NASA and USGS Team Up to Map Critical Minerals in the American West
Technology initially designed to chart other worlds is now helping reveal critical minerals in the American West, crucial to the United States' renewable energy future. A NASA ER-2 research aircraft recently took to the skies above the desert, scanning the ground for essential minerals as part of the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx). The project, a collaboration between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), aims to map mineral resources across an expansive area of over 190,000 square miles (500,000 square kilometers) of North America, covering parts of California, Nevada, Arizona, and Oregon.
The GEMx project utilizes advanced optical sensors, including imaging spectrometers, to identify surface minerals across the Western U.S. These instruments, initially used for space missions, detect hundreds of wavelengths of light from the visible to the shortwave infrared range, allowing scientists to locate specific minerals by their unique spectral signatures. The project’s airborne sensors, such as AVIRIS (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer) and the MODIS/ASTER Airborne Simulator (MASTER), provide detailed mineral mapping, complemented by broader data from the EMIT instrument aboard the International Space Station.
The ER-2, operated by NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center, flew over the desert terrain that appeared barren and colorless from above but was revealed to be rich in minerals when seen through the advanced spectroscopic lens. This technology helped spot lithium, aluminum, and rare earth elements like neodymium and cerium—minerals critical for clean energy technologies, including electric vehicle batteries and wind turbines. In 2023, the U.S. had to import its entire supply of 12 such minerals, with significant imports for many others, highlighting the importance of discovering domestic sources.
Old mining sites like Hector Mine in California are now being reassessed for their lithium content, a critical resource for battery technology. The GEMx team believes that many undiscovered deposits of these minerals could be found domestically, reducing dependence on imports. The data gathered so far is being used to produce a hyperspectral map of California, the first of its kind, which will assist in both mineral exploration and understanding environmental factors such as mine waste, invasive species, and natural hazards.
High-altitude flights over the American West are scheduled to resume in spring 2025, with plans to release the first mineral maps soon after. This initiative could transform abandoned pollution sources into valuable resources, helping meet national security, energy, and technological demands. According to USGS geophysicist Raymond Kokaly, the effort is just beginning, and the potential applications of this technology could extend well beyond mineral identification to benefit the nation's economy, security, and health.
