Alaska Focus Area Definition for Data Acquisition for Potential Domestic Sources of Critical Minerals in Alaska for Antimony, Barite, Beryllium, Chromium, Fluorspar, Hafnium, Magnesium, Manganese, Uranium, Vanadium, and Zirconium
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- Document: Report (14.7 MB pdf) , HTML , XML
- Chapters:
- Open-File Report 2019-1023-A - Focus Areas for Data Acquisition for Potential Domestic Sources of Critical Minerals—Rare Earth Elements
- Open-File Report 2019-1023-B - Focus Areas for Data Acquisition for Potential Domestic Resources of 11 Critical Minerals in the Conterminous United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico—Aluminum, Cobalt, Graphite, Lithium, Niobium, Platinum-Group Elements, Rare Earth Elements, Tantalum, Tin, Titanium, and Tungsten
- Open-File Report 2019-1023-C - Focus Areas for Data Acquisition for Potential Domestic Resources of 11 Critical Minerals in Alaska—Aluminum, Cobalt, Graphite, Lithium, Niobium, Platinum Group Elements, Rare Earth Elements, Tantalum, Tin, Titanium, and Tungsten
- Open-File Report 2019-1023-D - Focus Areas for Data Acquisition for Potential Domestic Resources of 13 Critical Minerals in the Conterminous United States and Puerto Rico—Antimony, Barite, Beryllium, Chromium, Fluorspar, Hafnium, Helium, Magnesium, Manganese, Potash, Uranium, Vanadium, and Zirconium
- Data Release: USGS data release - GIS, supplemental data table, and references for focus areas of potential domestic resources of 13 critical minerals in the United States and Puerto Rico—Antimony, barite, beryllium, chromium, fluorspar, hafnium, helium, magnesium, manganese, potash, uranium, vanadium, and zirconium
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Phase 3 of the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) focuses on geologic belts that are favorable for hosting mineral systems that could contain the critical minerals antimony, barite, beryllium, chromium, fluorspar, hafnium, magnesium, manganese, uranium, vanadium, and zirconium. Prior phases of the Earth MRI program in Alaska focused only on rare earth elements, aluminum, cobalt, graphite, lithium, niobium, platinum-group metals, tantalum, tin, titanium, and tungsten. An additional 11 critical minerals planed for future phases of Earth MRI (As, Bi, Cs, Ga, Ge, In, Re, Rb, Sc, Sr, Te) are considered prospective in these focus areas. Together, Alaska focus areas address 22 of the 35 minerals or mineral material groups presently deemed critical. This report describes the methodology and techniques utilized to define focus areas for future data acquisition in Alaska; the conterminous United States are covered in a separate report.
Focus areas are identified using a mineral systems framework, which accounts for all the possible tectonic and geologic settings where co-genetic mineral deposits may form. These deposits contain many commodities, including byproduct and critical minerals. Large system-scale processes may be evaluated using such a framework to determine the influence they play on critical mineral endowment within the deposits. Analyzing larger mineral systems provides an integrated and broad context to determine how and where critical minerals are sourced, transported, and deposited in geologic systems.
Statewide geological, geochemical, geophysical, and mineral occurrence datasets informed the delineation of focus areas in Alaska. For some mineral systems, previously published data-driven prospectivity analyses for critical mineral-bearing deposit types provided the basis for focus areas. We report a total of 22 new focus areas that are prospective for phase 3 critical minerals. These new focus areas represent four different mineral systems that are known or suspected to occur in Alaska. An additional 55 focus areas that were previously identified for phase 1 and phase 2 commodities were also identified as being prospective for phase 3 critical minerals. Collectively, 102 focus areas in Alaska have known or suspected potential for hosting phase 1, phase 2, and (or) phase 3 critical minerals. These focus areas represent 17 different mineral systems also containing critical minerals that are planned for consideration in future Earth MRI phases. Thus, the focus areas delineated herein, and in previous reports for Alaska, are comprehensive for all critical minerals as presently defined and may be used to guide the collection of new geologic, geochemical, and geophysical data in the region.
Suggested Citation
Kreiner, D.C., Jones, J.V., III, and Case, G. N., 2022, Alaska focus area definition for data acquisition for potential domestic sources of critical minerals in Alaska for antimony, barite, beryllium, chromium, fluorspar, hafnium, magnesium, manganese, uranium, vanadium, and zirconium, chap. E of U.S. Geological Survey, Focus areas for data acquisition for potential domestic sources of critical minerals: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2019–1023, 19 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191023E.
ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)
Study Area
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Mineral Systems Approach
- Data Sources
- Delineation of Focus Areas
- Mineral Systems
- Discussion
- Summary
- References Cited
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Alaska focus area definition for data acquisition for potential domestic sources of critical minerals in Alaska for antimony, barite, beryllium, chromium, fluorspar, hafnium, magnesium, manganese, uranium, vanadium, and zirconium |
| Series title | Open-File Report |
| Series number | 2019-1023 |
| Chapter | E |
| DOI | 10.3133/ofr20191023E |
| Year Published | 2022 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Publisher location | Reston, VA |
| Contributing office(s) | Alaska Science Center Geology Minerals |
| Description | Report: vii, 19 p.; Data Release |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Online Only (Y/N) | Y |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |