Monday, 13 October, 2025/Edition 80

Last week I was on a field trip with my Energy Geoscience students. Although it was a short trip, we had a great time and learned geology in the field—the best way to learn. This week is Earth Science Week, and this year’s theme is “Energy Resources for Our Future.” So, let’s talk a bit about Earth Resources and what will be available during Earth Science Week.

Rasoul Sorkhabi

Editor, Core Elements

Earth Science Week

AmericanGeoscience.com

What is Earth Science Week? Organized by the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) since 1989, Earth Science Week is held annually during the second week of October to “encourage better public understanding of, and appreciation for, the earth sciences and earth stewardship.”

Toolkit: Whether you are a geoscience teacher, student, professional or enthusiast, you will find these AGI publications informative:

• Earth Resources for Our Future: A 28-page pamphlet on energy resources and consumption, soil, geothermal power, solar desalination, minerals, uranium, and wind power.

• Geological Map of the USA: A two-page wall poster.

Contests: AGI sponsors four Earth Science Week contests across photography, video filming, essay writing, and painting. The deadline to submit your work in any of these is October 17.

Webinars: Earth Science Week webinars are available on AGI’s YouTube Channel.

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2025 Report on U.S. Mineral Commodities

Thammanit Panomsuk/Shutterstock.com

A recent report by the U.S. Geological Survey reviews the state of mineral resources in the United States and its trading partners. Let’s take a look.

Economic importance:

• The U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) was $29.1 trillion in 2024. Metals and industrial materials amounted to $106 billion.

• 1.3 million people worked in the non-fuel mineral industries in the United States in 2024. Here is the breakdown by sector:

  • Non-fuel mineral mining: 150,000

  • Chemicals and allied products: 570,000

  • Stone, clay, and glass products: 300,000

  • Primary metal industries: 280,000

Top mineral-producing states:

1. Nevada

   • Minerals: Copper, diatomite, gold, sand, and gravel (construction), silver

   • Value (in millions): $9,970, accounting for 9.44 percent of the U.S. total

2. Texas

   • Minerals: Cement, lime, sand, and gravel (construction and industrial), stone (crushed)

   • Value (in millions): $9,720, accounting for 9.2 percent of the U.S. total

3. Arizona

   • Minerals: Cement, copper, molybdenum, sand and gravel (construction), stone (crushed)

   • Value (in millions): $9,290, accounting for 8.79 percent of the U.S. total

4. California

   • Minerals: Boron minerals, cement, gold, sand and gravel (construction), stone (crushed)

   • Value (in millions): $5,480, accounting for 5.19 percent of the U.S. total

5. Minnesota

   • Minerals: Iron ore, lime, sand and gravel (construction and industrial), stone (crushed).

   • Value (in millions): $4,830, accounting for 4.58 percent of the U.S. total

6. Alaska

   • Minerals: Gold, lead, sand and gravel (construction), silver, zinc

   • Value (in millions): $4,710, accounting for 4.46 percent of the U.S. total

7. Utah

   • Minerals: Cement (Portland), copper, potash, salt, sand and gravel (construction)

   • Value (in millions): $3,520, accounting for 3.33 percent of the U.S. total

8. Missouri

   • Minerals: Cement, lead, lime, sand and gravel (industrial), stone (crushed)

   • Value (in millions): $3,160, accounting for 2.99 percent of the U.S. total

9. Michigan

   • Minerals: Cement, iron ore, magnesium compounds, sand and gravel (construction), stone (crushed).

   • Value (in millions): $3,080, accounting for 2.92 percent of the U.S. total

10.  Florida

    • Minerals: Cement, phosphate, sand and gravel (construction), stone (crushed)

    • Value (in millions): $3,060, accounting for 2.29 percent of the U.S. total

Imported minerals in the United States:

• 100-percent imported: Arsenic, asbestos, cesium, fluorspar, gallium, graphite, indium, manganese, mica, niobium (columbium), rubidium, scandium, tantalum, yttrium

• 90–99 percent imported: Gemstones, abrasives (fused aluminum oxide), nepheline syenite, titanium, potash

• 80–89 percent imported: Bismuth, iron oxide pigments, titanium, antimony, platinum, stone, diamond, rare-earth metals

• 70–79 percent: Peat, Chromium, Cobalt, Barite, Bauxite, Magnesium Metal, Tin, Zinc

• 60–69 percent imported: Abrasives (silicon carbide), rhenium, silver

• 50–59 percent imported: Alumina, magnesium compounds, germanium, iodine, lithium, selenium, tungsten, silicon metal

Top 11 mineral exporters to the United States:

1. Canada (31 minerals)

2. China (27 minerals)

3. Brazil (14 minerals)

4. South Africa (12 minerals)

5. Germany (12 minerals)

6. Mexico (11 minerals)

7. Australia (10 minerals)

8. Japan (8 minerals)

9. Belgium (7 minerals), Russia (7 minerals), India (7 minerals)

Read the full summary here.

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New U.S. List of Critical Minerals, Plus Top Battery Producers and Processors

Copper cathode production plant in Chile; Jose Luis Stephens/ Shutterstock.com

Recent reports by the U.S. Congressional Research Service and the U.S. Geological Survey updated the list of critical minerals in the United States.

USGS has ranked the 2025 list of 54 critical minerals by risk classification:

• High risk: Samarium, rhodium, lutetium, terbium, dysprosium, gallium, germanium, gadolinium, tungsten, niobium, magnesium, yttrium, potash 

• Elevated risk: Hafnium, aluminum, thulium, neodymium, silicon, antimony, barite, graphite, indium, vanadium, palladium, manganese, lanthanum, praseodymium, titanium, copper, platinum, ruthenium, zinc, iridium, cobalt, erbium, chromium, silver, tin, bismuth 

• Moderate risk: Nickel, tantalum, holmium, fluorspar, lithium, rhenium, cerium, lead, beryllium, europium, ytterbium 

• Single Point of Failure: Zirconium

• Quantitatively Assessed: Cesium, rubidium, scandium

How they did it: Read here for the methodology.

What’s new: These are the new minerals added since the previous edition in 2022: Potash, silicon, copper, silver, rhenium, lead

Didn’t make the cut: Arsenic and tellurium

Top critical mineral producers for batteries:

• Lithium: Australia (60 percent), Chile (19 percent), China (9 percent), Argentina (7 percent)

• Cobalt: Democratic Republic of Congo (70 percent), Russia (5 percent), Cuba (4 percent), Australia (4 percent)

• Nickel: Indonesia (26 percent), Philippines (16 percent), New Caledonia (10 percent), Russia (10 percent)

• Graphite: China (68 percent), Brazil (10 percent), Canada (4 percent), India (4 percent)

 Top processors of battery-grade metals:

• Lithium: China (60 percent), Chile (30 percent), Argentina (10 percent)

• Cobalt: China (72 percent), Finland (9 percent), Canada (4 percent), Norway (4 percent)

• Nickel: Russia (21 percent), China (16 percent), Japan (15 percent), Canada (13 percent)

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✉️ To get in touch with Rasoul, send an email to editorial@aapg.org.