Estimating the hypothetical endowment of critical minerals and other commodities in porphyry copper mine waste in the Four Corners states, USA
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Abstract
Society is fundamentally dependent upon commodities that are used in end-use products for the aerospace, defense, energy, telecommunication, and transportation sectors, resulting in centuries of mining to supply these commodities and materials. Waste from these mining operations can remain on the landscape indefinitely, but there is a lack of national understanding of the distribution and scale of such waste features. The renewable energy transition will continue to increase demand for critical minerals and will result in increasing volumes of mine waste on the Earth’s surface. Reprocessing mine waste can reduce environmental risks and recover needed commodities to match growing demand for societal growth. Therefore, understanding the approximate abundance of commodities that may be available for recovery within mine waste features can be an important piece of domestic critical mineral supply.
Study Area
| Publication type | Conference Paper |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Conference Paper |
| Title | Estimating the hypothetical endowment of critical minerals and other commodities in porphyry copper mine waste in the Four Corners states, USA |
| Publication Date | August 19, 2025 |
| Year Published | 2025 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Minnesota Geological Survey |
| Contributing office(s) | Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center |
| Description | 2 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Book |
| Larger Work Subtype | Conference publication |
| Larger Work Title | Geologic Mapping Forum 24/25 abstracts |
| First page | 56 |
| Last page | 57 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah |