critical minerals

SME: Why Should the Government Care about Reinvestment in Mining and Engineering Schools

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Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration
Logo of the Society of Mining and Metallurgy Exploration, Inc. (SME)
The Society for Mining and Metallurgy Exploration, Inc. (SME) has posted a new Technical Briefing Paper on the website regarding Federal Support for U.S. Mining Schools. In it they provide background on the issue, outline reasons investment in these programs is valuable to the American public and provide options for action.

Which mineral commodities used in the United States need to be imported?

For many mineral commodities, the United States uses more than it produces. The balance between imports, exports, and use depends on many factors. These factors include resource availability, global economic markets, social and technological changes, production costs, resource demands, and trade agreements.1 Some minerals are more abundant or more cheaply produced in other countries. As a result, there are some mineral commodities that the U.S. does not produce domestically, making the country completely dependent on imports for these commodities.

Visualization of the mineral resources in everyday objects

The U.S. Geological Survey has produced a visualization entitled, "Mineral Resources...out of the ground...into our daily lives", which details the mineral resources used to produce everyday items that we use in our homes, on our person, and out in the world.

This visualization gives the major everyday uses for dozens of mineral resources, showing the huge diversity of materials needed to produce even the most basic or fundamental objects of our modern lives.

Click here to access the USGS visualization.

How do we use rare earth elements?

From the U.S. Geological Survey factsheet, "The Rare Earth Elements - Vital to Modern Technologies and lifestyles":

"Rare-earth elements (REEs) are used as components in high technology devices, including smart phones, digital cameras, computer hard disks, fluorescent and light-emitting-diode (LED) lights, flat screen televisions, computer monitors, and electronic displays. Large quantities of some REEs are used in clean energy and defense technologies."

Underpinning Innovation: The Science and Supply of America's Critical Minerals and Materials

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Background: Critical minerals and materials are key components of the innovation economy. Minerals are a part of almost every product we use on a daily basis, either as the raw materials for manufacturing processes or as the end products themselves. Advanced technologies for communications, clean energy, medical devices, and national security rely on raw materials from mines throughout the world. In 2010, China curtailed exports of rare earth metals and sparked major concern about the security of global supply chains for a range of vital minerals and materials.

Speakers highlight:

  • Research on locating and processing the minerals and materials that fuel cutting-edge technology and manufacturing across the United States
  • The role of information on the global supply of, demand for, and flow of minerals and materials in identifying critical minerals and supporting economic and strategic decision making.

Our speakers are:

Webinar Co-Sponsors:

American Chemical Society, American Exploration & Mining Association, American Physical Society, Critical Materials Institute, Geological Society of America, Industrial Minerals Association -North America, Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Society of Economic Geologists, U.S. Geological Survey

Resources to learn more:

Search the Geological Surveys Database for reports and factsheets about critical minerals.

Underpinning Innovation: Critical Minerals in the Context of Global Mineral Resources

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