Interactive Atlas of Critical Minerals
See where the minerals essential to the U.S. come from
Critical minerals power the technology behind smartphones, computers and even fighter planes. The interactive Critical Minerals Atlas shows where these critical minerals are produced around the world. To explore, click on a country to see how many critical minerals it produces, its share of global production and how each mineral is used.
Critical minerals are important to the U.S. economy and national security. They are used in thousands of products to include phones, cars and airplanes. But getting these minerals is sometimes difficult because of problems in the supply chain. The USGS makes a list of critical minerals using economic and geologic science and data. The List of Critical Minerals helps the U.S. government make plans to make more of these minerals available in the U.S. It also helps with things like tax breaks, mining maps and faster permitting for mining. The USGS also maps critical minerals in the U.S. through the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative.
The atlas shows minerals from the 2022 List of Critical Minerals. Later this month, the USGS plans to share the draft 2025 List of Critical Minerals. The public and other government agencies will then be able to review the list and provide feedback. The USGS keeps track of more than 90 minerals in 180 countries. The atlas uses 2023 production data from the Mineral Commodity Summaries and the Minerals Yearbook.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey