Searching for Critical Minerals in New Mexico, Utah

The U.S. Geological Surveywill provide nearly $3.4 million to map critical-mineral resources in New Mexico in partnership with the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, and more than $6.6 million to map critical mineral resources in Utah, in partnership with the Utah Geological Survey.

The grants come from a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investment in the USGS Mineral Resources Program’s Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI), which supports $74 million in new mapping each year to modernize our understanding of the Nation’s fundamental geologic framework and improve knowledge of domestic critical-mineral resources both still in the ground and in mine waste. Overall, the Law invests $510.7 million through the USGS to advance scientific innovation and map critical minerals vital to the nation’s supply chains and economy. 

New Mexico
In New Mexico, the funding will support airborne magnetic and radiometric surveys covering more than 10,000 square miles in the mineral resource-rich southwestern corner of the state. The airborne-data collection efforts will parallel companion grants to the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources that will support geochemical mapping and mine-waste studies in southwestern New Mexico. 

These efforts by the USGS and the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources will improve our understanding of critical-mineral resources within the region. These minerals are essential components of everything from household appliances and electronics to electric vehicles and low-carbon energy technologies like batteries, wind turbines and solar. These maps and datasets are also essential in many geoscience fields, informing infrastructure projects and improving our knowledge of groundwater, geothermal and other energy resources and natural hazards. 

“The southwest North American porphyry copper province includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and northwestern Mexico. It contains multiple types of mineralizing systems and is one of the world’s greatest sources of copper and molybdenum, among other mineral commodities,” said USGS scientist Mark Bultman, who is leading the survey. “The USGS Earth MRI airborne magnetic/radiometric survey will contribute to the geologic understanding of both the mountain ranges and basins and make a major contribution to the understanding of the mineral endowment of the region.” 

The geochemical mapping is being done in collaboration with an Earth MRI-funded effort with the Arizona Geological Survey to map the resource potential for copper-molybdenum porphyry deposits of the American southwest. Support for data preservation will preserve and make publicly available historical data on the critical-mineral resources of New Mexico.