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Displaying 1 - 10 of a total of 47 Frequently Asked Questions

Rare earth elements include 17 elements: Yttrium, Scandium, and the Lanthanide Series. Image Credit: Peggy Greb, Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Are rare earth elements the only critical mineral resources?
U.S. Geological Survey
Oil derrick in the Williston Basin, North Dakota. Image Credit: Joshua Doubek, Licensed under Creative Commons, CC-BY-SA-3.0, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
Do we have enough oil worldwide to meet our future needs?
U.S. Energy Information Administration
A hydraulic fracturing operation is underway at this drilling pad in the Marcellus Shale gas play of southwestern Pennsylvania. Image Credit: USGS/Photo by Doug Duncan
Does hydraulic fracturing cause earthquakes?
U.S. Geological Survey
A hydraulic fracturing operation is underway at this drilling pad in the Marcellus Shale gas play of southwestern Pennsylvania. Image Credit: USGS/Photo by Doug Duncan
How and where is waste hydraulic fracturing fluid disposed?
U.S. Geological Survey
Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine, California. This mine dominated global rare earth element production from the 1960s to the 1980s. Although it still contains significant reserves, it closed in 2015 due to competition from China. Credit: Dan Cordier, USGS
How do we use rare earth elements?
U.S. Geological Survey
Students in a field studies course. Image credit: Jeniffer Perez, AGI Life in the Field 2017.
How does 3D geologic mapping benefit society?
Alberta Geological Survey
An old computer recycling farm in the Midwest. Image Credit: USGS/Photo by Carl Orazio.
How does recycling save energy?
American Geosciences Institute
Nuclear reactors and cooling towers at the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station south of Shickshinny, Pennsylvania. Image Credit: Nuclear Regulatory Commission
How many nuclear power plants are there in the U.S.?
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Satellite image of Hurricane Isabel. Image Credit: Jacques Descloitres, NASA
How might global warming change hurricane intensity, frequency, and rainfall?
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Illustration of the Frio Pilot carbon sequestration test; carbon dioxide compressed to a liquid will be pumped into a brine-saturated aquifer in the Frio Formation, a mile beneath the surface. Image Credit: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
How much carbon dioxide can the United States store underground via geologic sequestration?
U.S. Geological Survey

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Popular Frequently Asked Questions

Mt. St Helens following its catastrophic 1980 eruption. Image Credit: U.S. Geological Survey/Photo by Tom Casadevall
How many active volcanoes are there in the United States?
U.S. Geological Survey
Rare earth elements include 17 elements: Yttrium, Scandium, and the Lanthanide Series. Image Credit: Peggy Greb, Agricultural Research Service, USDA
What are rare earth elements, and why are they important?
U.S. Geological Survey
Mine trucks moving material from the Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mines in Colorado. Image Credit USGS/Photo by Yolanda Fong-Sam
What are the main methods of mining?
American Geosciences Institute
Total primary energy use in the United States in 2017 by source and sector. Image Credit: U.S. Energy Information Administration
What are the major sources and users of energy in the United States?
U.S. Energy Information Administration
An early example of a floating offshore wind turbine. Image Credit: NREL/Photo by Senu Sirnivas
What are the advantages and disadvantages of offshore wind farms?
American Geosciences Institute