Mines appoints inaugural Fryrear Presidential Chair to lead energy innovation

Mines and the U.S. Geological Survey have a long history of working side by side to solve the geological and mineral resource questions of the times. USGS scientists have joint and affiliate faculty appointments through Mines’ Center for Mineral Resource Science. The USGS even houses its National Earthquake Information Center in its Geologic Hazards Science Center on the Mines campus.

This close relationship continues now in the field of critical minerals—those deemed essential to economic and national security. Some are rare, while others are relatively abundant but difficult to develop economically. Demand also shifts as technology changes: Lithium was virtually ignored before the battery boom, and rare tellurium has become a key component to some semiconductors and other electronic devices. In this dynamic landscape, research in the critical minerals lifecycle is multifaceted and multidisciplinary, running a gamut from characterization and exploration to extraction, use and recycling.