The USGS released an updated map showing 1,271 critical mineral deposits across 41 states and Puerto Rico, up from 684. The jump largely reflects expanded database coverage and a broader definition of critical minerals (the federal list rose from 50 to 60), not a wave of new discoveries. The map documents which minerals occur at each site, ranks deposits by production potential, and shows that 412 sites have resources but no past or current production. The dataset supports the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative and efforts to strengthen domestic supply chains.
USGS Critical-Mineral Map Nearly Doubles — Why the Jump Is Not New Discoveries
The Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine, North America's only active source of rare earth minerals, extracts minerals and processes them on-site into rare earth elements on April 6, 2026, in Mountain Pass, California.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has published an updated map that lists 1,271 critical mineral deposits across 41 states and Puerto Rico, up from 684 in its previous dataset. While the headline number nearly doubles the prior count, the increase reflects changes in how deposits are recorded and which minerals are labeled critical rather than the discovery of hundreds of brand-new deposits.
What Changed
The agency expanded its database and broadened the official list of critical minerals. The federal list grew from 50 to 60 minerals before the new map was compiled. One newly designated mineral, metallurgical coal, was not mapped in this release, so the map depicts deposits for 59 critical minerals.
Numbers and Classification
The updated map shows 587 more deposits than the prior version. Many of those additions were previously known to the USGS but had not been included under the earlier criteria. Each mapped deposit is assigned a rank from 1 to 5 based on whether it is a past, current, or potential future producer and whether it has documented mineral resources or reserves. Of the 1,271 deposits, 412 have documented critical mineral resources but no known past or current production.
Official Comments and Context
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum posted the map on X and described it as evidence of significant domestic potential to expand mineral production and reduce reliance on foreign sources.
Assistant Secretary of the Interior Andrea Travnicek said the data show an extraordinary domestic mineral endowment and noted that nine of the 10 minerals judged most at risk for supply-chain disruption, including four rare-earth elements, are present in the United States.
Why It Matters
Critical minerals are essential for manufacturing batteries, semiconductors, clean-energy technologies and defense systems. The updated map is intended to give industry, investors and the public better information about where domestic resources exist as the United States seeks to reduce import dependence.
Program and Policy Background
The database supports the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, a program to remap the nation and improve geologic data. Policy efforts to boost domestic mineral production date to Executive Order 13817 in 2017, which directed the Department of the Interior to identify domestic sources of critical materials and streamline access to relevant data, permitting and leasing to accelerate development.
Notable Sites
Mountain Pass in California remains North America’s only active rare-earth mine and both extracts and processes ore on site. The presence of rare-earth elements at home is significant because these elements are essential to many high-tech and defense applications and have historically been sourced largely from abroad.
Bottom Line
The USGS map is an expanded and more inclusive accounting of known critical mineral deposits rather than a report of mass new discoveries. It provides improved transparency about domestic mineral resources and aims to inform planning, investment and policy as the United States pursues more resilient supply chains.
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