Mineral Resources Program

The USGS Mineral Resources

Program (MRP) delivers unbiased science and
information to understand mineral resource
potential, production, consumption, and how
mineral resources interact with the
environment.
The MRP funds research to address two major
program functions:

Research and assessmentProvides

information for land planners and decision
makers about where mineral commodities
are known and suspected in the Earth's

Recently released Quantitative

mineral resource assessment of
copper, molybdenum, GOLD ,
and silver in undiscovered
porphyry copper deposits in the
Andes Mountains of South
America.

crust and about the environmental

consequences of the presence of those
commodities. MRP supports an on-going
effort to coordinate the development of
national-scale geologic, geochemical,
geophysical, and mineral resource
databases and the migration of existing

databases to standard models and formats that are available to both

internal and external users.
Data collection, analysis, and disseminationDescribes current

production and consumption of about 100 mineral commodities, both

domestically and internationally for approximately 180 countries.

The unique expertise developed by MRP over many decades in response to

mineral-resource-related issues is now in demand to support applications
such as public health research and remediation of natural hazards.

USGS MRP in the News

Review by Lawrence D. Meinert in Science Magazine of the book Land and

Wine: The French Terroir (9/19/14)

Getting the Dirt on Soil (5/21/2014)

Global Platinum-Group Resources Estimated at More than 150K Metric

Tons (5/14/14) | pdf version [PDF file, 203 KB]

National soil collection may unlock mysteries, research possibilities 'almost

limitless' (3/29/2014)

Value of U.S. Mineral Production Decreased in 2013 (3/14/2014)

New Maps of Afghanistan Provide "Fingerprint" of Natural

Resources (3/10/2014)

Global Undiscovered Copper Resources Estimated at 3.5 Billion Metric

Tons (3/6/2014)

Helicopter Survey to Map Potential Mineral Resources in Southeast

Missouri (3/5/2014)

What You Will Find on This Site

About the Program How the Program began, how it is funded and
evaluated, its major components and products.
About Mineral Resources Science What MRP activities study and
measure, the methodology, and its importance to the USGS.
Mineral Resources Activities Information about current and past
mineral resources activities throughout the United States.
Mineral Resources Products Links to MRP-funded data portals and
reports.

About the Program

The responsibility of the USGS for minerals information and research has
evolved considerably since the Organic Act of 1879 established
the USGS and defined its role as classification of the public lands, and
examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of
the national domain.
Today the United States is the world's largest user of mineral commodities.
Every year, about 25,000 lbs. of new non-fuel mineral materials is extracted
from the Earth for every person in the United States just to satisfy the needs
of the growing U.S. economy.
Mineral materials processed domestically accounted for more than $575
billion in the U.S. economy in 2007. U.S.manufacturers and consumers
require increasing amounts of imported mineral materials. Making informed
decisions about supply and development of mineral commodities that are
critical to our economy and security requires current and reliable information
about both mineral resources and the consequences of their development.
In its 2003 review of the USGS Mineral Resources Program (MRP), the
National Research Council identified four Federal roles in mineral science and
engineering: an unbiased national source of science and information, basic
research on mineral resources, advisory, and international (undertaking or
supporting international activities that are in the national interest). The
Program addresses these four roles through work in two functions: a
research and assessment function that provides information for land
planners and decision makers about where mineral commodities are known
and suspected in the Earth's crust, and a minerals information function that
collects, analyzes, and disseminates data that describe current production
and consumption of about 100 mineral commodities, both domestically and
internationally for approximately 180 countries. Together these activities
provide information ranging from that required for land planning decisions
on specific management units to that required for national and international
economic decisions.
For a brief overview of the program, see U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet
2013-3111: Energy and Minerals Science at the U.S. Geological Survey.

Strategic Planning and Funding

MRP is funded annually through the Congressional appropriations process.
Projects supported by MRP provide a balance between basic and applied
research that will provide world-class earth science research and data for a
wide range of customers.
[Learn more about MRP's strategic plan]

Program History
MRP continues a tradition of Federal leadership in the science of mineral
resources that extends back before the beginning of the USGS. The need for
information about metallic mineral resources was part of the justification for
the creation of theUSGS in 1879.
[Learn more about MRP's history]

Evaluation
The MRP is monitored and evaluated regularly by several methods

Evaluation
The MRP is monitored and evaluated regularly by several methods,
including:

Monitoring of effectiveness through the Office of Management and

Budget's Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART).

Measurement of performance through the Government Performance

and Results Act (GPRA).

External reviews of MRP by the National Research Council of the

National Academy of Science.

These evaluations are designed to ensure that the mission of the Program is
conducted efficiently and effectively on behalf of the Nation.

Copper
Statistics and Information
Copper is usually found in nature in association with sulfur. Pure
copper metal is generally produced from a multistage process,
beginning with the mining and concentrating of low-grade ores
containing copper sulfide minerals, and followed by smelting and
electrolytic refining to produce a pure copper cathode. An
increasing share of copper is produced from acid leaching of
oxidized ores. Copper is one of the oldest metals ever used and has
been one of the important materials in the development of
civilization. Because of its properties, singularly or in combination,
of high ductility, malleability, and thermal and electrical conductivity,
and its resistance to corrosion, copper has become a major
industrial metal, ranking third after iron and aluminum in terms of
quantities consumed. Electrical uses of copper, including power
transmission and generation, building wiring, telecommunication,
and electrical and electronic products, account for about three
quarters of total copper use. Building construction is the single
largest market, followed by electronics and electronic products,
transportation, industrial machinery, and consumer and general
products. Copper byproducts from manufacturing and obsolete
copper products are readily recycled and contribute significantly to
copper supply.

http://minerals.usgs.gov/products/index.html
http://www.portal.gsi.gov.in/portal/page?
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