Missouri Steps Up Search for Hidden Critical Minerals — 36 of 60 Found in State

ROLLA, Mo. — Missouri geologists are intensifying efforts to locate dozens of minerals — including rare and strategically important commodities — after the U.S. government recently added 10 substances to its official list of critical minerals. The move has prompted renewed fieldwork, new surveys and closer collaboration between state and federal scientists.

One of the newly listed minerals is familiar to many Missourians: lead. "Missouri, as you may know, has a very rich and long mining history," said Carey Bridges, State Geologist and Director of the Missouri Geological Survey. "We were once the world’s leading producer of lead, and are still a top producer." Bridges added that the state's bedrock and igneous terrain make it promising ground for several valuable mineral types.

Federal authorities now classify 60 minerals as crucial to economic and national security. According to state geologists, Missouri hosts 36 of those critical minerals. The survey team is focusing particularly on nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements — materials that are increasingly important for batteries, clean energy technologies and advanced manufacturing.

Researchers are applying a range of modern tools to speed identification and mapping. The U.S. Geological Survey operates aircraft equipped with sensitive airborne sensors that fly tight grid patterns to sense variations beneath soil and sedimentary cover and to image deeper igneous rocks. State teams use portable high-resolution scanners to characterize rock samples in the field and laboratory. Missouri is also partnering with USGS on the Earth MRI program, which integrates airborne geophysics, geochemistry and other datasets to pinpoint promising subsurface targets.

"A property owner owns the mineral rights, unless those have been severed by a separate agreement," Bridges said. Landowners interested in determining what rocks lie beneath their property can contact the Missouri Geological Survey for sample testing and guidance.

Out of the 10 minerals recently added to the federal list — boron, copper, lead, metallurgical coal, phosphate, potash, rhenium, silicon, silver and uranium — five are known to occur in Missouri: copper, lead, phosphate, silicon and silver.

Full List of the 60 Critical Minerals

• Aluminum — used in almost all sectors of the economy
• Antimony — used in lead-acid batteries and flame retardants
• Arsenic — used in semiconductors
• Barite — used in oil and gas drilling and medical imaging
• Beryllium — used to manufacture metal alloys for aerospace and defense
• Bismuth — used in nontoxic metals and some medical applications
• Boron — used to harden steel and glass and in nuclear energy
• Cerium — used in catalytic converters, ceramics and polishing
• Cesium — used in atomic clocks for GPS
• Chromium — used in stainless steel
• Cobalt — used in batteries and heat-resistant alloys
• Copper — used widely in wiring and cables
• Dysprosium — used in permanent magnets and lasers
• Erbium — used in fiber optics and lasers
• Europium — used in phosphors and nuclear control rods
• Fluorspar — used in manufacturing, steel and glass
• Gadolinium — used in medical imaging and magnets
• Gallium — used in semiconductors
• Germanium — used in fiber optics and night vision
• Graphite — used in lubricants and batteries
• Hafnium — used in nuclear control rods and semiconductors
• Holmium — used in magnets and lasers
• Indium — used in displays and touchscreens
• Iridium — used for electrochemical processes and catalysts
• Lanthanum — used in catalysts, metallurgy and batteries
• Lead — used in batteries, ammunition, glass and ceramics
• Lithium — used in rechargeable batteries
• Lutetium — used in medical imaging and some cancer therapies
• Magnesium — used in aerospace, automotive and electronics alloys
• Manganese — used in steel production and batteries
• Metallurgical Coal — used in steel production
• Neodymium — used in permanent magnets and lasers
• Nickel — used in high-strength steel and rechargeable batteries
• Niobium — used to strengthen steel
• Palladium — used in catalytic converters and electronics
• Phosphate — used in fertilizers
• Platinum — used in catalytic converters and aerospace alloys
• Potash — used in fertilizers
• Praseodymium — used in magnets and alloys
• Rhenium — used in high-performance jet engines and turbines
• Rhodium — used in catalytic converters and electrical components
• Rubidium — used in atomic clocks and network synchronization
• Ruthenium — used as catalysts and in electronics
• Samarium — used in magnets and nuclear reactors
• Scandium — used to strengthen alloys and in fuel cells
• Silicon — used in semiconductors (silicon wafers)
• Silver — used in electrical circuits, solar cells and medical instruments
• Tantalum — used in high-temperature electronic components
• Tellurium — used in solar cells and microchips
• Terbium — used in magnets, fiber optics and lasers
• Thulium — used in lasers and x-ray devices
• Tin — used in cans, circuit boards and coatings
• Titanium — used in pigments and high-strength alloys
• Tungsten — used in wear-resistant metals and tools
• Uranium — used as nuclear fuel and in medical applications
• Vanadium — used to strengthen iron and steel
• Ytterbium — used for catalysts and lasers
• Yttrium — used in lighting, displays and alloys
• Zinc — used to protect iron and steel from corrosion
• Zirconium — used in nuclear reactors and aerospace components

If you want to learn more or have rock samples tested, visit the Missouri Geological Survey website or contact your county extension office for guidance. State geologists can help landowners understand potential resources and next steps.