Mission Areas
Energy and Minerals
The Energy and Minerals Mission Area conducts research and assessments that focus on the location, quantity, and quality of mineral and energy resources, including the economic and environmental effects of resource extraction and use.
Energy Resources Program
Conducts basic and applied research on geologic energy resources and on the environmental, economic, and human health impacts of their production and use.The program is also involved in studying the impacts of wind and solar energy development.
Learn MoreMineral Resources Program
Provides scientific information for objective resource assessments and unbiased research results on mineral potential, production, consumption, and environmental effects. The MRP is the sole Federal source for this information.
Learn MoreNews
GeoFlight Takes to the Air to Help Identify Geothermal and Mineral Resources at the Salton Sea
The following is an excerpt from a joint blog post issued by the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Office and the Department of the Interior’s Office of Water & Science regarding the new GeoFlight: Salton Trough initiative.
Could You Be a Mendenhall Research Fellow?
The U.S. Geological Survey is seeking new Mendenhall Research Fellows! The USGS Mendenhall Research Fellowship Program provides an opportunity for postdoctoral fellows to conduct concentrated research in association with USGS scientists, often as a final element to enhance their formal career preparation. The opportunities are open through Thursday, January 6, 2022.
USGS Seeks Public Comment on Draft List of 50 Minerals Deemed Critical to US National Security and the Economy
List includes minerals key to all sectors of economy including tech and defense
Editor's note: A correction was made to this news release and the Federal Register Notice November 17 to fix an issue with the public comment section. The published correction can be found here.
To make a public comment, click here.
Publications
Methodology and technical input for the 2021 review and revision of the U.S. Critical Minerals List
Pursuant to Section 7002 (“Mineral Security”) of Title VII (“Critical Minerals”) of the Energy Act of 2020 (Public Law 116–260, December 27, 2020, 116th Cong.), the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, is tasked with reviewing and revising the methodology used to evaluate mineral criticality and the...
Nassar, Nedal T.; Fortier, Steven M.
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska, 2021
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 1,407 billion (1.4 trillion) cubic feet of gas in conventional accumulations in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska.
Houseknecht, David W.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Moore, Thomas E.; Rouse, William A.; Dumoulin, Julie A.; Craddock, William H.; Lease, Richard O.; Botterell, Palma J.; Sanders, Margaret M.; Smith, Rebecca A.; Connors, Christopher D.; Garrity, Christopher P.; Whidden, Katherine J.; Gooley, Jared T.; Counts, John W.; Long, Joshua H.; DeVera, Christina A.
Coking coal of the United States—Modern and historical coking coal mining locations and chemical, rheological, petrographic, and other data from modern samples
Coking coal, or metallurgical coal, has been produced in the United States for nearly 200 years. Coking coal is primarily used in the production of coke for use in the steel industry, and for other uses (for example, foundries, blacksmithing, heating buildings, and brewing). Currently, U.S. coking coal is produced in Alabama, Arkansas,...
Trippi, Michael H.; Ruppert, Leslie F.; Eble, Cortland F.; Hower, James C.