The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits of the United ...

1 The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits of the United States A Summary of Domestic Deposits and a Global Perspective Gd Pr Ce Sm La Nd Scientific Investigations Report 2010 5220. Department of the Interior Geological Survey Cover photo: Powders of six rare Earth Elements oxides. Photograph by Peggy Greb, Agricultural Research Center of United States Department of Agriculture. The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits of the United States A Summary of Domestic Deposits and a Global Perspective By Keith R. Long, Bradley S. Van Gosen, Nora K. Foley, and Daniel Cordier Scientific Investigations Report 2010 5220. Department of the Interior Geological Survey Department of the Interior KEN SALAZAR, Secretary Geological Survey Marcia K. McNutt, Director Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2010. For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS. For more information on the USGS the Federal source for science about the Earth , its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS.

2 Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the Government. This report has not been reviewed for stratigraphic nomenclature. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. Suggested citation: Long, , Van Gosen, , Foley, , and Cordier, Daniel, 2010, The Principal rare Earth Elements Deposits of the United States A summary of domestic Deposits and a global perspective: Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2010 5220, 96 p. Available at iii Contents Introduction and The Rare Earth Basic Geology of Rare Earth Mineralogy of United States References Current Sources and Domestic Concentration of Risk of Supply Domestic and World Developing Rare Earth Elements Developing a Rare Earth Elements References The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits of the United Glossary of References Alaska Bokan Salmon California Mountain Pass Deposit and Music Valley Colorado Iron Hill Carbonatite Wet Mountains Idaho Diamond Creek Hall Lemhi Pass district, Idaho Illinois Hicks Missouri Pea Ridge Iron Deposit and Nebraska Elk Creek New Mexico Capitan El Porvenir Gallinas Gold Hill Area and White Signal Laughlin Peak Lemitar and Chupadera Petaca Red Hills Wind Mountain.

3 Cornudas New York Mineville Iron Wyoming Bear Lodge Phosphorite Deposits in the Southeastern United Placer Rare Earth Elements Idaho Placer North and South Carolina Placer Florida and Georgia Beach Placer iv Figures Index map of the Principal rare Earth Elements districts in the United The Rare Earth Elements 1. Periodic table of the 2. Rare Earth Elements mineral-processing flow sheet for the Mountain Pass mine, Current Sources and Domestic Reserves 3. Criticality matrix for selected imported Alaska 4. Simplified geologic map of Bokan Mountain, 5. Map of major vein and dike systems associated with Bokan Mountain, California 6. Google Earth image of Mountain Pass mining district, 7. Photograph of northwest-facing view of Mountain Pass district, 8. Photograph of dolomitic carbonatite of Sulphide Queen orebody, Colorado 9. Photograph of northwest-facing view of Iron Hill, 10. Photograph of outcrop of pyroxenite unit in Iron Hill carbonatite complex, 11.

4 Photograph of Sewell Ranch thorium vein, Wet Mountains, 12. Photograph of west-facing view of McClure Mountain, Idaho 13. Photograph of view to west of Lemhi Pass, Idaho-Montana 14. Photograph of outcrop of Wonder vein, Lemhi Pass district, Missouri 15. Generalized geologic map of 2275 level of Pea Ridge iron mine, New York 16. Map of Mineville district, New Phosphorite Deposits in the Southeastern United States 17. Map of locations of phosphogenic provinces of the southeastern United Placer Rare Earth Elements Deposits 18. Photograph of heavy-mineral layers in quartz beach sand, Chennai, Idaho Placer Deposits 19. Generalized map of known monazite placer districts, 20. Photograph of Porter Brothers dredge, Bear Valley, North and South Carolina Placer Deposits 21. Map of monazite placers of North and South Florida-Georgia Beach Placer Deposits 22. Map of locations of Recent and Pleistocene sands, 23. Map of sample and mine locations of monazite, Georgia and v Tables The Rare Earth Elements 1.

5 Estimates of the crustal abundances of rare Earth 2. Classification of rare Earth Elements bearing mineral 3. Rare Earth Elements , thorium, and uranium content of 4. Dominant rare Earth Elements bearing minerals in the United 5. Distribution of rare Earth Elements in selected rare Earth Elements 6. Usage of rare Earth 7. Production of rare Earth Elements mines in Current Sources and Domestic Reserves 8. World production and reserves of rare Earth Elements minerals in 9. Measures of concentration for selected world metal mining 10. Domestic reserves and resources of rare Earth 11. Reserves and resources of rare Earth Elements outside of the United 12. Time required to obtain permits, construct, and commission recent metal mines in the United 13. Time required to develop selected mines outside of the United Alaska Bokan Mountain 14. Uranium production from the Ross-Adams mine, 15. Dimensions of main orebodies at Bokan Mountain, 16.

6 Resource estimates for main prospects on Bokan Mountain, Alaska, and surrounding Colorado Iron Hill 17. Median concentrations of rare Earth Elements in carbonatite stock and pyroxenite unit at Iron Hill, Idaho Hall Mountain, Last Chance 18. Concentrations of rare Earth Elements in vein samples from Hall Mountain, 19. Concentrations of rare Earth Elements in samples from Last Chance vein, Missouri Pea Ridge 20. Rare Earth Elements and thorium concentrations in four breccia pipes at Pea Ridge, China Two Chinese Deposits 21. Rare Earth Elements oxide concentrations of two Chinese Deposits compared with major Wyoming Bear Lodge Mountains 22. Typical rare Earth Elements distribution in Bear Lodge Mountains deposit, vi Abbreviations Used in This Report cm centimeter ft foot ft3 cubic foot g/cm3 gram per cubic centimeter in. inch km kilometer km2 square kilometer kt thousand metric tons lb pound m meter mi mile mi2 square mile mm millimeter ppm parts per million t metric ton HREE heavy rare Earth Elements LREE light rare Earth Elements REE rare Earth Elements United States USGS United States Geological Survey REO rare Earth oxide TREO total rare Earth oxide WGS84 World Geodetic System of 1984 (the reference coordinate system used by global positioning systems).

7 The Principal Rare Earth Element Deposits of the United States A Summary of Domestic Deposits and a Global Perspective By Keith R. Long,1 Bradley S. Van Gosen,2 Nora K. Foley,3 and Daniel Cordier3. Introduction and Background The rare Earth Elements (REE) are fifteen Elements with importance to the national economy. Leaders and members of atomic numbers 57 through 71, from lanthanum to lutetium this project, with the assistance of the USGS National Miner- ( lanthanides ), plus yttrium (39), which is chemically similar als Information Center, prepared the enclosed USGS report to the lanthanide Elements and thus typically included with the on domestic REE resources. The USGS Mineral Resources rare Earth Elements . Although industrial demand for these ele- Program has investigated domestic and selected foreign REE. ments is relatively small in tonnage terms, they are essential resources for many decades, and this report summarizes what for a diverse and expanding array of high-technology applica- has been learned from this research.

8 The USGS National tions. REE-containing magnets, metal alloys for batteries and Minerals Information Center (formerly Minerals Information light-weight structures, and phosphors are essential for many Team) has monitored global production, trade, and resources current and emerging alternative energy technologies, such as for an equally long period and is the Principal source of statis- electric vehicles, energy-efficient lighting, and wind power. tics used in this report. REE are also critical for a number of key defense systems and The objective of this study is to provide a nontechnical other advanced materials. overview of domestic reserves and resources of REE and Section 843 of the National Defense Authorization Act possibilities for utilizing those resources. At the present time, for Fiscal Year 2010, Public Law 111-84, directs the Comp- the United States obtains its REE raw materials from foreign troller General to complete a report on REE materials in the sources, almost exclusively from China.

9 Import dependence defense supply chain. The Office of Industrial Policy, in col- upon a single country raises serious issues of supply security. laboration with other Government agencies, has initiated In a global context, domestic REE resources are modest and (in addition to this report) a detailed study of REE. This latter of uncertain value; hence, available resources in traditional study will assess the Department of Defense's use of REE, as trading partners (such as Canada and Australia) are of great well as the status and security of domestic and global supply interest for diversifying sources of supply. This report restates chains. That study will also address vulnerabilities in the sup- basic geologic facts about REE relevant to assessing security ply chain and recommend ways to mitigate any potential risks of supply, followed by a review of current United States con- of supply disruption. To help conduct this study, the Office of sumption and imports of REE, current knowledge of domestic Industrial Policy asked the Geological Survey (USGS) resources, and possibilities for future domestic production.

10 To report on domestic REE reserves and resources in a global Further detail follows in a deposit-by-deposit review of the context. To this end, the enclosed report is the initial USGS most significant domestic REE Deposits (see index map). contribution to assessing and summarizing the domestic REE Necessary steps to develop domestic resources are discussed resources in a global perspective. in a separate section, leading into a review of current domestic In 2009, the Mineral Resources Program of the USGS exploration and a discussion of the value of a future national organized a new project under the title Minerals at Risk and mineral resource assessment of REE. The report also includes For Emerging Technologies in order to evaluate mineral an overview of known global REE resources and discusses the resource and supply issues of rare metals that are of increasing reliability of alternative foreign sources of REE. 1. Geological Survey, Tucson, Arizona 2.