FACTS FOR UNDERSTANDING MINERAL RESOURCES: THE KEY TO EDUCATING THE PUBLIC

Do you wonder what indium is used for? Are you curious what might be used to substitute for cadmium in NiCd batteries? Are you concerned about how mercury accumulates in freshwater fish? Maybe you want information about areas of the U.S. with potential for undiscovered zinc deposits or need the locations of mines and mineral processing plants in Africa? All this, and more, is available from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on the web at http://minerals.usgs.gov/. The USGS Mineral Resources Program (MRP) is the sole Federal provider of scientific information for objective resource assessments and unbiased research results on mineral potential, production, consumption, and environmental effects.

We use mineral resources to build our homes and cities, fertilize our food crops, and create wealth that allows us to buy goods and services. The United States is the world's largest user of mineral commodities; processed materials of mineral origin accounted for more than $542 billion in the U.S. economy in 2006. Individuals rarely use nonfuel mineral resources in their natural state—we buy light bulbs, not the silica, soda ash, lime, coal, salt, tungsten, copper, nickel, molybdenum, iron, manganese, aluminum, and zinc used to convert electricity into light. For most Americans, there is no connection between a mine and a product or service.

As a part of the Department of the Interior, USGS MRP conducts research in order to provide mineral resource and mineral environmental information required for Federal land planning, for economic policy decisions, and for international trade negotiations. Educators, geoscience professionals, and the public can use the same information to understand the connection between the mine and the desired product or service, as well as to characterize and evaluate the range of options available to assure a sustainable supply of mineral commodities in the global economy.