Cover of New Mexico Earth Matters Summer 2016 with pictures of the New Mexico desert and faceted gemstones

The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources Summer 2016 issue of "New Mexico Earth Matters" is now available and features a story about the gemstones of New Mexico and the varying geological deposits they came from.

Interactive map of mines in Colorado

The Colorado Division of Reclamation Mining and Safety's AUGER map provides information on active and historic mines in Colorado. The interactive map shows:

USGS Spatial Database for a Global Assessment of Undiscovered Copper Resources

What minerals are used in fireworks?

Every Fourth of July, hundreds of millions of pounds of fireworks are set off across the United States. The bang, flash, sparkle, and colors of fireworks all come from specific minerals,^1,2 which come from all over the United States and the rest of the world.

Geoscience Society SME Advocates for SEC Rule Change

Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration

DOE awards $4 million in R&D projects to recover critical materials from geothermal fluids

The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $4 million to 4 R&D projects at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Washington, the University of Utah, and the University of Wyoming.

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.

Interactive map of Vermont's geology and natural resources

The Vermont Center for Geographic Information's VT Interactive Map Viewer provides a large amount of information on Vermont's geology and natural resources, including:

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.

Interactive map of New Mexico's geology and natural resources

The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources' interactive map of New Mexico provides a large amount of information on the state's geology and natural resources, including:

American Geosciences Institute

mineral resources

Gemstones of New Mexico