit Database
Global Marine Mineral Resources
Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)
Critical Mineral Recovery Potential from Tailings and Other Mine Waste Streams
USMIN Mineral Deposit Database
Global Marine Mineral Resources
Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)
Critical Mineral Recovery Potential from Tailings and Other Mine Waste Streams
What is the difference between a rock and a mineral?
A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic element or compound having an orderly internal structure and characteristic chemical composition, crystal form, and physical properties. Common minerals include quartz, feldspar, mica, amphibole, olivine, and calcite. A rock is an aggregate of one or more minerals, or a body of undifferentiated mineral matter. Common rocks include granite, basalt...
What minerals produce the colors in fireworks?
Mineral elements provide the color in fireworks. Additional colors can be made by mixing elements: Color Produced Element(s) Primary mineral ore(s) bright greens barium barite deep reds strontium celestite blues copper chalcopyrite yellows sodium halite (rock salt) brilliant orange strontium + sodium celestite, halite silvery white titanium + zirconium + magnesium alloys ilmenite, rutile, zircon...
How many pounds of minerals are required by the average person in a year?
To maintain our standard of living, each person in the United States requires over 40,630 pounds of minerals each year: 10, 765 pounds of stone 7,254 pounds of sand and gravel 685 pounds of cement 148 pounds of clays 383 pounds of salt 275 pounds of iron ore 168 pounds of phosphate rock 35 pounds of soda ash 34 pounds of aluminum 12 pounds of copper 11 pounds of lead 6 pounds of zinc 5 pounds of...
Where can I find information about mineral commodities?
For statistical information about mineral commodities, visit the USGS Commodity Statistics and Information website. For locations outside the United States, USGS International Minerals Statistics and Information is the best starting point.
What is a critical mineral?
The Energy Act of 2020 defined critical minerals as those that are essential to the economic or national security of the United States; have a supply chain that is vulnerable to disruption; and serve an essential function in the manufacturing of a product, the absence of which would have significant consequences for the economic or national security of the U.S. The act further specified that...