This data release provides descriptions of more than 120 mineral regions, mines, and mineral deposits within the United States that are reported to contain enrichments of tin (Sn). This data release only includes sites with publicly available records of past production of tin, or a defined resource of tin, or both. The inclusion of a particular mineral deposit in this database is not meant to imply that it has economic potential; it may be produced only as a byproduct at some sites. Rather, these deposits were included to capture the distribution of characteristics of the known, reported tin deposits in the United States. This logic also applies to the other commodities listed with tin in some occurrences. The primary uses for tin within the United States are for alloys, chemicals, and solder, amongst others. Tin has not been produced in the United States since 1993, and with the United States not having any active tin reserves the commodity has been deemed a critical strategic metal (Kamilli and others, 2017). As of 2017, the United States maintains a net import reliance as a percentage of apparent consumption of approximately 75 percent for tin, where 25 percent of the apparent consumption is attributed to the recycling of tin (U.S. Geological Survey, 2018). In the United States, tin most commonly occurs in the mineral cassiterite. The majority of tin occurrences are located in the state of Alaska, but tin is known to occur in many other locations in the contiguous United States. The cassiterite ore originates from various lode deposit types, including greisens, pegmatites, skarns, and veins, as well as from placers sourced from these systems. The entries and descriptions in the database were derived from published papers, reports, data, and internet documents representing a variety of sources, including geologic and exploration studies described in State, Federal, and industry reports. Although an attempt was made to capture as many examples as possible, this dataset is a progress report that is part of an ongoing effort. The authors welcome additional published information in order to continually update and refine this dataset.

This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides the descriptions of the only U.S. sites—including mineral regions, mineral occurrences, and mine features—that have reported production and (or) resources of tantalum (Ta). The sites in this data release have contained resource and (or) past production of more than 900 metric tons Ta metal, which was the approximate average annual consumption of Ta in the U.S. from 2016 through 2020. This dataset contains the Bokan Mountain deposit in Alaska and the Round Top deposit in Texas. Tantalum primarily occurs in the mineral tantalite, which may be found in carbonatites, alkaline granite-syenite complexes, and lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites. The largest Ta deposits can be found in Australia, where the Greenbushes and Wodgina Mines have been producing Ta from pegmatites since the late 1880s. The Greenbushes is an LCT pegmatite deposit that contains more than 135 million metric tons of ore with an average grade of 0.022 percent Ta2O5. The Wodgina LCT pegmatite deposit contains more than 85 million metric tons of ore at a grade of 0.032 percent Ta2O5 (Schulz and others, 2017). In comparison, the largest Ta deposit in the U.S. is the Round Top deposit in Texas, which has reported resources of more than 480 million metric tons with an average grade of 67.2 grams per metric ton Ta2O5 (Hulse and others, 2019). There are no current U.S. producers of Ta. Tantalum is necessary for strategic, consumer, and commercial applications. Tantalum is highly conductive to heat and electricity and known for its resistance to acidic corrosion, thereby making this metal an ideal component for electronic capacitors, telecommunications, data storage, and implantable medical devices. In 2020, the U.S. was 100 percent net import reliant on Ta from countries such as China, Germany, Australia, and others. Tantalum is imported to the U.S. as ore and concentrate, metal and powder, as well as waste and scrap (U.S. Geological Survey, 2021). The entries and descriptions in the database were derived from published papers, reports, data, and internet documents representing a variety of sources, including geologic and exploration studies described in State, Federal, and industry reports. Resources extracted from older sources might not be compliant with current rules and guidelines in minerals industry standards such as National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101). The presence of a Ta mineral deposit in this database is not meant to imply that the deposit is currently economic. Rather, these deposits were included to capture the characteristics of the largest Ta deposits in the United States. Inclusion of material in the database is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The authors welcome additional published information in order to continually update and refine this dataset. Hulse, D.E., Malhotra, D., Matthews, T., and Emanuel, C., 2019, NI 43-101 preliminary economic assessment Round Top project, Sierra Blanca, Texas, prepared for USA Rare Earth LLC and Texas Mineral Resources Corp. [Filing Date July 1, 2019]: Gustavson Associates, LLC, 218 p., accessed October 17, 2019, at http://usarareearth.com/. Schulz, K.J., Piatak, N.M., and Papp, J.F., 2017, Niobium and tantalum, chap. M of Schulz, K.J., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., Seal, R.R., II, and Bradley, D.C., eds., Critical mineral resources of the United States—Economic and environmental geology and prospects for future supply: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1802, p. M1–M34, https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1802M. U.S. Geological Survey, 2021, Mineral commodity summaries 2021: U.S. Geological Survey, 200 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/mcs2021.

This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides the descriptions of the only U.S. sites—including mineral regions, mineral occurrences, and mine features—that have reported production and (or) resources of tantalum (Ta). The sites in this data release have contained resource and (or) past production of more than 900 metric tons Ta metal, which was the approximate average annual consumption of Ta in the U.S. from 2016 through 2020. This dataset contains the Bokan Mountain deposit in Alaska and the Round Top deposit in Texas. Tantalum primarily occurs in the mineral tantalite, which may be found in carbonatites, alkaline granite-syenite complexes, and lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites. The largest Ta deposits can be found in Australia, where the Greenbushes and Wodgina Mines have been producing Ta from pegmatites since the late 1880s. The Greenbushes is an LCT pegmatite deposit that contains more than 135 million metric tons of ore with an average grade of 0.022 percent Ta2O5. The Wodgina LCT pegmatite deposit contains more than 85 million metric tons of ore at a grade of 0.032 percent Ta2O5 (Schulz and others, 2017). In comparison, the largest Ta deposit in the U.S. is the Round Top deposit in Texas, which has reported resources of more than 480 million metric tons with an average grade of 67.2 grams per metric ton Ta2O5 (Hulse and others, 2019). There are no current U.S. producers of Ta. Tantalum is necessary for strategic, consumer, and commercial applications. Tantalum is highly conductive to heat and electricity and known for its resistance to acidic corrosion, thereby making this metal an ideal component for electronic capacitors, telecommunications, data storage, and implantable medical devices. In 2020, the U.S. was 100 percent net import reliant on Ta from countries such as China, Germany, Australia, and others. Tantalum is imported to the U.S. as ore and concentrate, metal and powder, as well as waste and scrap (U.S. Geological Survey, 2021). The entries and descriptions in the database were derived from published papers, reports, data, and internet documents representing a variety of sources, including geologic and exploration studies described in State, Federal, and industry reports. Resources extracted from older sources might not be compliant with current rules and guidelines in minerals industry standards such as National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101). The presence of a Ta mineral deposit in this database is not meant to imply that the deposit is currently economic. Rather, these deposits were included to capture the characteristics of the largest Ta deposits in the United States. Inclusion of material in the database is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The authors welcome additional published information in order to continually update and refine this dataset. Hulse, D.E., Malhotra, D., Matthews, T., and Emanuel, C., 2019, NI 43-101 preliminary economic assessment Round Top project, Sierra Blanca, Texas, prepared for USA Rare Earth LLC and Texas Mineral Resources Corp. [Filing Date July 1, 2019]: Gustavson Associates, LLC, 218 p., accessed October 17, 2019, at http://usarareearth.com/. Schulz, K.J., Piatak, N.M., and Papp, J.F., 2017, Niobium and tantalum, chap. M of Schulz, K.J., DeYoung, J.H., Jr., Seal, R.R., II, and Bradley, D.C., eds., Critical mineral resources of the United States—Economic and environmental geology and prospects for future supply: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1802, p. M1–M34, https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1802M. U.S. Geological Survey, 2021, Mineral commodity summaries 2021: U.S. Geological Survey, 200 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/mcs2021.

This data release provides descriptions of more than 60 mineral regions, mines, and mineral deposits within the United States and its territories that are reported to contain enrichments of cobalt (Co). To focus the scope of this data release, we report only mined deposits and exploration prospects with past production, or resource and reserve estimates of 1,000 metric tons or more of cobalt. Cobalt has diverse uses because of its properties, which include ferromagnetism, hardness, wear-resistance, low conductivity, and high melting point. The primary uses for cobalt are in rechargeable battery electrodes, and in superalloys used to make gas turbine engines. In 2017, the United States had a net import reliance as a percentage of apparent consumption of 72 percent for cobalt, and cobalt is considered a critical mineral. Cobalt mineralogy is diverse; it occurs in a variety of sulfide, arsenide, sulfarsenide, and oxyhydroxide minerals. In the United States, cobalt could be derived as a byproduct from mineral deposits that primarily produce other metals, including nickel, copper, zinc, and lead. The inclusion of a particular mineral deposit or prospect in this database is not meant to imply that it has economic potential. Rather, these entries were included to capture the characteristics of the deposits and prospects in the United States and its territories that have the largest cobalt resources. These deposits and prospects occur in Alaska, California, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico and Tennessee. Several deposits and prospects were not included in this database, because they contain less than 1,000 metric tons of cobalt. A prime example is the Bunkerville project in Nevada (Ludington and others, 2006). The Stillwater deposit in Montana produced cobalt, but this was a byproduct, and to our knowledge, there are no published records of the amount of cobalt produced, or the amount of cobalt contained within the deposit. Analyses of rock chips from 47 outcrops of the Katahdin deposit in Maine indicates that the deposit locally contains approximately 0.1 percent cobalt (Miller, 1945), but a thorough analysis of the deposit is lacking. Mine La Motte in Missouri and the Stone Corral project in California were not included because of a lack of ore reserve information in publicly available references. However, we are aware that cobalt is present in the area and we welcome further information on these sites. The entries and descriptions in the database were derived from published papers, reports, data, and internet documents, published from 1908 to 2018, representing a variety of sources, including geologic and exploration studies described in State, Federal, and industry reports. Although an attempt was made to capture as many examples as possible, this dataset is a progress report that is part of an ongoing effort. The authors welcome additional published information in order to continually update and refine this dataset.

This data release provides descriptions of more than 60 mineral regions, mines, and mineral deposits within the United States and its territories that are reported to contain enrichments of cobalt (Co). To focus the scope of this data release, we report only mined deposits and exploration prospects with past production, or resource and reserve estimates of 1,000 metric tons or more of cobalt. Cobalt has diverse uses because of its properties, which include ferromagnetism, hardness, wear-resistance, low conductivity, and high melting point. The primary uses for cobalt are in rechargeable battery electrodes, and in superalloys used to make gas turbine engines. In 2017, the United States had a net import reliance as a percentage of apparent consumption of 72 percent for cobalt, and cobalt is considered a critical mineral. Cobalt mineralogy is diverse; it occurs in a variety of sulfide, arsenide, sulfarsenide, and oxyhydroxide minerals. In the United States, cobalt could be derived as a byproduct from mineral deposits that primarily produce other metals, including nickel, copper, zinc, and lead. The inclusion of a particular mineral deposit or prospect in this database is not meant to imply that it has economic potential. Rather, these entries were included to capture the characteristics of the deposits and prospects in the United States and its territories that have the largest cobalt resources. These deposits and prospects occur in Alaska, California, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico and Tennessee. Several deposits and prospects were not included in this database, because they contain less than 1,000 metric tons of cobalt. A prime example is the Bunkerville project in Nevada (Ludington and others, 2006). The Stillwater deposit in Montana produced cobalt, but this was a byproduct, and to our knowledge, there are no published records of the amount of cobalt produced, or the amount of cobalt contained within the deposit. Analyses of rock chips from 47 outcrops of the Katahdin deposit in Maine indicates that the deposit locally contains approximately 0.1 percent cobalt (Miller, 1945), but a thorough analysis of the deposit is lacking. Mine La Motte in Missouri and the Stone Corral project in California were not included because of a lack of ore reserve information in publicly available references. However, we are aware that cobalt is present in the area and we welcome further information on these sites. The entries and descriptions in the database were derived from published papers, reports, data, and internet documents, published from 1908 to 2018, representing a variety of sources, including geologic and exploration studies described in State, Federal, and industry reports. Although an attempt was made to capture as many examples as possible, this dataset is a progress report that is part of an ongoing effort. The authors welcome additional published information in order to continually update and refine this dataset.

This data release provides the description of U.S. sites that include mineral regions, mines and mineral occurrences (deposits) that have a contained resource and (or) production of tellurium metal greater than 1 metric ton. For this data release, only one deposit in the U.S. with historic production records was found: Butte, Montana. We did not locate any deposits in the U.S. that list Te resources. Production facilities, such as the ASARCO LLC’s copper refinery in Amarillo, Texas are not included within this database. Tellurium is necessary for strategic, consumer, and commercial applications. The primary use for tellurium is for Cd-Te film solar cells. Other uses are as an alloying additive to steel to improve machining characteristics, as a minor additive in copper alloys to improve machinability without reducing conductivity, in lead alloys to improve resistance to vibration and fatigue, in cast iron to help control the depth of chill, and in malleable iron as a carbide stabilizer. Tellurium is used in the chemical industry as a vulcanizing agent and accelerator in the processing of rubber and as a component of catalysts for synthetic fiber production. In 2018, the U.S. had a net import reliance as a percentage of apparent consumption of more than 75 percent for tellurium (U.S. Geological Survey, 2019). Tellurium is primarily imported from Canada, China, and Germany so as to meet consumer demand. Because tellurium is a byproduct metal, production figures are seldom reported, and in the U.S. are only available in the public domain for the porphyry Cu deposit at Butte, Montana. Tellurium occurs in several deposit types in the U.S., such as in the porphyry Cu deposits in the western U.S. and Alaska; in epithermal deposits such as Cripple Creek in Colorado and Golden Sunlight in Montana; in orogenic gold deposits such as Kensington in Alaska; in volcanic hosted massive sulfide deposits such as those in Penokean Belt of Wisconsin and Michigan; and in magmatic Cu-Ni-platinum group element deposits such as Stillwater in Montana, and NorthMet in Minnesota, amongst others. From these sites there are no publicly available defined resources or production figures that would enable these sites to be included in this data release. Most tellurium occurs as Au, Ag, and platinum group telluride minerals; less is known about its distribution as a minor and trace element in sulfide minerals. Tellurium is principally recovered as a byproduct from the anode slimes generated during electrolytic copper refining; the main producers of Te in the U.S. are likely the porphyry Cu deposits of the western U.S. The entries and descriptions in the database were derived from published papers, reports, data, and internet documents representing a variety of sources, including geologic and exploration studies described in State, Federal, and industry reports. Inclusion of material in the database is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The authors welcome additional published information in order to continually update and refine this dataset. U.S. Geological Survey, 2019, Mineral commodity summaries 2019: U.S. Geological Survey, 200 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/70202434.