1. Mineral Resources
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Global Distribution of Selected Mines, Deposits, and Districts of Critical Minerals

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Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Global Distribution of Selected Mines, Deposits, and Districts of Critical Minerals
Abstract:
The point and polygon layers within this geodatabase present the global distribution of selected mineral resource features (deposits, mines, districts, mineral regions) for 22 minerals or mineral commodities considered critical to the economy and security of the United States as of 2017. These data complement the report by Schulz and others (2017) which provides national and global information on 23 critical minerals - antimony (Sb), barite (barium, Ba), beryllium (Be), cobalt (Co), fluorite or fluorspar (fluorine, F), gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), graphite (carbon, C), hafnium (Hf), indium (In), lithium (Li), manganese (Mn), niobium (Nb), platinum-group elements (PGE), rare-earth elements (REE), rhenium (Re), selenium (Se), tantalum (Ta), tellurium (Te), tin (Sn), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), and zirconium (Zr) resources. The geospatial locations for deposits containing selenium, which is recovered mainly as a byproduct of other produced mineral commodities, is not included in this geodatabase. These geospatial data and the accompanying report are an update to information published in 1973 in U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 820, United States Mineral Resources. For the current and full discussion of the individual critical minerals, their uses, identified resources, national and global distribution, geologic overview, resource assessment, and geoenvironmental considerations see: Schulz, K.J., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., Seal, R.R., II, and Bradley, D.C., eds., 2017, Critical mineral resources of the United States--Economic and environmental geology and prospects for future supply: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1802, 777 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1802
Supplemental_Information:
The locations of critical mineral resource features, for example, mines or deposits, are most commonly reported as latitude and longitude coordinates or shown as points in source maps and reports. Occasionally these features are described or shown as areas. For this reason, most critical mineral locations are provided in a point feature class in the corresponding ArcGIS 10.0 file geodatabase, and a few are provided as areal outlines in the polygon feature class. Not all deposit locations are discussed in the accompanying report. The ArcGIS feature classes are also provided as Esri shapefiles. Attribute field names in the shapefiles are limited to 10-characters; therefore, truncated shapefile field names are provided in brackets in the Attribute Label description where applicable (for example, Deposit_Type [Deposit_Ty]).
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Labay, K., Burger, M.H., Bellora, J.D., Schulz, K.J., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., Seal, R.R., II, Bradley, D.C., Mauk, J.L., and San Juan, C.A., 2017, Global Distribution of Selected Mines, Deposits, and Districts of Critical Minerals: USGS Data Release 10.5066/F7GH9GQR, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Schulz, K.J., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., Seal, R.R., II, and Bradley, D.C., 2017, Critical Mineral Resources of the United States--Economic and Environmental Geology and Prospects for Future Supply: Professional Paper 1802 (2017), U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.

    Online Links:

  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -178.726667
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: 177.85072
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 83.0799999999
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: -42.4213472224
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Calendar_Date: 2017
    Currentness_Reference:
    publication date
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Vector Digital Data Set (Point)
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Point data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Entity point (2065)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.0198199122. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.0209802268. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal seconds. The horizontal datum used is D_WGS_1984.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS_1984.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.0.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257223563.
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    Attribute Table
    Table containing attribute information associated with the data set. (Source: USGS Authors)
    DEPOSIT_NAME [DEPOSIT_NA]
    Name of mineral resource feature. (Source: USGS Authors) Name of mineral resource feature. Name of a mine, deposit, district, or mineral region.
    CRITICAL_MINERAL [CRITICAL_M]
    Mineral or resource commodity. (Source: USGS Authors) Mineral or resource commodity. Mineral, raw material, or product that can be bought or sold. In this database, the mineral commodity or commodity group is one which is considered critical to the United States economy and (or) security as of 2017. These critical mineral commodities have important uses and potentially unreliable supply.When multiple critical minerals and (or) commodities occur at a location, there is no significance to the order in which they are listed.
    DEPOSIT_TYPE [DEPOSIT_TY]
    Generalized mineral-deposit type in which a critical mineral or commodity occurs. (Source: USGS Authors) A classification used for a mineral deposit based on genetic and physical characteristics such as how the deposit formed, inherent value (tonnage and grade), mining and beneficiation methods that can be used to develop a deposit, and the remediation that must be done to minimize environmental impacts of mining. Many critical minerals may be produced as coproducts or byproducts from mineral deposits, thus some deposit types are listed because they could contain critical minerals. If the deposit type was unknown, the value was listed as Deposit type unclassified.
    LATITUDE
    Geographic location north or south of the equator reported in decimal degrees (WGS84). Negative values indicate latitudes south of the equator. (Source: USGS Authors)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-42.4213472223964
    Maximum:83.0799999999001
    LONGITUDE
    Geographic location east or west of the Greenwich prime meridian reported in decimal degrees (WGS84). Negative values indicate longitudes west of the Greenwich. (Source: USGS Authors)
    Range of values
    Minimum:-178.726667000182
    Maximum:177.85072
    LOCATION
    Description of the general location of a mine, mineral deposit, district, or region associated with a critical mineral commodity. (Source: USGS Authors) The location is typically a country, but in some cases, the location is a geographic setting, for example; the Atlantic Ocean.
    LOC_DETAIL
    More detailed description of the location. (Source: USGS Authors) An additional description such as a State, region, Province, department, or adjacent country that expands the description of the Location field.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    The entity and attribute information provided here describes the tabular data associated with the data set. Please review the detailed descriptions that are provided (the individual attribute descriptions) for information on the values that appear as fields/table entries of the data set.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
    The entity and attribute information was generated by the individual and (or) agency identified as the originator of the data set. Please review the rest of the metadata record for additional details and information.

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Labay, K.
    • Burger, M.H.
    • Bellora, J.D.
    • Schulz, K.J.
    • DeYoung, J.H., Jr.
    • Seal, R.R., II
    • Bradley, D.C.
    • Mauk, J.L.
    • San Juan, C.A.
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
    The data set was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey Eastern Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center; Alaska Science Center - Geology Office; National Minerals Information Center; Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center; and the Central Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center.
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    Klaus J Schulz
    U.S. Geological Survey, Midwest Region
    Research Geologist
    Mail Stop 954, 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr
    Reston, VA
    United States

    703-648-6320 (voice)
    703-648-6383 (FAX)
    kschulz@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

The data represent the global distribution of selected critical mineral resources in mines, deposits, districts, and regions as of 2017. The geospatial data provide generalized information such as feature name, deposit type, and location description. The data are used in the analysis of current and future supply chains of mineral commodities important to the U.S. economy and security and the environmental consequences related to their production and use. The point and polygon vector data in the geodatabase are suitable for use in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or other database and geospatial software. The data may be used to develop maps, perform regional-scale geospatial analyses, or assess mineral resources in the areas covered by the data. The information is intended to meet the needs of a wide community of users that includes the geoscience and mineral exploration communities as well as State and Federal agencies, Congress, private industry, and the general public.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    PP2017-1802 (source 1 of 1)
    Schulz, K.J., and others (eds.), 2017, Critical mineral resources of the United States--Economic and environmental geology and prospects for future supply:: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: Digital and/or Hardcopy Resources
    Source_Contribution: Selected critical mineral deposits of the world
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 27-Jun-2017 (process 1 of 1)
    Geospatial locations for critical mineral deposits, districts, belts, etc. were compiled from a variety of sources including published reports, tables, maps, web sources, databases (for example, the USGS Mineral Resources Data System), and imagery. Some locations were confirmed using available imagery in applications such as Google Earth. However, many locations may be one to tens of kilometers from their actual locations. Most location information was summarized in Chapters C-V of the accompanying report (PP 1802 (2017)) along with descriptions of commodity uses, production and resources, geology, and geoenvironmental considerations. Using these and other summaries, data were spatially integrated using ArcGIS for all mineral commodities except selenium (Chapter Q), which is recovered mainly as a byproduct of other mineral commodities. Attribute information such as deposit name, deposit type, mineral or elemental commodity or elemental group (for example, PGE or REE), and country were added to the point and polygon feature classes. Data inspection and checks were performed throughout the compilation and reviews were performed to assess the accuracy and completeness of feature capture and attribution relative to the accompanying report. Data compilation was completed in 2017.
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    Unique values in attribute fields were checked through frequency analyses. The unique values in each attribute field were reviewed and checked for spelling, accuracy, and where possible consistency of terms, adherence to established vocabularies, and completeness. The names of deposits and (or) mines presented in the dataset may vary slightly from the names used in the accompanying report.
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    The data are intended to show the general global distribution of mineral deposits and regions containing critical minerals. The data are not suitable for spatial analyses except at regional scales. The quality of locations is highly variable and generally reflects the accuracy of source reports and materials. Point locations are given in decimal degrees so the accuracy of the latitude and longitude may be reflected in the number of decimal places given. Some locations are areas rather than points and the geographic coordinates are the approximate center of the area.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
    Vertical accuracy in the data set is not applicable
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    Data represent the global distribution of selected mineral deposits critical to the United States economy or security as of 2017. The point and polygon data layers present selected deposit locations for 22 of the 23 critical mineral commodities (Sb, Ba, Be, Co, F, Ga, Ge, C, In, Li, Mn, Nb, PGE, REE, Re, Se, Ta, Te, Sn, Ti, V, Zr), most of which are described in the accompanying report. Locations for selenium (Se) were not included since selenium is recovered mainly as a byproduct of other produced mineral commodities.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Data were checked for duplicate locations and (or) attributes and resolved as needed. Data locations and attributes were cross checked with corresponding tables in the accompanying report for consistency. Where possible, null values in attribute fields were populated.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints: none
Use_Constraints:
The data are intended to show the general global distribution of selected mineral deposits and regions containing critical minerals. The data are not suitable for spatial analyses except at regional scales. Data have been checked to ensure consistency with the accompanying report. If any errors are detected, please notify the originating office. The U.S. Geological Survey strongly recommends that careful attention be paid to the metadata file associated with these data.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 2)
    GS ScienceBase
    U.S. Geological Survey
    Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
    Denver, CO
    United States

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? USGS Data Release 10.5066/ABCD1234, GIS data
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    This database, identified as USGS Data Release https://doi.org/10.5066/F7GH9GQR, has been approved for release and publication by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Although this database has been subjected to rigorous review and is substantially complete, the USGS reserves the right to revise the data pursuant to further analysis and review. Furthermore, it is released on condition that neither the USGS nor the United States Government may be held liable for any damages resulting from its authorized or unauthorized use. Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. The USGS or the U.S. Government shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. Any use of trade, product or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
    • Availability in digital form:
      Data format: Critical mineral deposits with general deposit characteristics and commodity in format Vector Digital Data Set (Point and Polygon) (version 1.0)
      Network links: https://doi.org/10.5066/F7GH9GQR
    • Cost to order the data: none

  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 2 of 2)
    Peter N. Schweitzer
    USGS Mineral Resources Program
    12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
    Reston, VA
    USA

    703-648-6533 (voice)
    703-648-6252 (FAX)
    pschweitzer@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? USGS Data Release 10.5066/ABCD1234, GIS data
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    This database, identified as USGS Data Release https://doi.org/10.5066/F7GH9GQR, has been approved for release and publication by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Although this database has been subjected to rigorous review and is substantially complete, the USGS reserves the right to revise the data pursuant to further analysis and review. Furthermore, it is released on condition that neither the USGS nor the United States Government may be held liable for any damages resulting from its authorized or unauthorized use. Although these data have been processed successfully on a computer system at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. The USGS or the U.S. Government shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. Any use of trade, product or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.
  4. How can I download or order the data?

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 21-Jul-2017
Metadata author:
Carma A San Juan
U.S. Geological Survey, Southwest Region
Physical Scientist
Mail Stop 973, W 6th Ave Kipling St
Lakewood, CO
United States

303-236-2450 (voice)
303-236-3200 (FAX)
csanjuan@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://mrdata.usgs.gov/metadata/pp1802.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.52 on Tue Mar 14 14:18:50 2023