Clockwise top, center: Praseodymium, cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, samarium and gadolinium are just a handful of rare earth elements found in Missouri that are critical to the economy and national security.
Photo by Peggy Grrub, USDA-ARS
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The department’s Missouri Geological Survey continues to increase geologic mapping and identification of critical minerals in the state, thanks to the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Mapping Resource Initiative project. This year, $300,000 in funding over a three-year period was made available for Earth MRI through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The goal of Earth MRI is to improve knowledge of the geologic framework in the United States and to identify areas that could contain undiscovered mineral commodities critical to the country’s economy and national security.
“This funding is supporting detailed geologic mapping in the St. Francois Mountains, helping to identify areas of undiscovered critical mineral resources,” said Kyle Ganz, a geologist with the Missouri Geological Survey. “This new project will build on recent Earth MRI-funded mapping of the Fredericktown quadrangle, furthering our knowledge of the complex geology of this area.”
This year, U.S. Geological Survey identified 50 mineral commodities critical to the economy and national security after an extensive multi-agency assessment. Twenty-nine were found in Missouri in appreciable quantities: barite, bismuth, cerium, cobalt, dysprosium, erbium, europium, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, hafnium, holmium, indium, lanthanum, lutetium, manganese, neodymium, nickel, praseodymium, samarium, tellurium, terbium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, ytterbium, yttrium and zinc.
The demand for critical minerals continues to increase with advancing technology. Beyond critical defense and economic uses, the elements are used every day in electronics like cell phones and computers, as well as in cars, lighting products, medical applications and for green energy, among numerous others.
Missouri has a long history of mineral production and is one of the nation’s top 10 mineral-producing states. Limestone commodities, produced in 83% of Missouri’s counties, are integral to the development of infrastructure such as roads, bridges and highways. They are also used in many household products and industrial processes.
Missouri has a long history of mineral production
- Total value of Missouri’s mineral industry – $2.5 billion
- Number of Missouri Counties that produce limestone – 94
- Missouri’s rank as a mineral-producing state – 9th
- Numer of Missourians who have jobs in mining, quarrying, or oil and gas – 9,000
Additionally, the department competes annually for federal matching funds from USGS to support geologic mapping and digital compilation of geologic maps. The funds also help preserve geologic collections for discovery through the STATEMAP component of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program and the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program.
“Strong partnerships with other state geological surveys, the Association of American State Geologists and USGS are key to the success of building our nation’s understanding of critical mineral resources through the Earth MRI program,” said Warren Day, USGS Earth Mapping Resource Initiative science coordinator.
This year, department geologists created the following geologic maps along the I-70 corridor: Fayetteville, Higginsville, Knob Noster North West, Lexington East, Lexington West, Mayview, Odessa North, Odessa South, Pittsville, Warrensburg East and Warrensburg West, as well as the Fredericktown map in the St. Francois Mountains.
Learn more about Missouri’s critical mineral resources on the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ critical minerals website.
