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.
Geology, Energy, and Minerals 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
USGS releases assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources under Santa Barbara County, California
USGS releases assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources under Santa Barbara County, California
Media Alert: Low-level airplane flights to scan geology over parts of four Midwestern states
Media Alert: Low-level airplane flights to scan geology over parts of four Midwestern states
Interior Department releases final 2025 List of Critical Minerals
Interior Department releases final 2025 List of Critical Minerals
Publications
Quantitative mineral resource assessment of lithium pegmatite deposits in the Appalachian Orogen, USA Quantitative mineral resource assessment of lithium pegmatite deposits in the Appalachian Orogen, USA
Lithium is classified as a U.S. critical mineral commodity, and its demand is projected to drastically increase through 2040, driven by electric vehicle production and energy storage applications (IEA 2021).Most global lithium production is not in the United States increasing vulnerability to a supply disruption. The U.S. Geological Survey is actively assessing domestic lithium deposits...
Petrogenesis and mineralization potential of the Bradley Peak komatiitic basalts, Wyoming Province Petrogenesis and mineralization potential of the Bradley Peak komatiitic basalts, Wyoming Province
The ca. 2.72 Ga Bradley Peak greenstone terrane in the Wyoming Province contains spinifex- and cumulate-textured komatiitic volcanic rocks that may host Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide mineralization. New whole rock geochemistry classifies these rocks as Al-undepleted komatiitic basalts derived from a parental melt with ~17 wt. % MgO. Isotopic data (Sm-Nd, Re-Os) and REE profiles suggest a plume...
Gravity and magnetic surveys of the Skaergaard intrusion, East Greenland Gravity and magnetic surveys of the Skaergaard intrusion, East Greenland
Aeromagnetic and gravity surveys of the Skaergaard intrusion in East Greenland were carried out in July–August 1971 as part of a grant to the University of Oregon Center for Volcanology to refine the models of crystallization and differentiation of the intrusion, specifically to test whether the intrusion is underlain by dense rocks of a reservoir 20 kilometers (km) thick (referred to as...