The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits SIR10-5220

The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits of the
United StatesA Summary of Domestic Deposits

and a Global Perspective
Gd
Pr
Sm
La
Nd
Scientific Investigations Report 20105220
U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
Ce
Cover photo: Powders of six rare earth elements oxides. Photograph by Peggy Greb, Agricultural Research Center of
United States Department of Agriculture.
The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits

of the United StatesA Summary of
Domestic Deposits and a Global Perspective
By Keith R. Long, Bradley S. Van Gosen, Nora K. Foley, and Daniel Cordier
Scientific Investigations Report 20105220


KEN SALAZAR, Secretary
Marcia K. McNutt, Director
U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2010
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Long, K.R., Van Gosen, B.S., Foley, N.K., and Cordier, Daniel, 2010, The principal rare earth elements deposits of the
United StatesA summary of domestic deposits and a global perspective: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific
Investigations Report 20105220, 96 p. Available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5220/.
iii
Contents
Introduction and Background.......................................................................................................................1
The Rare Earth Elements...............................................................................................................................3
Basic Geology of Rare Earth Elements..............................................................................................3
Mineralogy of United States Deposits...............................................................................................7
References Cited.................................................................................................................................14
Current Sources and Domestic Reserves................................................................................................15
Concentration of Supply.....................................................................................................................15
Risk of Supply Interruption.................................................................................................................17
Domestic and World Resources........................................................................................................18
Developing Rare Earth Elements Resources..................................................................................19
Developing a Rare Earth Elements Mine.........................................................................................21
Summary...............................................................................................................................................23
The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits of the United States.......................................................27
Glossary of Terms................................................................................................................................27
Alaska
Bokan Mountain............................................................................................................28

Salmon Bay....................................................................................................................35
California
Mountain Pass Deposit and Mine..............................................................................36

Music Valley Area.........................................................................................................40
Colorado
Iron Hill Carbonatite Complex......................................................................................41

Wet Mountains Area....................................................................................................45
Idaho
Diamond Creek Area....................................................................................................49

Hall Mountain................................................................................................................51

Lemhi Pass district, IdahoMontana.........................................................................53
Illinois
Hicks Dome....................................................................................................................56
Missouri
Pea Ridge Iron Deposit and Mine...............................................................................57
Nebraska
Elk Creek Carbonatite...................................................................................................63
New Mexico Capitan Mountains........................................................................................................65

El Porvenir District........................................................................................................66

Gallinas Mountains.......................................................................................................67

Gold Hill Area and White Signal District...................................................................69

Laughlin Peak Area......................................................................................................70

Lemitar and Chupadera Mountains...........................................................................71

Petaca District...............................................................................................................72

Red Hills Area................................................................................................................73

Wind Mountain, Cornudas Mountains......................................................................74
New York
Mineville Iron District...................................................................................................75
Wyoming
Bear Lodge Mountains.................................................................................................78
Phosphorite Deposits in the Southeastern United States.....................................................................80
Placer Rare Earth Elements Deposits.......................................................................................................84
IdahoPlacer Deposits..............................................................................................................................86
North and South CarolinaPlacer Deposits...........................................................................................90
Florida and GeorgiaBeach Placer Deposits........................................................................................93
iv
Figures
Index map of the principal rare earth elements districts in the United States....................................2
The Rare Earth Elements

1. Periodic table of the elements.....................................................................................................4

2. Rare earth elements mineral-processing flow sheet for the Mountain Pass mine,
California.........................................................................................................................................8
Current Sources and Domestic Reserves

3. Criticality matrix for selected imported metals.......................................................................17
Alaska

4. Simplified geologic map of Bokan Mountain, Alaska............................................................29

5. Map of major vein and dike systems associated with Bokan Mountain, Alaska.............32
California

6. Google Earth image of Mountain Pass mining district, California.......................................37

7. Photograph of northwest-facing view of Mountain Pass district, California....................38

8. Photograph of dolomitic carbonatite of Sulphide Queen orebody, California...................38
Colorado

9. Photograph of northwest-facing view of Iron Hill, Colorado................................................42
10. Photograph of outcrop of pyroxenite unit in Iron Hill carbonatite complex, Colorado....44
11. Photograph of Sewell Ranch thorium vein, Wet Mountains, Colorado..............................46
12. Photograph of west-facing view of McClure Mountain, Colorado.....................................47
Idaho
13. Photograph of view to west of Lemhi Pass, Idaho-Montana boundary.............................54
14. Photograph of outcrop of Wonder vein, Lemhi Pass district, Idaho-Montana.................54
Missouri
15. Generalized geologic map of 2275 level of Pea Ridge iron mine, Missouri.......................59
New York
16. Map of Mineville district, New York.........................................................................................76
Phosphorite Deposits in the Southeastern United States
17. Map of locations of phosphogenic provinces of the southeastern United States...........81
Placer Rare Earth Elements Deposits
18. Photograph of heavy-mineral layers in quartz beach sand, Chennai, India......................84
IdahoPlacer Deposits
19. Generalized map of known monazite placer districts, Idaho...............................................87
20. Photograph of Porter Brothers dredge, Bear Valley, Idaho.................................................88
North and South CarolinaPlacer Deposits
21. Map of monazite placers of North and South Carolina.........................................................91
Florida-GeorgiaBeach Placer Deposits
22. Map of locations of Recent and Pleistocene sands, Georgia..............................................94
23. Map of sample and mine locations of monazite, Georgia and Florida................................95
Tables

1. Estimates of the crustal abundances of rare earth elements................................................5

2. Classification of rare earth elementsbearing mineral deposits..........................................6

3. Rare earth elements, thorium, and uranium content of minerals..........................................9

4. Dominant rare earth elementsbearing minerals in the United States..............................11

5. Distribution of rare earth elements in selected rare earth elements deposits.................12

6. Usage of rare earth elements....................................................................................................13

7. Production of rare earth elements mines in 2009...................................................................13

8. World production and reserves of rare earth elements minerals in 2009..........................15

9. Measures of concentration for selected world metal mining industries...........................16
10. Domestic reserves and resources of rare earth elements...................................................19
11. Reserves and resources of rare earth elements outside of the United States.................20
12. Time required to obtain permits, construct, and commission recent metal mines
in the United States.....................................................................................................................22
13. Time required to develop selected mines outside of the United States.............................24
AlaskaBokan Mountain
14. Uranium production from the Ross-Adams mine, Alaska.....................................................30
15. Dimensions of main orebodies at Bokan Mountain, Alaska.................................................31
16. Resource estimates for main prospects on Bokan Mountain, Alaska, and
surrounding property..................................................................................................................33
ColoradoIron Hill
17. Median concentrations of rare earth elements in carbonatite stock and pyroxenite
unit at Iron Hill, Colorado............................................................................................................43
IdahoHall Mountain, Last Chance
18. Concentrations of rare earth elements in vein samples from Hall Mountain, Idaho.......51
19. Concentrations of rare earth elements in samples from Last Chance vein,
Idaho-Montana............................................................................................................................55
MissouriPea Ridge
20. Rare earth elements and thorium concentrations in four breccia pipes at
Pea Ridge, Missouri....................................................................................................................60
ChinaTwo Chinese deposits
21. Rare earth elements oxide concentrations of two Chinese deposits compared with
major U.S. deposits......................................................................................................................61
WyomingBear Lodge Mountains
22. Typical rare earth elements distribution in Bear Lodge Mountains deposit,
Wyoming.......................................................................................................................................79
vi
Abbreviations Used in This Report

cm
ft
ft3
g/cm3
in.
km
km2
kt
lb
m
mi
mi2
mm
ppm
t
centimeter
foot
cubic foot
gram per cubic centimeter
inch
kilometer
square kilometer
thousand metric tons
pound
meter
mile
square mile
millimeter
parts per million
metric ton
HREE
LREE
REE
U.S.
USGS
REO
TREO
WGS84

heavy rare earth elements

light rare earth elements
rare earth elements
United States
United States Geological Survey
rare earth oxide
total rare earth oxide
World Geodetic System of 1984 (the reference coordinate system used by
global positioning systems)
The Principal Rare Earth Element Deposits of the

United StatesA Summary of Domestic Deposits
and a Global Perspective
By Keith R. Long,1 Bradley S. Van Gosen,2 Nora K. Foley,3 and Daniel Cordier3
Introduction and Background

The rare earth elements (REE) are fifteen elements with
atomic numbers 57 through 71, from lanthanum to lutetium
(lanthanides), plus yttrium (39), which is chemically similar
to the lanthanide elements and thus typically included with the
rare earth elements. Although industrial demand for these elements is relatively small in tonnage terms, they are essential
for a diverse and expanding array of high-technology applications. REE-containing magnets, metal alloys for batteries and
light-weight structures, and phosphors are essential for many
current and emerging alternative energy technologies, such as
electric vehicles, energy-efficient lighting, and wind power.
REE are also critical for a number of key defense systems and
other advanced materials.
Section 843 of the National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2010, Public Law 111-84, directs the Comptroller General to complete a report on REE materials in the
defense supply chain. The Office of Industrial Policy, in collaboration with other U.S. Government agencies, has initiated
(in addition to this report) a detailed study of REE. This latter
study will assess the Department of Defenses use of REE, as
well as the status and security of domestic and global supply
chains. That study will also address vulnerabilities in the supply chain and recommend ways to mitigate any potential risks
of supply disruption. To help conduct this study, the Office of
Industrial Policy asked the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
to report on domestic REE reserves and resources in a global
context. To this end, the enclosed report is the initial USGS
contribution to assessing and summarizing the domestic REE
resources in a global perspective.
In 2009, the Mineral Resources Program of the USGS
organized a new project under the title Minerals at Risk and
For Emerging Technologies in order to evaluate mineral
resource and supply issues of rare metals that are of increasing
U.S. Geological Survey, Tucson, Arizona
U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado
U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia
importance to the national economy. Leaders and members of

this project, with the assistance of the USGS National Minerals Information Center, prepared the enclosed USGS report
on domestic REE resources. The USGS Mineral Resources
Program has investigated domestic and selected foreign REE
resources for many decades, and this report summarizes what
has been learned from this research. The USGS National
Minerals Information Center (formerly Minerals Information
Team) has monitored global production, trade, and resources
for an equally long period and is the principal source of statistics used in this report.
The objective of this study is to provide a nontechnical
overview of domestic reserves and resources of REE and
possibilities for utilizing those resources. At the present time,
the United States obtains its REE raw materials from foreign
sources, almost exclusively from China. Import dependence
upon a single country raises serious issues of supply security.
In a global context, domestic REE resources are modest and
of uncertain value; hence, available resources in traditional
trading partners (such as Canada and Australia) are of great
interest for diversifying sources of supply. This report restates
basic geologic facts about REE relevant to assessing security
of supply, followed by a review of current United States consumption and imports of REE, current knowledge of domestic
resources, and possibilities for future domestic production.
Further detail follows in a deposit-by-deposit review of the
most significant domestic REE deposits (see index map).
Necessary steps to develop domestic resources are discussed
in a separate section, leading into a review of current domestic
exploration and a discussion of the value of a future national
mineral resource assessment of REE. The report also includes
an overview of known global REE resources and discusses the
reliability of alternative foreign sources of REE.
Music
Valley
Mountain Pass
CA
Placers
ID
CO
Wet Mtns
NE
Red Hills
Wind Mtn
Elk Creek
Bear Lodge Mtns
Laughlin Peak
El
Porvenir
NM
Lemitar Mtns
Gallinas Mtns
Chupadera Mtns
Capitan
Mtns
GoId Hill
Petaca
Iron Hill
WY
MT
Diamond Creek
Lemhi Pass
Hall Mtn
Principal rare earth elements districts in the United States, which are described in this report.
Bokan Mtn, AK
Salmon Bay, AK
Pea Ridge
MO
Hicks
Dome
IL
GA
Placers
FL
Land-pebble
Phosphate Field
Placers
SC
NC
NY
Mineville
2 The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits of the United States
The Rare Earth Elements 3

The rare earth elements (REE) comprise 15 elements
that range in atomic number from 57 (lanthanum) to 71
(lutetium) on the periodic table (fig. 1). These elements are
also commonly referred to as lanthanides. Yttrium (atomic
number = 39) is also included with the REE group, because it
shares chemical and physical similarities with the lanthanides.
Traditionally, the REE are divided into two groups on the
basis of atomic weight: the light rare earth elements are lanthanum through europium (atomic numbers = 57 through 63);
and the heavy rare earth elements are gadolinium through
lutetium (atomic numbers = 64 through 71). Yttrium (atomic
number = 39), although light, is included with the heavy REE
group because of its common chemical and physical affiliations
with the heavy REE in nature.
Most of the REE are not as rare as the groups name
suggests. They were named rare earth elements because most
were identified during the 18th and 19th centuries as oxide
components within seemingly rare minerals. Cerium is the
most abundant REE, and it is actually more common in the
Earths crust than is copper or lead. All of the REE except
promethium are more abundant than silver or mercury (Taylor
and McLennan, 1985). The rare earth elements are commonly
found together in the Earths crust because they share a trivalent charge (+3) and similar ionic radii. Detailed information
on the REE is described in Emsley (2001), and an overview of
the geology, production, and economics of REE is provided by
Castor and Hedrick (2006).
Basic Geology of Rare Earth Elements

Several geologic aspects of the natural occurrence of rare
earth elements strongly influence the supply of rare-earthelements raw materials. These geologic factors are presented
as statements of facts followed by a detailed discussion. This
section is placed before the balance of the report because an
understanding of these facts is critical to the discussion that
follows and should be read first.
Although rare earth elements are relatively abundant in the
Earths crust, they are rarely concentrated into mineable ore
deposits.
The estimated average concentration of the rare earth
elements in the Earths crust, which ranges from around 150
to 220 parts per million (table 1), exceeds that of many other
metals that are mined on an industrial scale, such as copper
(55 parts per million) and zinc (70 parts per million). Unlike
most commercially mined base and precious metals, however,
rare earth elements are rarely concentrated into mineable ore
deposits. The principal concentrations of rare earth elements
are associated with uncommon varieties of igneous rocks,
namely alkaline rocks and carbonatites. Potentially useful concentrations of REE-bearing minerals are also found in placer
deposits, residual deposits formed from deep weathering of
igneous rocks, pegmatites, iron-oxide copper-gold deposits,
and marine phosphates (table 2).
Alkaline igneous rocks form from cooling of magmas

derived by small degrees of partial melting of rocks in the
Earths mantle. The formation of alkaline rocks is complex
and not fully understood but can be thought of as a geologic
process that extracts and concentrates those elements that do
not fit into the structure of the common rock-forming minerals. The resulting alkaline magmas are rare and unusually
enriched in elements such as zirconium, niobium, strontium,
barium, lithium, and the rare earth elements. When these magmas ascend into the Earths crust, their chemical composition
undergoes further changes in response to variations in pressure, temperature, and composition of surrounding rocks. The
result is an astonishing diversity of rock types that are variably enriched in economic elements, including the rare earth
elements. The mineral deposits associated with these rocks
are likewise quite diverse and awkward to classify, in that the
distinctive features of these deposits and their rarity can result
in classifications that have only one or a few known examples.
Classification of ores related to alkaline rocks is also
controversial. Table 2 presents a relatively simple classification that follows analogous categories for deposits related to
nonalkaline igneous rocks. Some of the more unusual alkaline
rocks that host, or are related to, REE ores are carbonatite and
phoscorite, igneous rocks composed principally of carbonate
and phosphate minerals, respectively. Carbonatites, and especially phoscorites, are relatively uncommon, as there are only
527 known carbonatites in the world (Woolley and Kjarsgaard,
2008). Economic concentrations of REE-bearing minerals
occur in some alkaline rocks, skarns and carbonate-replacement
deposits associated with alkaline intrusions, veins and dikes
cutting alkaline igneous complexes and surrounding rocks, and
soils and other weathering products of alkaline rocks.
Weathering of all types of rocks yields sediments that are
deposited in a wide variety of environments, such as streams
and rivers, shorelines, alluvial fans, and deltas. The process of
erosion concentrates denser minerals, most notably gold, into
deposits known as placers. Depending on the source of the
erosion products, certain rare earth elementsbearing minerals, such as monazite and xenotime, can be concentrated along
with other heavy minerals. The source need not be an alkaline
igneous rock or a related rare-earth deposit. Many common
igneous, metamorphic, and even older sedimentary rocks contain enough monazite to produce a monazite-bearing placer.
As a result, monazite is almost always found in any placer
deposit. However, the types of placers with the greatest concentrations of monazite are typically ilmeniteheavy mineral
placers, which have been mined for titanium oxide pigments,
and cassiterite placers, which are mined for tin.
In tropical environments, rocks are deeply weathered to
form a unique soil profile consisting of laterite, an iron- and
aluminum-rich soil, as much as many tens of meters thick.
The processes of soil formation commonly concentrate heavy
minerals as residual deposits, resulting in an enriched-metal
layer over the underlying, unweathered bedrock. When a rareearth deposit undergoes such weathering, it may be enriched
in rare earth elements in concentrations of economic interest.
Figure 1. Periodic table of the elements. The rare earth elements comprise 15 elements, which range in atomic number from 57 to 71, including lanthanum (La) to lutetium (Lu).
The elements are also commonly referred to as lanthanides. Yttrium (Y, atomic number 39) is also typically included with the rare earth elements group because it shares
chemical, physical, and application properties with the lanthanides.

Table 1.
Estimates of the crustal abundances of rare earth elements.
[Rare earth elements listed in order of increasing atomic number; yttrium (Y) is included with these elements because it shares chemical and physical similarities
with the lanthanides. Unit of measure, parts per million]
Rare earth
element
Mason
and Moore
(1982)
Jackson and
Christiansen
(1993)
Sabot and
Maestro
(1995)
Wedephol
(1995)
Lide
(1997)
McGill
(1997)
Lanthanum
30
29
18
30
39
5 to 18
Cerium
60
70
46
60
66.5
20 to 46
9.2
3.5 to 5.5
41.5
12 to 24
Praseodynium
Neodymium
8.2
5.5
37
Samarium
6.5
5.3
7.05
Europium
1.2
1.3
0.5
1.3
0.14 to 1.1
Gadolinium
5.4
6.4
6.2
4.5 to 6.4
Terbium
0.9
2.5
0.9
0.65
1.2
0.7 to 1
Dysprosium
3.8
5.2
4.5 to 7.5
Holmium
1.2
1.7
1.2
0.8
1.3
0.7 to 1.2
Erbium
2.8
3.3
2.1
3.5
2.5 to 6.5
Thulium
0.5
0.27
0.4
0.3
0.52
0.2 to 1
Ytterbium
3.4
0.33
2.7
3.2
2.7 to 8
Lutetium
0.5
0.8
0.8
0.35
0.8
0.8 to 1.7
Yttrium
33
Scandium
22
Total
206.1
24
6.7
28
29
205.2
27
4.5 to 7
28
24
33
28 to 70
10
16
22
5 to 10
159.9
184.3
A particular type of REE deposit, the ion-absorption type, is

formed by the leaching of rare earth elements from seemingly
common igneous rocks and fixing the elements onto clays in
soil. These deposits are only known in southern China and
Kazakhstan and their formation is poorly understood.
Among pegmatites, a group of very coarse grained
intrusive igneous rocks, the niobium-yttrium-fluorine family, comprises a large number of subtypes formed in different geologic environments. These subtypes are granitic in
composition and are usually found peripheral to large granitic
intrusions. In general, however, rare earth elementsbearing
pegmatites are generally small and are of economic interest
only to mineral collectors.
The iron-oxide copper-gold type of deposit has been
recognized as a distinct deposit type only since the discovery
of the giant Olympic Dam deposit in South Australia in the
1980s. The Olympic Dam deposit is unusual in that it contains
large amounts of rare earth elements and uranium. An economic method for recovering rare earth elements from these
deposits has not yet been found. Many other deposits of this
type have been identified around the world, but information
on their rare earth elements content is generally lacking. Trace
amounts of rare earth elements have also been identified in
magnetite-apatite replacement deposits.
242.17
Karst bauxites, aluminum-rich soils that accumulate in

cavernous limestone (underlying karst topography) in Montenegro and elsewhere, are enriched in rare earth elements,
but the resulting concentrations are not of economic interest
(Maksimovi and Pant, 1996). The same can be said for
marine phosphate deposits, which can contain as many as
0.1 percent REE oxides (Altschuler and others, 1966). As
a result, recovery of rare earth elements as a byproduct of
phosphate fertilizer manufacture has been investigated.
The ores of rare earth elements are mineralogically and
chemically complex and commonly radioactive.
In many base and precious metal deposits, the metals
extracted are highly concentrated in a single mineral phase, such
as copper in chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) or zinc in sphalerite (ZnS).
Separation of a single mineral phase from rock is a relatively
easy task. The final product is a concentrate typically sent to a
smelter for final extraction and refining of the metals. Zinc, for
example, is almost entirely derived from the mineral sphalerite, such that the global zinc smelting and refining industry has
developed a highly specialized treatment of this mineral. Thus,
production of zinc has a pronounced cost advantage in that a
single standard technology is used, and the development of a
new zinc mine is a largely conventional process.

Table 2. Classification of rare earth elementsbearing mineral deposits.
Association
Peralkaline igneous rocks
Carbonatites
Iron oxide copper-gold
Type
Example
Magmatic (alkali-ultrabasic)
Lovozero, Russia.
Pegmatite dikes (alkali-ultrabasic)
Khibina Massif, Russia.
Pegmatite dikes (peralkaline)
Motzfeldt, Greenland.
Hydrothermal veins and stockworks
Lemhi Pass, Idaho.
Volcanic
Brockman, Western Australia.
Metasomatic-albitite
Miask, Russia.
Magmatic
Mountain Pass, California.
Dikes and dialational veins
Kangakunde Hill, Malawi.
Hydrothermal veins and stockworks
Gallinas Mtns., New Mexico.
Skarn
Saima, China.
Carbonate rock replacement
Bayan Obo, China.
Metasomatic-fenite
Magnet Cove, Arkansas.
Magnetite-apatite replacement
Eagle Mountain, California.
Hematite-magnetite breccia
Olympic Dam, South Australia.
Abyssal (heavy rare earth elements)
Aldan, Russia.
Abyssal (light rare earth elements)
Five Mile, Ontario.
Muscovite (rare earth elements)
Spruce Pine, North Carolina.
Rare earth elements-allanite-monazite
South Platte, Colorado.
Rare earth elements-euxenite
Topsham, Maine.
Rare earth elements-gadolinite
Ytterby, Sweden.
Miarolitic-rare earth elements-topaz-beryl
Mount Antero, Colorado
Miarolitic-rare earth elements-gadolinite-fergusonite
Wasau complex, Wisconsin.
Porphyry molybdenum
Climax-type
Climax, Colorado.
Metamorphic
Migmatized gneiss
Music Valley, California.
Uraniumrare earth elements skarn
Mary Kathleen, Queensland.
Platform phosphorite
Southeast Idaho.
Carbonatite-associated
Mount Weld, Western Australia.
Granite-associated laterite
South China.
Baddeleyite bauxite
Poos de Caldas, Brazil.
Karst bauxite
Montenegro.
Uraniferous pyritic quartz pebble conglomerate
Elliot Lake, Ontario.
Auriferous pyritic quartz pebble conglomerate
Witwatersrand, South Africa.
Shoreline Tiheavy mineral placer
Cooljarloo, Western Australia.
Tin stream placer
Malaysia.
Pegmatites
Stratiform phosphate residual
Paleoplacer
Placer

Current mineral-processing practice is capable of sequential separation of multiple mineral phases but it is not always
cost effective to do so. When elements of interest are found in
two or more mineral phases, each requiring a different extraction technology, mineral processing is relatively costly. Many
rare earth elements deposits contain two or more rare earth
elementsbearing phases. Therefore, rare earth elements deposits in which the rare earth elements are largely concentrated in
a single mineral phase have a competitive advantage. To date,
REE production has largely come from single-mineral-phase
deposits, such as Bayan Obo (bastnasite), Mountain Pass (bastnasite), and heavy-mineral placers (monazite).
Rare earth elementsbearing minerals, once separated,
contain as many as 14 individual rare earth elements (lanthanides and yttrium) that must be further separated and
refined. The complexity of extracting and refining rare earth
elements is illustrated by a metallurgical flow sheet for the
Mountain Pass mine in California (fig. 2). Unlike metal sulfides, which are chemically simple compounds, REE-bearing
minerals are quite complex (table 3). Base metal sulfide ores,
such as sphalerite (ZnS), are typically smelted to burn off sulfur
and separate impurities from the molten metal. The resulting
metal is further refined to near purity by electrolysis. Rare earth
elements, on the other hand, are typically extracted and refined
through dozens of chemical processes to separate the different
rare earth elements and remove impurities.
The principal deleterious impurity in REE-bearing minerals is thorium, which imparts an unwanted radioactivity to the
ores. Because radioactive materials are difficult to mine and
handle safely, they are heavily regulated. When a radioactive
waste product is produced, special disposal methods must be
used. The cost of handling and disposing of radioactive material is a serious impediment to the economic extraction of the
more radioactive REE-rich minerals, in particular monazite,
which typically contains considerable amounts of thorium. In
fact, imposition of tighter regulations on the use of radioactive
minerals drove many sources of monazite out of the rare earth
elements market during the 1980s.
The complex metallurgy of rare earth elements is compounded by the fact that no two REE ores are truly alike. As
a result, there is no standard process for extracting the REEbearing minerals and refining them into marketable rare earth
compounds. To develop a new rare earth elements mine, the ores
must be extensively tested by using a variety of known extraction methods and a unique sequence of optimized processing
steps. Compared with a new zinc mine, process development for
rare earth elements costs substantially more time and money.
Mineralogy of United States Deposits

The main REE-bearing minerals found in the United
States are euxenite, bastnasite, xenotime, monazite, and
allanite. Samarskite, aeschynite, fergusonite, parisite, synchisite, tengerite, ancylite, florencite, britholite, kainosite, and
thalenite have also been identified in United States deposits
(table 4). Euxenite [(Y,Er,Ce,U,Pb,Ca)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2(O,OH)6] is
an oxide mineral that forms a series with the mineral polycrase

[(Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Ti,Nb,Ta)2O6]. Other rare earth elements oxide
(REO) minerals, such as fergusonite, aeschynite, and samarskite, have similar properties, making identification in hand
sample difficult. Euxenite is black with a tabular to prismatic
habit, making it indistinguishable from rutile, a common oxide
mineral, when found in massive form. However, euxenite does
not have any cleavage planes and, unlike rutile, has a conchoidal fracture. Furthermore, because euxenite is ordinarily found
in granite pegmatites, it is commonly associated with quartz,
feldspars, columbite (now called ferrocolumbite), tantalite (now
called ferrotantalite or manganocolumbite), and monazite.
Bastnasite (also spelled bastnsite or bastnaesite) is a rare
REE-bearing carbonate mineral [(Ce, La,Y)CO3F] that forms a
series with the mineral hydroxyl-bastnasite [(Ce,La)CO3(OH,F)].
Bastnasite can be pale white, tan, gray, brown, yellow, or pink,
with a pearly, vitreous, or greasy to dull luster. Bastnasite usually forms small rounded hexagonal or short prismatic crystals,
though it can also form rosettes and spheres. Both massive and
granular varieties have been observed. Bastnasite is closely
related to the mineral parisite [Ca(Ce,La)2(CO3)3F2] and has
been known to replace crystals of allanite.
Xenotime is a Y-bearing phosphate mineral (YPO4) and
can be yellowish brown to reddish brown with a vitreous to
resinous luster. Less common colors include gray, salmon
pink, and green. Xenotime is usually an accessory mineral in
acidic and alkaline rocks, though it has been observed in mica
schists and quartz-rich gneisses; it may also be a detrital mineral. Xenotime can easily be confused with zircon because of
similarities in crystal habit and overall appearance. However,
xenotime is not as hard as zircon and demonstrates perfect
{100} cleavage.
Monazite is a REE- and thorium-bearing phosphate mineral [(Ce,La,Y,Th)PO4] and typically contains 6062 percent
total rare-earth oxides. Monazites resistance to chemical
weathering and its high specific gravity account for its association with other resistant heavy minerals such as ilmenite,
magnetite, rutile, and zircon. Because monazite is radioactive,
however, grains can be metamict, which means they have lost
their crystalline structure owing to radioactive decay. Crystals
of monazite are yellow to brown or orange-brown with a vitreous and resinous or adamantine luster. Monazite grains are
usually equant to prismatic with wedge-shaped terminations.
Both granular and massive forms exist.
Allanite [Ca(Ce,La,Y,Ca)Al2(Fe2+,Fe3+)(SiO4)(Si2O7)
O(OH)], which belongs to the epidote mineral group, is
one of the more common REE-bearing minerals in igneous
rocks but is rarely concentrated enough to be an ore of REE.
Allanite grains are tabular and usually black, though dark
brown to brownish violet varieties also occur. Allanite has a
conchoidal fracture and is commonly metamict because of the
radioactive decay of thorium. The presence of a halo or dark
ring inside the mineral grain is also an effect of its radioactivity. Most commonly, allanite is found as an accessory mineral
in igneous rocks, such as granites, syenites, diorites, and
associated pegmatites.

Steam
Crushing
Grinding
Classification
Bastnasite Ore
(7% REO)
Steam
Conditioner 1
Steam
Steam
Conditioner 6
Steam
Conditioner 5
Conditioner 4
Tailings
(1 to 2% REO)
Conditioner 3
Ammonium
Lignin
Sulfonate
Tall Oil C -30
Rougher
Flotation
Conditioner 2
Soda Ash
Fluosilicate
Cleaner
Flotation 1
Cleaner
Flotation 2, 3, 4
Scavenger
Flotation
Thickener
Drum Filter
Rotary Kiln
Dryer
Regrind
Ce Carbonate
(90% CeO2 )
Redox
Separation
Thickener and
Filter
Oxidizing Roast
Acid Leach
Bastnasite
Concentrate
(85% REO)
Bastnasite
Concentrate
(70% REO)
Bastnasite
Concentrate
(60% REO)
HCl
Ce
Concentrate
(57% CeO2 )
Filter
SX Mixers
Precipitation
Filter
Calcination
Nitrification
SX Loading
Mixer-Settlers
SX Stripping
Mixer-Settlers
Eu Redox
Separation
HNO3
La(NO3 )3
Nd Oxide
Nd Pr SX
Separation
La Nd Pr SX
Separation
Acid Treatment
Precipitation
Filter
Calcination
La Chloride
Sm Gd SX
Separation
Eu Purification
Precipitation
Filter
Calcination
Precipitation
Filter
Calcination
Precipitation
Filter
Calcination
Gd Oxide
Sm Oxide
HCl
Pr Oxide
Eu Oxide
Figure 2. Rare earth elements mineral-processing flow sheet for the Mountain Pass mine, California, about
1995. From one type of ore, no less than 12 rare earth elements products were obtained. REO, rare earth oxides;
Ce, cerium; Eu, europium; Gd, gadolinium; La, lanthanum; Nd, neodymium; Pr, praseodymium; Sm, samarium; HCl,
hydrochloric acid. (Gupta and Krishnamurthy (2005), Castor and Hedrick (2006)).

Table 3. Rare earth elements, thorium, and uranium content of minerals found in rare earth elements deposits.Continued
[--, not available; REO, rare earth elements oxides. Minerals in bold have historically been processed to recover rare earth elements. Small quantities of other
minerals may be found in deposits that are or have been mined or in unmined deposits]
Mineral
Content (weight percent)
Formula
REO
ThO2
UO2
Allanite (Ce)
(Ce,Ca,Y)2(Al,Fe2+,Fe3+)3(SiO4)3(OH)
3 to 51
0 to 3
--
Allanite (Y)
(Y,Ce,Ca)2(Al,Fe )3(SiO4)3(OH)
3 to 51
0 to 3
--
Anatase
(Ti,REE)O2
--
--
--
Ancylite (Ce)
SrCe(CO3)2OHH20
46 to 53
0 to 0.4
0.1
Bastnasite (Ce)
(Ce,La)(CO3)F
70 to 74
0 to 0.3
0.09
Brannerite
(U,Ca,Y,Ce)(Ti,Fe)2O6
--
--
--
Britholite (Ce)
(Ce,Ca)5(SiO4,PO4)3(OH,F)
56
1.5
--
Brockite
(Ca,Th,Ce)(PO4)H2O
--
--
--
Calcio-ancylite (Ce)
(Ca,Sr)Ce3(CO3)4(OH)3H2O
60
--
--
Cerianite (Ce)
(Ce4+,Th)O2
--
--
--
Cerite (Ce)
Ce9Fe3+(SiO2)6[(SiO3)(OH)](OH)3
--
--
--
Cheralite
(Ca,Ce,Th)(P,Si)O4
--
30
--
Chevkinite
(Ca,Ce,Th)4(Fe ,Mg)2(Ti,Fe )3Si4O22
--
--
--
Churchite (Y)
YPO4H2O
--
--
--
Crandallite
CaAl3(PO4)2(OH)5H2O
--
--
--
Doverite
YCaF(CO3)2
Eudialyte
Na4(Ca,Ce)2(Fe2+,Mn2+,Y)ZrSi8O22(OH,Cl)2
Euxenite (Y)
3+
2+
3+
--
--
--
1 to 10
--
--
(Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2O6
--
--
--
Fergusonite (Ce)
(Ce,La,Y)NbO4
--
--
--
Fergusonite (Y)
YNbO4
--
--
--
Florencite (Ce)
CeAl3(PO4)2(OH)6
--
1.4
--
Florencite (La)
(La,Ce)Al3(PO4)2(OH)6
Fluocerite (Ce)
(Ce,La)F3
--
--
--
Fluocerite (La)
(La,Ce)F3
--
--
--
Fluorapatite
(Ca,Ce)5(PO4)3F
0 to 21
0 to 0.01
Fluorite
(Ca,REE)F
--
--
1.4
--
Gadolinite (Y)
Y2Fe Be2Si2O10
40
--
--
Gagarinite (Y)
NaCaY(F,Cl)6
--
--
--
Gerenite (Y)
(Ca,Na)2(Y,REE)3Si6O182H2O
--
--
--
Gorceixite
(Ba,REE)Al3[(PO4)2(OH)5]H2O
--
--
--
2+
Goyazite
SrAl3(PO4)2(OH)5H2O
--
1.4
--
Hingganite (Y)
(Y,Yb,Er)2Be2Si2O8(OH)2
--
--
--
Iimoriite (Y)
Y2(SiO4)(CO3)
--
--
--
Kainosite (Y)
Ca2(Y,Ce)2Si4O12(CO3)H2O
--
--
--
Loparite (Ce)
(Ce,Na,Ca)(Ti,Nb)O3
32 to 34
--
--

Table 3. Rare earth elements, thorium, and uranium content of minerals found in rare earth elements deposits.Continued
[--, not available; REO, rare earth elements oxides. Minerals in bold have historically been processed to recover rare earth elements. Small quantities of other
minerals may be found in deposits that are or have been mined or in unmined deposits]
Mineral
Content (weight percent)
Formula
REO
ThO2
UO2
Monazite (Ce)
(Ce,La,Nd,Th)PO4
35 to 71
0 to 20
0 to 16
Parisite (Ce)
Ca(Ce,La)2(CO3)3F2
59
0 to 0.5
0 to 0.3
Perovskite
(Ca,REE)TiO3
37
0 to 2
0 to 0.05
Pyrochlore
(Ca,Na,REE)2Nb2O6(OH,F)
--
--
--
Rhabdophane (Ce)
(Ce,La)PO4H2O
--
--
--
Rhabdophane (La)
(La,Ce)PO4H2O
--
--
--
Rinkite (rinkolite)
(Ca,Ce)4Na(Na,Ca)2Ti(Si2O7)2F2(O,F)2
--
--
--
Samarskite
(REE,Fe2+,Fe3+,U,Th,Ca)(Nb,Ta,Ti)O4
--
--
--
Sphene (titanite)
(Ca,REE)TiSiO5
--
--
Steenstrupine (Ce)
Na14Ce6Mn2Fe2(Zr,Th)(Si6O18)2(PO4)73H2O
Synchysite (Ce)
Ca(Ce,La)(CO3)2F
--
Synchysite (Y) (doverite)
Ca(Y,Ce)(CO3)2F
--
Thalenite (Y)
Y3Si3O10(F,OH)
--
Thorite
(Th,U)SiO4
Uraninite
(U,Th,Ce)O2
--
1.6
-----
Vitusite (Ce)
Na3(Ce,La,Nd)(PO4)2
--
Xenotime (Y)
YPO4
Yttrofluorite
(Ca,Y)F2
Zircon
(Zr,REE)SiO4
Lateritic depositshighly weathered soil horizons,

rich in iron and aluminum oxide minerals, which develop
in a tropical or forested warm environmenthave been
studied as a potential source of REE; these lateritic REE
deposits may contain large resources when they overlie lowgrade primary sources, such as carbonatites and syenites.
At present, however, only two districts (both in southern
China) have been mined in this capacity. These surficial clay
deposits account for 14 percent of Chinese REE production (Wu and others, 1996). The ore is referred to as REEbearing ionic absorption clay and forms weathering crusts
over granite (Ren, 1985; Wu and others, 1996). Laterite clays
from Longnan in the Jiangxi Province yield heavy REE- and
Y-rich material whereas ore from Xunwu is light REErich
(ODriscoll, 2003).
The relative abundance of rare earth elements within and
among deposits is highly variable, but light rare earth
49 to 52
--10 to 16
--
0 to 5
--
----
--
0.1 to 0.8
--
52 to 67
---
elements are typically more abundant than heavy rare earth

elements.
The relative proportion of the different rare earth elements in an orebody is quite variable (table 5). The chief
differences can be seen in the relative proportion of light to
heavy rare earth elements. REE orebodies are typically somewhat enriched in the light REElanthanum to gadolinium
compared with average crustal abundances. In comparison,
most rare earth ores are notably depleted in the heavy REE
terbium to lutetium. A minority of deposits are relatively
enriched in heavy REE, most commonly those that contain
xenotime as the principal REE mineral.
Given that each individual rare earth element has its own
particular uses and market (table 6), the proportions of the
various rare earth elements in a deposit are unlikely to parallel
those of demand for rare earth elements. For instance, the most
abundant rare earth element, cerium, is available in quantities

Table 4. Dominant rare earth elementsbearing minerals identified in the United States.
Formula
Mineral
Oxides
Aeschynite
Euxenite
(Ce,Th,Ca...)[(Ti,Nb,Ta)2O6]
(Y,Er,Ce,U,Pb,Ca)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2(O,OH)6
Fergusonite
YnbO4
Samarskite
(Y,Er,Fe,Mn,Ca,U,Th,Zr)(Nb,Ta)2(O,OH)6
Carbonates
Ancylite
Sr(Ce,La)(CO3)2(OH)(H2O)
(Ce, La,Y)CO3F
Bastnasite
Ca(Ce,La)2(CO3)3F2
Parisite
Synchisite
Ca(Ce,Nd,Y,La)(CO3)2F
Tengerite
Y2(CO3)3n(H2O)
Phosphates
Britholite
(Na,Ce,Ca)5(OH)[(P,Si)O4]3
Florencite
(La,Ce)Al3(PO4)2(OH)6
Monazite
(Ce,La,Th,Nd,Y)PO4
Xenotime
YPO4
Silicates
Allanite
Ca(Ce,La,Y,Ca)Al2(Fe2+,Fe3+)(SiO4)(Si2O7)O(OH)
Kainosite
Ca2(Ce,Y)2(SiO4)3CO3H2O
Thalenite
Y2[Si2O7]
that exceed demand for traditional uses (Heymann, 2010).

Most REE deposits currently (2010) considered for development are enriched in light REE and would likely flood the
market for cerium if put into production. By contrast, heavy
REE are in short supply with limited reserves. Certain rare
earth elements, such as lutetium, presently have no market and
are not worth recovering at this time.
Rare earth elements are typically obtained as a byproduct or
coproduct of mining other mineral commodities.
When the economic viability of a mining project is
assessed, the potential mineral products are divided into
principal products and byproducts. The principal product,
for example zinc in a zinc mine, contributes most to the
value of the minerals produced. Generally, returns from the
principal product are sufficient to pay the costs of mining
and processing. All other products are referred to as byproducts, whose returns typically bolster the overall profitability of a mine. Where two or more products of essential
value are obtained, they are called coproducts. A salient
feature of rare earth elements mining is that REE-rich

minerals may be byproducts or coproducts of mining other
mineral commodities.
Mine production decisions are driven by demand for
principal products, not for byproducts. Thus, production
of byproduct REE will vary subject to changes in demand
for principal products and will be relatively unresponsive
to demand for REE. China currently (2010) accounts for
about 96 percent of global rare earth elements production
(table 7). Of a total production of 120,000 metric tons,
about 55,000 metric tons was produced as a byproduct of
the Bayan Obo iron mine. This fact means that at least 44
percent of world rare earth elements production is a byproduct. Of the remaining Chinese production, about 25,000
metric tons is produced in southern China as a primary
product from ion-adsorption deposits. The status of remaining Chinese production is unclear. The balance of global
REE production is as a byproduct. Conceivably, as much as
90 percent of global rare earth elements production is as a
byproduct or coproduct.
49.6
0.9
0.1
0.2
0.0
39.2
3.8
15.5
2.8
0.6
1.7
Cerium
Praseodynium
Neodymium
Samarium
Europium
Gadolinium
0.2
12.3
Lutetium
Yttrium
0.0
0.2
0.9
Thulium
1.3
Erbium
Ytterbium
0.0
0.4
Holmium
0.1
Trace
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.3
1.7
Terbium
Dysprosium
11.2
4.1
33.8
Bastnasite
Mountain Pass,
USA
(percent)
Castor (2008)
19.3
Lanthanum
Rare earth
element
Average
upper crustal
abundance
(percent)
Wedepohl (1995)
Trace
Trace
Trace
Trace
Trace
Trace
0.1
0.1
0.7
0.2
0.8
18.5
6.2
50.0
23.0
Bastnasite
Bayan Obo,
China
(percent)
Hedrick (2004)
2.5
Trace
0.1
Trace
Trace
61.0
1.0
6.8
1.1
6.4
2.0
8.3
0.1
0.9
0.9
3.5
Trace
1.1
1.6
0.5
3.1
1.2
Xenotime
Lehat,
Malaysia
(percent)
Hedrick (2004)
0.3
6.6
0.2
4.9
17.5
5.0
43.7
17.5
Monazite
Green Cove Spring,
USA
(percent)
Hedrick (2004)
65.0
0.4
2.5
0.7
4.9
1.6
6.7
1.3
6.9
0.1
2.8
3.0
0.7
0.4
1.8
High Y
REE laterite
Longnan,
China
(percent)
Hedrick (2004)
8.0
0.1
0.3
Trace
Trace
Trace
Trace
Trace
3.0
0.5
3.9
31.7
9.0
2.4
43.4
Low Y
REE laterite
Xunwu,
China
(percent)
Hedrick (2004)
<0.01
<0.01
0.5
<0.01
0.0
0.0
0.2
0.1
0.7
0.4
1.8
15.8
4.7
45.5
30.4
Bulk ore
Bear Lodge,
USA
(percent)
Castor (2008)
[Rare earth elements listed in order of increasing atomic number; yttrium (Y) is included with these elements because it shares chemical and physical similarities with the lanthanides]
Table 5. Distribution of rare earth elements in selected rare earth elements deposits.
52.8
0.4
4.0
0.7
4.9
1.7
8.2
0.3
2.5
0.2
2.1
4.3
1.4
12.0
4.6
Bulk ore
Strange Lake,
Canada
(percent)
Castor (2008)

Table 6. Useage of rare earth elements.
[Each rare earth element has its own applications and market. Source: Lynas Corporation (2010)]
Application
La
Ce
Pr
Nd
Sm
Eu
Gd
Magnets
--
--
23.4
69.4
--
--
Battery alloys
50
33.4
3.3
10
--
Metal alloys
26
52
5.5
16.5
Auto catalysts
90
Petroleum refining
90
10
--
--
Polishing compounds
31.5
65
3.5
Glass additives
24
66
0.2
----
-----
-----
-----
---
---
---
------
3.3
11
--
--
Ceramics
17
12
12
Other
19
39
15
8.5
Dy
--------
Phosphors
--
Tb
4.9
---
1.8
-1
4.6
---
Other
------
------
--
-4
----
2
69.2
53
19
Table 7. Production of rare earth elements mines in 2009.

[Source: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries (U.S. Geological Survey, 2010). TREO, total rare earth elements oxide]
Country
Brazil
China
Mine
Buena Norte
2009 output
(metric tons TREO)
650
Primary product
Byproduct
Ilmenite concentrate
Monazite concentrate.
Bastnsite concentrate.
Bayan Obo
55,000
Iron ore
Sichuan1
10,000
Bastnsite concentrate
South China1
45,000
Rare earth elements
2,700
Ilmenite concentrate
Monazite concentrate.
Cassiterite concentrate
Xenotime concentrate.
Loparite concentrate
Rare earth elements chloride.
India
Heavy-mineral sands
Malaysia
Ipoh sand plant
Russia
Lovozero
380
2,500
1
Many small producers and a few medium-large producers. The Chinese rare earth elementsmining industry is currently (2010) undergoing governmentdirected rationalization to reduce the number of producers.
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Current Sources and Domestic

Reserves
Concentration of Supply
The high concentration of production of REE in one
country is not unusual for a minor metal commodity. For
example, a single mine in the United States supplies 86
percent of world demand for beryllium and two mines in
Brazil account for 92 percent of world niobium production
(U.S. Geological Survey, 2010). Such concentration of supply,
which has long been of concern in regard to price manipulation, also raises issues related to reliability of supply. Given an
equal risk of a natural disaster, industrial accident, labor strike,
political strife, or anything else that might interrupt production, a single source of supply is inherently more risky than
multiple sources of supply. Even though these various risks are
not equal among countries, concentration of supply is a key
indicator of mineral-supply risk.
Table 9 compares the supply situation of REE with other
internationally traded minerals using several measures of concentration. These measures are used by economists to study
market concentration and by regulators for antitrust purposes.
In table 9, concentration ratios, abbreviated CR2 and CR3,
measure the total percent share in United States imports and
world production of the top two or top three supplier countries, respectively. A high percentage, such as the CR2 of 94
percent and CR3 of 96 percent shown for REE (excluding
The United States currently imports all of its rare earth

elements (REE) raw materials from foreign sources, principally China (U.S. Geological Survey, 2010). This has not
always been the case. The USGS annually reports global and
domestic production and trade in REE in its publications
Minerals Yearbook and Mineral Commodity Summaries.
Prior to 1998, when production from the Mountain Pass
mine in California was curtailed, the United States produced
most of the light REE consumed domestically and by free
market countries. Heavy REE were obtained from imported
monazite concentrates. That changed in the 1980s after China
became the dominant global supplier of light and heavy REE
(Papp and others, 2008). In 2002, the Mountain Pass mine
in California, the sole domestic producer of REE minerals,
shut down. Although the mine has continued to produce REE
materials from stockpiled raw materials, no new REE ores are
being mined. Since then, the United States has obtained all of
its REE raw materials from imports, principally from China.
China accounts for 95 percent of global REE production
despite having only 36 percent of identified world reserves
(table 8).
Table 8.
World production and reserves of rare earth elements minerals in 2009.
[In 2009, China produced 95 percent of world rare earth elements although it had only 36 percent of
rare earth elements reserves. TREO, total metric tons of rare earth oxides]
2009
Production
Country
TREO
(metric tons)
Australia
Reserves
Share
(percent)
0
5,400,000
China
120,000
95
36,000,000
36
Commonweath of
Independent States
2,500
19,000,000
19
India
2,700
3,100,000
0.3
48,000
Share
(percent)
650
380
0.5
TREO
(metric tons)
Brazil
Malaysia
30,000
0.05
0.03
United States
13,000,000
13
Other
22,000,000
22
Total
15
126,230
99,000,000

Table 9. Measures of concentration for selected world metal mining industries.
[CR2 and CR3, two-county and three-country concentration ratios, respectively. NHI, normalized Herfindahl index. The higher the index, the more concentrated are mineral production and United States imports. CR2 and CR3 are rounded to the nearest percent resulting, in some cases, in a slight discrepancy
between the concentration ratios and the normalized Herfindahl index. RI, country risk index. See text for an explanation of indices. Data are for 2007, the
latest year for which complete information is available from the U.S. Geological Survey (2010)]
Mineral
commodity
Import
reliance
(percent)
United States imports

(percent)
World production
(percent)
CR2
CR3
NHI
RI
CR2
CR3
NHI
RI
86
90
98
0.42
1.9
91
94
0.77
2.3
100
50
64
0.19
4.6
46
58
0.16
2.8
Bismuth
95
62
80
0.26
0.8
75
90
0.29
2.3
Cobalt
78
43
56
0.13
1.7
52
63
0.20
1.4
Copper
37
75
88
0.32
1.5
44
51
0.16
2.4
Gallium
99
57
73
0.21
1.3
51
65
0.19
1.9
Indium
100
72
81
0.31
1.3
68
76
0.36
1.4
Manganese
100
54
65
0.21
2.9
46
64
0.17
2.8
17
59
68
0.23
1.0
32
46
0.10
2.6
Niobium
100
96
97
0.79
2.7
100
100
0.90
2.9
Platinum
94
50
65
0.17
1.5
91
94
0.63
2.9
100
94
96
0.83
1.9
99
100
0.94
2.0
Rhenium
86
95
98
0.81
1.8
59
68
0.26
2.3
Tantalum
Antimony
Bauxite and
alumina
Nickel
Rare earth
elements
100
35
50
0.13
1.6
75
85
0.35
2.0
Tin
79
69
79
0.31
3.2
74
91
0.30
3.3
Titanium
64
85
94
0.39
3.3
55
77
0.23
2.2
Tungsten
70
50
69
0.19
3.3
81
86
0.57
2.3
Vanadium
100
66
74
0.35
1.5
72
97
0.33
1.5
Yttrium
100
96
99
0.78
1.8
100
100
0.98
2.0
58
67
82
0.19
1.1
52
66
0.19
1.9
Zinc
yttrium and scandium), indicates that imports and world

production are principally derived from one or two countries.
A third measure is the Herfindahl index (Stigler, 1983), which
was originally developed to measure the degree of competition in an industry. It is calculated according to the equation
n
HI = si2
i =1
where si is the share in global production or United States

imports by country i with n countries. The larger this index,
the more concentrated are world production and United States
imports by country. The Herfindahl index can be normalized
1
n
NHI =
1
1
n
HI
such that the index ranges from 0 to 1.0, which facilitates

comparison between different mineral commodities. A normalized Herfindahl Index of 1.0 indicates concentration in a single
country; an index of 0 indicates that all countries have exactly
the same share in United States imports or world production.
As shown in table 9, all three of these indices place
REE (including yttrium) at the top of all mineral commodities in terms of concentration of United States imports and
Current Sources and Domestic Reserves 17

world production. Antimony and niobium, which are mostly
produced in China and Brazil, respectively, have very similar
concentration indices. Rhenium is an example of a mineral
commodity that the United States largely imports from a single
country, Chile, but whose global production is not particularly
concentrated.
On the basis of these data, it is no exaggeration to say
that China dominates the world REE industry. This dominance
is attributable to Chinas large, high-quality resources of REE
coupled with minimal capital investment, low labor costs, and
lack of environmental regulation (Hurst, 2010). Referring back
to table 8, China has only about a third of global REE; hence,
a lower cost of production is a reasonable explanation for
Chinas position as the worlds dominant REE producer. Papp
and others (2008) show that REE prices dropped dramatically
from 1997 to 2008, consistent with the introduction of significant amounts of lower priced Chinese REE.
Risk of Supply Interruption

Assessing our nations vulnerability to mineral-supply
disruptions is a classic exercise in risk analysis. The analysis
has two components: the nature and probability of threats, and
assessment of potential impact. Quantitative measurement
of these components would be useful in ranking the relative
security of supply of the various mineral commodities used
and imported by the United States. A first step was made by a
special committee of the National Research Council when it
recommended the criticality matrix as a tool for assessing mineral supply risk (National Research Council, 2008). The criticality matrix is a plot that subjectively contrasts supply risk on
one axis and the effect of supply restriction on the other. The
authors of the study ranked various imported metals, including
REE, on a scale of 1 to 4 (low to high) as shown in figure 3.
Rare earth elements were ranked 4 (high) for supply risk and 3
(moderately high) for effect of supply restriction.
An analysis of the effect of supply restrictions requires
a level of economic analysis that is outside the traditional
responsibilities of the U.S. Geological Survey and beyond
the scope of this report. Long (2009) proposed combining
the quantitative measures of concentration discussed above
with measures of country risk to obtain a relative ranking of
minerals by supply risk. A similar approach was independently
adopted by the Raw Materials Supply Group of the European
Union in a recent study of European mineral security (Raw
Materials Supply Group, 2010). The European Union study
does include a rough measure of the economic effect of a
mineral supply disruption.
There are many measures of country risk from which
to choose. Long (2009) used the Country Risk Classification
that is published annually by the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development (Organization for Economic
Co-Operation and Development, 2008). This classification is a
measure of a countrys credit risk or likelihood that a country
will service its external debt. Countries are subjectively ranked
on a scale from 0 to 7, where 0 is the lowest degree of risk and
7 the highest. An aggregate country risk index for a commodity is obtained as the sum of individual country risk indices
weighted by share in United States imports or world production (table 9). This aggregate country risk index likewise falls
on the scale of 0 to 7. Table 9 illustrates how these indices and
ratios can be used. Comparison of concentration indices for
Impact of Supply Restriction
4 (high)
3
Copper
Gallium
Indium
Lithium
Manganese
Niobium
Platinum Group Metals
Palladium
Platinum
Rhodium
Rare Earth Elements
Tantalum
Titanium
Vanadium
1 (low)
1 (low)
4 (high)
Supply Risk
Figure 3. Criticality matrix for selected imported metals (National Research Council, 2008).

United States imports and for world production shows whether
imports are more concentrated than global production, thus
indicating opportunities for further diversification of supply. A
high import concentration index with a low country risk index
suggests that imports are obtained from stable trading partners
such as Canada and Australia. High indices across the board
are cause for greatest concern and indicate those commodities
that are of greatest risk.
The European Union study (Raw Materials Supply
Group, 2010) used the World Banks World Governance
Indicators as a measure of political risk. The World Bank
estimates six governance indicators: voice and accountability,
political stability, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of corruption (World Bank, 2010).
The European Union study unfortunately does not specify
which indicator was used or, if all indicators were used, how
they were combined. The U.S. Geological Survey has identified other indicators of country risk, such as the Economic
Freedom Score (Heritage Foundation, 2010), the Corruption
Perceptions Index (Transparency International, 2010), and
rankings of countries for mining investment (Behre Dolbear,
2010; McMahon and Cervantes, 2010).
Aside from an indicator of country risk, the European
Union study also used a subjective ranking of the degree to
which other minerals can substitute for the mineral in question, measures of recycling rates and environmental policy
risk, and a rescaled Herfindahl index to measure mineral supply concentration. Using these indicators, some 14 metals and
minerals were shortlisted as critical raw materials for European Union member nations, critical in this case signifying
a high degree of both supply risk and economic importance.
The shortlisted metals and minerals are antimony, beryllium,
cobalt, fluorspar, gallium, germanium, graphite, indium, magnesium, niobium, platinum group metals, REE, tantalum, and
tungsten (Raw Materials Supply Group, 2010). Long (2009)
listed 15 metals and minerals: antimony, barite, chromite,
cobalt, fluorspar, gallium, graphite, indium, niobium, platinum
group metals, REE, rhenium, tantalum, titanium, and tungsten
as those minerals with the greatest supply risk to the United
States economy. The two lists are very similar. The differences
are beryllium, which is imported by Europe from the United
States; barite, critical to the US oil and gas industry; and chromite, rhenium, and titanium, whose supply was rated as less
risky in the European Union report.
In both the USGS and European Union studies of mineral supply risk, REE rank highest as mineral raw materials
of critical concern, given uncertain future supplies and their
importance to advanced industrial economies. Neither of
these studies addressed measures to mitigate these risks but
each did recommend further study, including examination of
mineral policy options. There are geologic factors, however,
that should be considered in future studies of REE supply,
such as the extent and quality of domestic REE resources,
undeveloped resources in other low-risk countries, and
the time it takes to develop these resources into producing
mines.
Domestic and World Resources

The main body of this report is a review of the geology
and known mineral resources of the principal domestic United
States deposits of REE minerals discovered to date (2010).
These resources are summarized in table 10. It is important to
recognize that resource estimates are of differing accuracy and
reliability, depending on the degree of exploration undertaken
to date. Many of the estimates in table 10 are obtained by
inference from surface exposures of mineralization, a small
number of samples, and inferences or assumptions about
how deep mineralization extends. Some deposits have been
explored at depth by core drilling. A very few have been
drilled on a narrowly spaced grid sufficient for an estimate of
how much mineralized material may be economic to mine.
The potential economic viability of any of these resources can
be reliably assessed only with sufficient drilling, pilot plant
scale metallurgical testing, and definitive economic analysis.
Only one domestic deposit, Mountain Pass, California, meets
those criteria and can be reported to contain a sizable reserve
of REE-bearing ore.
Table 11 reports reserves and resources in REE deposits
worldwide, divided into three categories. The first category
comprises deposits sufficiently explored to estimate a mine
plan resource. Although a mine has been designed or already
exists for each of these deposits, they have not been demonstrated to be economically viable by means of a definitive
feasibility study; hence, they are classed as resources. The
second category comprises measured, indicated, and inferred
resources for well-explored deposits that have not yet been
subject to a feasibility study that includes a mine design.
The third category, unclassified resources, is a mixed bag of
known resources that are unlikely to be exploited, such as
Pilanesberg, South Africa, which is now within a national
park, and the Olympic Dam mine, Australia, where extensive
study has found that REE are not economic to recover even
as a byproduct. Other deposits in this category have been
little explored and the resources are inferred from surface
exposures and limited sampling. No reliable data are available for mines and deposits in China, Russia, and North
Korea.
The first two categories of resources are the only shortand medium-term sources of additional REE that might
contribute to the global supply. These categories will likely
be augmented through further exploration at existing mines
and development projects. It is possible that long-term supply
can be met through exploration of known deposits that have
had little or no drilling and by the discovery of new deposits.
The projects listed in the first two of the categories shown in
tables 10 and 11 put an upper limit on a near-term potential for
production of REE mineral supplies. This limit can be put at
about 14 million tons of contained total REE oxides (TREO),
with a country risk index of near zero because almost all of
that production potential is in the United States, Australia, and
Canada.

Table 10. Domestic reserves and resources of rare earth elements, excluding heavy-mineral placer and phosphate deposits.
[TREO, total rare earth oxides. Reserves proven and probable classified according to definitions and standards of the Securities and Exchange Commission
(Securities and Exchange Commission = http://www.sec.gov/index.htm). Inferred resources classified according to the standards of Canadian National Instrument
43-101 (Canadian National Instrument 43-101 = http://www.ccpg.ca/profprac/index.php?lang=en&subpg=natguidelines). Unclassified resources based on little
or no drilling. For data on resources in heavy-mineral placer and phosphate deposits, which are not of economic interest, see Jackson and Christiansen (1993)]
Deposit
Tonnage
(metric tons)
Grade
(percent TREO)
Contained TREO
(metric tons)
Source
ReservesProven and probable

Mountain Pass,
California
13,588,000
8.24
1,120,000
Molycorp, Inc. (2010).
ResourcesInferred
Bear Lodge,
Wyoming
10,678,000
3.60
384,000
Noble and others (2009).
Bald Mountain,
Wyoming
18,000,000
0.08
14,400
Osterwald and others (1966).
34,100,000
0.48
164,000
Keyser and Kennedy (2007).
5,800,000
1.22
70,800
ResourcesUnclassified
Bokan Mountain, Alaska
Diamond Creek, Idaho
39,400,000
Staatz and others (1979).
Elk Creek,
Nebraska
Molycorp, Inc. (1986).
Gallinas Mtns.,
New Mexico
Hall Mountain,
Idaho
Hicks Dome,
Illinois
Iron Hill,
Colorado
Lemhi Pass,
Idaho
Mineville,
New York
9,000,000
Music Valley,
California
50,000
Pajarito,
New Mexico
Pea Ridge,
Missouri
72,000
Grauch and others (2010).
Scrub Oaks,
New Jersey
10,000,000
0.38
38,000
Klemic and other (1959).
Wet Mountains,
Colorado
13,957,000
0.42
59,000
Jackson and Christiansen (1993).
46,000
2.95
1,400
100,000
0.05
50
14,700,000
0.42
62,000
2,424,000,000
0.40
9,696,000
500,000
0.33
1,650
0.9
80,000
8.6
4,300
0.18
4,000
2,400,000
600,000
12
Long-term prospects for the discovery of new reserves

and resources depend on sufficient exploration. About 150
projects worldwide that are prospecting and exploring for rare
earth elements are known to the U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.
Geological Survey, 2010). Most of this activity began in the
last 2 years and it will be some time before results are known.
Whether this exploration further diversifies REE mineral supplies depends on discovering deposits of adequate size and
quality in the right countries. Probability of discovery requires
a quantitative mineral resource assessment, which has never
been done for REE minerals in any country. The last REE
deposit discovered and developed into a mine in the United
States was the Mountain Pass mine in California, discovered in
1949 and put into production in 1953. That was more than 50
years ago and is not indicative of the time required to discover
and develop REE deposits in todays regulatory climate. During the past 50 years outside of China, there has been little REE
exploration and almost no mine development; hence, we have
no real REE exploration and development record to draw upon
for assessing the future pace of discovery and development.

McKeown and Klemic (1956).
Developing Rare Earth Elements Resources

Rare earth elements resources are distributed between
many mineral deposits, but only a proportion will be economic
to develop and mine. By convention, that portion of resources
that is economic to mine is classified as a reserve. That a rare
earth deposit contains reserves does not mean that it will be
developed and minedit means only that it is economic to do
so. Among the many rare earth reserves available, mining companies will select the most profitable to develop, potentially
leaving less profitable reserves undeveloped. Reserves may
also be undeveloped because of adverse land use restrictions,
civil strife, and a host of other political and social factors.
Developing a new mine requires a prolonged effort of
prospecting, exploration, process development, feasibility
studies, permitting, construction, and commissioning. These
efforts are broadly sequential but commonly overlap. The
time required to complete all steps is variable but appreciable,
particularly compared with the time typically required by nonextractive industries. Studies of the time required to complete

Table 11. Reserves and resources of rare earth elements outside of the United States, excluding heavy-mineral placer and phosphate
deposits.Continued
[TREO, total rare earth elements oxides. Heavy-mineral placers are mined for rare earth elements in only a few places, such as India and Malaysia, and reserve
information is unavailable. Reserves and resources classified according to one of several national standards, such as Canadian National Instrument 43-101,
JORC, and SAMREC codes. (JORC, The Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (JORC Code, 2004
edition) (http://www.jorc.org/); SAMREC, South African Mineral Resource Committee, http://www.samcode.co.za/downloads/SAMREC2009.pdf).) Unclassified resources based on little or no drilling. Reliable data on rare earth elements reserves and resources in China, North Korea, and Russia are not available.
Where reserves and resources are given for the same deposit, resources include reserves. For data on other resources in heavy-mineral placers and in phosphate
deposits, see Jackson and Christiansen (1993)]
Tonnage
(metric tons)
Deposit
Grade
(percent TREO)
Contained
TREO
(metric tons)
Source
Measured-in-pit resources
Brockman,
Australia
4,290,000
0.2
8,600
Mount Weld,
Australia
2,100,000
15.5
326,000
Lynas Corporation (2010).

Paul and Stubens (2009).
Thor Lake (Lake Zone), Canada

Steenkampskraal,
South Africa
12,010,000
1.70
204,000
249,500
11.80
29,500
Chalmers (1990).
Great Western Minerals Group Ltd. (2009).
Measured, indicated, inferred resources

Brockman,
Australia
50,000,000
0.23
115,000
Cummins Range,
Australia
4,170,000
1.72
72,000
Chalmers (1990).
Dubbo,
Australia
73,200,000
0.89
651,500
Alkane Resources (2010).
Mount Weld,
Australia
15,020,000
8.60
1,292,000
Lynas Corporation (2010).
Narraburra,
Australia
55,000,000
0.03
16,500
Nolans Bore,
Australia
30,300,000
2.80
849,000
Hoidas Lake,
Canada
2,847,000
2.00
57,000
Strange Lake,
Canada
137,639,000
0.97
1,335,000
Daigle and Maunula (2010).
Thor Lake (Lake Zone), Canada
Paul and Stubens (2009).
Navigator Resources Ltd. (2009).
Capital Mining Ltd. (2009).

Arafura Resources Ltd. (2010).
Dunn (2009).
175,930,000
1.43
2,516,000
Thor Lake (North T),
Canada
1,136,000
0.71
8,000
Palmer and Broad (2007).
Zeus (Kipawa),
Canada
2,270,000
0.11
2,500
Knox and others (2009).
Kvanefjeld,
Greenland
457,000,000
1.07
4,890,000
Kangankunde Hill,
Malawi
2,500,000
4.24
107,000
Lynas Corporation Ltd. (2007).
7.96
30,400
Northern Uranium Ltd. (2010).
Greenland Minerals and Energy Ltd.

(2009).
Unclassified resources
John Galt,
Australia
382,000
Olympic Dam,
Australia
>2,000,000,000
0.50
>10,000,000
Yangibana,
Australia
3,500,000
1.70
59,500
Arax,
Brazil
450,000,000
1.80
8,100,000
Catalo I,
Brazil
10,000,000
0.90
90,000
Pitinga,
Brazil
164,000,000
0.15
246,000
Bastos Neto and Pereira (2009).
Poos de Caldas,
Brazil
115,000
Wedow (1967).
Seis Lagos,
Brazil
2,900,000,000
Tapira,
Brazil
5,200,000
Kasagwe,
Burundi
67,000
1.50
10.5
1.50
43,500,000
546,000
1,000
Oreskes and Einaudi (1990).

Filho and others (2005).
Hirano and others (1990).
De Sousa (1996).
Hirano and others (1990).

Table 11. Reserves and resources of rare earth elements outside of the United States, excluding heavy-mineral placer and phosphate
deposits.Continued
[TREO, total rare earth elements oxides. Heavy-mineral placers are mined for rare earth elements in only a few places, such as India and Malaysia, and reserve
information is unavailable. Reserves and resources classified according to one of several national standards, such as Canadian National Instrument 43-101,
JORC, and SAMREC codes. (JORC, The Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves (JORC Code, 2004
edition) (http://www.jorc.org/); SAMREC, South African Mineral Resource Committee, http://www.samcode.co.za/downloads/SAMREC2009.pdf).) Unclassified resources based on little or no drilling. Reliable data on rare earth elements reserves and resources in China, North Korea, and Russia are not available.
Where reserves and resources are given for the same deposit, resources include reserves. For data on other resources in heavy-mineral placers and in phosphate
deposits, see Jackson and Christiansen (1993)]
Tonnage
(metric tons)
Deposit
Oka,
Canada
Mrima Hill,
Kenya
Ak-Tyuz,
Kyrgyzstan
Karajilga,
Kutessai II,
210,000,000
6,000,000
Grade
(percent TREO)
0.127
16.2
15,000,000
1.00
Kyrgyzstan
957,000
0.70
Kyrgyzstan
20,228,000
Sarysai,
Kyrgyzstan
7,000,000
0.20
Pilanesberg,
South Africa
13,500,000
Zandkopsdrift,
South Africa
31,500,000
Kizilcaren,
Turkey
Dong Pao,
Mau Xe North,
0.22-0.3
Contained
TREO
(metric tons)
Source
267,000
Orris and Grauch (2002).
972,000
Pell (1996).
150,000
Malyukova and others (2005).
6,700
Bogdetsky and others (2001).
<60,000
Stans Energy Corp. (2010).
14,000
Bogdetsky and others (2001).
0.70
94,500
Lurie (1986).
3.60
1,130,000
4,695,000
2.78
130,500
Vietnam
500,000,000
1.40
7,000,000
Kunir (2000).
Vietnam
557,000,000
1.40
7,800,000
Kunir (2000).
this process typically examine the interval between recognition

of a potentially economic deposit and the commencement of
commercial production. Peters (1966) examined the development history of a large number of mines and divided them into
four classes. The first class requires a preproduction period of 2
years or less. This class of mine is characterized by simple ores
of high unit value, the applicability of conventional mining
and mineral processing methods, the absence of need for much
additional transportation or power infrastructure, an assured
market, and the requirement for only short-term financing. A
modern example in this class would be a small- to mediumsized open pit-heap leach gold deposit in Nevada. Gold has a
high unit value and ready market. The pertinent mining and
mineral processing technology is also simple and well-known,
with excellent local infrastructure, and regulatory authorities
have much experience with this type of mining.
The other three categories are characterized by increasing complexity of ores, size of operations, infrastructure and
financing needs, and lower unit values. The last category has
a preproduction period of 7 years or more. A modern example
would be a nickel laterite mine, the metallurgy of which is
quite troublesome; many such nickel mines have required in
excess of 10 years of process development plus delays because
of market timing. Developing a new nickel laterite mine is
best timed to open during a period of high nickel prices. A new
REE mine would almost certainly fall into this last category
for many of the same reasonscomplex metallurgy and
restricted opportunities for market entry.
Frontier Minerals (2009).

Morteani and Satir (1989).
The time to develop a mine in each category is likely to

take longer today than it did when Peters (1966) did his study.
Most modern mines are developed under a comprehensive
regulatory environment where, in the United States at least,
environmental studies, due diligence studies by financing
sources, permitting, public participation, and due process
require substantial amounts of time. Further delays may be
caused by public controversy and litigation against a proposed
mine. These delays are illustrated in table 12, which tallies the
time it took to develop metal mines that opened in the United
States since 2000. The time to obtain a permit has required as
many as 17 years, and one mine, the Pogo, Alaska gold mine,
was developed under an expedited permitting schedule that still
took 7 years. For a small gold mine in Nevada, once permits
were obtained, the time to construct and put a mine into operation took 1 month. For the Kensington, Alaska, gold mine,
however, whose operating permits were contested in the courts,
the process lasted 63 months. Ramp-up times for new mines
took from 2 to 12 months; the longest was for Pogo, Alaska,
which had unexpected metallurgical difficulties.
Developing a Rare Earth Elements Mine

The first step in developing a new REE mine is to locate
a suitable REE deposit. Exploration for new deposits may
be in either of two contexts: greenfield exploration to find
new deposits in areas not previously mined and brownfield
exploration in and adjacent to current and past mining activity.
22
The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits of the United States
Table 12.
Time required to obtain permits, construct, and commission recently opened metal mines in the United States.
[NYA, not yet achieved, production not yet begun or commercial operations not achieved; PGE, platinum group elements. Yes, long permitting and development
delays because of litigation by government agencies and nongovernmental organizations]
Mine
Commodity
Permitting
began
Permitting
completed
Production
began
Commercial
operations
began
Alta Mesa,
Texas
1999
2004
10/2005
1/2006
Arizona 1,
Arizona
mid-2007
2009
NYA
NYA
Ashdown,
Nevada
Mo Au
2/2004
11/2006
12/2006
NYA
Buckhorn,
Washington
Au
1992
9/2006
10/2008
11/2008
Carlota,
Arizona
Cu
2/1992
6/2007
12/2008
1/2009
Eagle,
Michigan
Ni Cu Co PGE
4/2004
1/2010
NYA
NYA
East Boulder,
Montana
PGE
1995
1998
6/2001
1/2002
Kensington,
Alaska
Au
3/1988
6/2005
9/2010
NYA
Leeville,
Nevada
Au
7/1997
8/2002
10/2006
4th quarter 2006
Lisbon Valley,
Utah
Cu
2/1996
7/2004
1st quarter 2006
NYA
Pend Oreille,
Washington
Zn
1992
9/2000
1/2004
8/2004
Phoenix,
Nevada
Au
1/1999
1/2004
10/2006
4th quarter 2006
Pogo,
Alaska
Au
12/1997
4/2004
2/2006
4/2007
Rock Creek,
Alaska
Au
2003
8/2006
9/2008
NYA
Rossi (Storm),
Nevada
Au
1990
3Q/2006
3/2007
12/2007
Safford,
Arizona
Cu
4/1998
7/2006
4th quarter 2007
2nd half 2008
Turquoise Ridge, Nevada
Au
9/1995
5/2003
2004
NYA
Greenfield exploration may target frontier areas with no previous exploration or may follow up on past exploration results.
Brownfield exploration includes searching for extensions to
known reserves and resources within or near a mine as well as
new deposits in the vicinity of existing operations. The latter
may extend the life of an existing mine or result in the complete redevelopment of a former mine.
Exploration is an uncertain process conducted with
limited capital. An explorers objective is to find a deposit
of the targeted type, size, and quality with the least amount
of expense. Thus, any particular location of merit is rarely
exhaustively explored. Exploration will proceed on the basis
of favorable indicators so long as objectives are met within
budget. An exploration project will be curtailed if evidence
is found that contraindicates the prospectivity of the target or
if results are insufficient to justify further work. Exploration
commonly runs in cycles, prompted by short- to medium-term
increases in mineral prices. The low side of a price cycle may
prompt little or no exploration activity. Any particular prospect
may undergo many episodes of exploration by different parties
during many decades; the exploration episodes are motivated
by price cycles, new cost-saving technology, improved exploration concepts and methods, and the vagaries of land access and
exploration management.
Litigation
reported
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
In the case of REE, very little exploration has ever been

done and the most intense period ever of direct exploration
for REE is currently underway (2010). Many important past
discoveries have been serendipitousthe worlds largest REE
mine, Bayan Obo in China, was first mined for iron ore. The
funny steel produced from this ore was investigated and
found to be contaminated with REE (Laznicka, 2006). Mountain Pass, California, was found in the course of a U.S. Geological Survey radioactivity reconnaissance project that expected
to find uranium. Many REE-bearing carbonatite deposits were
initially explored as a source of niobium or phosphates.
The discovery of a REE deposit must be proved by extensive trenching, drilling, and sampling. Drilling will initially
be on a widely spaced grid to evaluate the extent and richness
of mineralization. If results are favorable, the deposit will be
drilled on progressively narrower spacing until a measured
resource of adequate size is established. Concurrently, baseline
environmental studies will be completed and bulk samples
obtained for metallurgical testing. A conceptual mine plan
and metallurgical plan will be engineered and a preliminary
economic feasibility study undertaken. If the results of these
studies are favorable, further work will develop an optimized
mine plan, validate metallurgical processing on a pilot plant
scale, begin application for permits, and conduct a definitive

economic feasibility study. If the results of the feasibility study
are positive, financing will be sought and permitting further
advanced along with detailed plant engineering. Permitting will typically require an approved plan of operations, a
positive environmental impact study, and some kind of final
permission by a government agency. If external financing is
required, an independent due diligence study will verify the
results of the feasibility study.
Once financing and regulatory approval are in place, a
construction decision will be announced. Ongoing detailed
engineering design will be completed, long lead-time items
will be ordered, construction work will be bid on, and contracts will be awarded. Construction begins as soon as possible
and is executed quickly to minimize interest and opportunity
costs. As mine components are completed, they will be tested
and placed in operation with a ramp-up period until full commercial production at the planned output rate is achieved. The
ramp-up process may be completed smoothly in a matter of
months or may encounter unanticipated difficulties that require
an extended period of time to solve. Some mines have failed
at this stage because of ore grades that are lower than expected
or metallurgical processes that do not work as planned.
Up to this point, a mining company has been spending
large amounts of money without any revenue from mineral
sales. Capital must be supplied internally, from net revenues of
a mining companys other operations, or externally from banks
or investors. The cost of borrowing these funds is considerable and repayment cannot even start until a mine goes into
production. The largest of currently (2010) proposed new REE
mining operations, including Mountain Pass, California, have
reported premining capital requirements of a half a billion
dollars or more.
A mine will operate until reserves are exhausted. Today,
mine closure and reclamation are planned before a mine is
built; reclamation is undertaken concurrent with operations
wherever possible. Mobile equipment and structures are
removed. Roads, waste stockpiles, tailings, and surface facilities are also reclaimed in an attempt to restore the land to its
previous use and appearance. Large open pits are not typically
backfilled because of the large energy and CO2 emissions costs
of doing so. Instead, to minimize environmental impact they
are reclaimed as landscape features.
Only one REE mine, at Mountain Pass, California, has
ever been developed in the United States. That occurred in the
early 1950s and is not illustrative of what is required to develop
such a mine today. Nickel laterite deposits were suggested
above as a useful analog for the development of a new REE
mine. This comparison is particularly apt for a REE laterite
deposit, such as Mount Weld, Australia. Niobium-bearing
carbonatites are another close analog. These two deposit
types share complex and difficult metallurgy and typically
require extended periods of time to develop. The time that was
required to bring into production recently developed nickel

laterite mines and most niobium carbonatite mines is shown
in table 13. All of these mines were developed outside of the
United States and the permitting delays noted in table 12 do not
pertain in this case.
The time from discovery to initial production for the
mines listed in table 13 range from 5 to 50 years, permitting
to initial production 1 to 7 years, and ramp-up times were 3 to
42 months, except in the case of Arax, Brazil, which suffered
some unusual political delays. These development times are
in line with the results of Peters (1966) and indicate that in
some instances a relatively rapid pace of development can be
obtained. It should be noted, however, that the most advanced
REE projects other than Mountain Pass, California, namely
Mount Weld and Dubbo in Australia, have required years of
metallurgical testing and development and fall into the fourth,
7-year-or-more category of Peters (1966).
Summary
United States domestic reserves and inferred resources
of REE are approximately 1.5 million tons, which are large
compared with peak domestic consumption of REE of 10,200
tons in 2007 (U.S. Geological Survey, 2010). How much of
that reserve and resource will be economically available,
when, and at what rate, cannot be addressed with the data at
hand. It can be said that the reserves and inferred resources
reported in table 10 are of light REE and that these two potential mines may not be able to meet domestic needs for heavy
REE with the production plans currently (2010) proposed. The
pipeline of new REE projects within the United States is rather
thin, with 10 out of 150 REE exploration projects identified
worldwide. If we extend our analysis to reliable trading partners, such as Australia and Canada, prospects for diversifying
supply and meeting future demand are considerably improved.
Unfortunately, the time required for development of new REE
mines is on the order of at least a decade, perhaps much longer
in the United States, and forecasting future supply that far into
the future is hazardous.
The lack of mining industry exploration of REE
deposits in the last few decades is paralleled by a low level
of geological research. The U.S. Geological Survey has
demonstrated in related studies that the first step in improving our understanding of REE resources and prospects for
further discoveries is to conduct national and global mineral resource assessments. Rare earth elements are one of
the commodities under consideration for the next National
Resource Assessment, scheduled to begin in 2012. Preliminary work is underway as part of the Minerals at Risk and for
Emerging Technologies Project, which will be completed at
the end of Fiscal Year 2011.

Table 13. Time required to develop selected mines outside of the United States.
[These mines selected as close analogs of the mining and metallurgical methods required by a rare earth elements mine. NYA, commercial production
not yet achieved]
Mine
Country
Ambatovy
Madagascar
Commodity
Discovery
date
Permitting
completed
Production
began
Commercial
operations
began
Ni Co
1960
3/2007
Late 2010
NYA
Araxa
Brazil
Nb
1955
1960
1st quarter 1961
1966
Barco Alto
Brazil
Ni
1981
12/2006
3/2010
2011
Bulong
Australia
Ni
1971
9/1996
3/1999
9/1999
Catalo I
Brazil
Nb
1970
1974
1976
1977
Cawse
Australia
Ni Co
1994
9/1996
1/1999
6/2000
Goro
New Caledonia
Ni Co
1982
10/2004
Late 2010
NYA
Murrin Murrin
Australia
Ni Co
1984
5/1996
5/1999
12/2003
Niobec
Canada
Nb
6/1967
11/1973
1/1976
3/1976
Ona Puma
Brazil
Ni
1970s
8/2005
3rd quarter 2010
Early 2011
Raventhorpe
Australia
Ni Co
Late 1960s
3/2004
10/2007
NYA
Urumu Utsumi
Brazil
1971
1975
7/1981
1982
Vermelho
Brazil
Ni
1966
7/2005
4th quarter 2012
NYA
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The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits of the United States 27
The Principal Rare Earth Elements

Deposits of the United States
The largest rare earth elements (REE) deposits in the
United States are found in carbonatites and alkaline igneous
rocks and are concentrated in veins genetically and spatially
associated with alkaline igneous intrusions. The association
of REE with alkaline igneous rocks also places REE in close
association with minerals that host other valuable elements,
such as titanium, niobium, phosphorus, and thorium (Van
Gosen and others, 2009).
The major REE deposits in the United States are found in
Carbonatites and alkaline igneous complexes;
Veins related to alkaline intrusions;
Some iron ore deposits associated with magmatichydrothermal processes; and
Stream and beach deposits (placers) derived from the
erosion of alkaline igneous terranes.
The principal REE districts in the United States are
briefly summarized in this report. More-detailed descriptions
of these districts and their mineral deposits are available in
the References Cited section. The Mountain Pass REE mine,
California, may resume operation within the next 2 years, and
some of the districts mentioned in this report have experienced
recent exploration activity to evaluate their REE resource
potential.
Glossary of Terms
Alkaline igneous rock: A series of igneous rocks that formed
from magmas and fluids so enriched in alkali elements
that sodium- and potassium-bearing minerals form constituents of the rock in much greater proportion than normal igneous rocks. For detailed discussions of alkaline
igneous rocks and their scattered geographic distribution
refer to Sorensen (1974) and Woolley (1987).
Carbonatite: A rare, carbonate igneous rock formed by
magmatic or metasomatic processes. Most carbonatites consist of 50 percent or more primary carbonate
minerals, such as calcite, dolomite, and ankerite. They
are genetically associated with, and therefore typically
occur near, alkaline igneous rocks. Thorough treatises on
carbonatites are provided by Tuttle and Gittins (1966),
Heinrich (1980), and Bell (1989).
Epithermal: Mineral veins and ore deposits formed within
the Earths crust from warm water at shallow depths and
relatively low temperatures (50200C), generally at
some distance from the magmatic source.
Hypabyssal: An igneous intrusion that solidified at shallow
depths before reaching the Earths surface.
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AlaskaBokan Mountain
Location: Southern area of Prince of Wales Island, the southernmost island in Alaska. Latitude: 54.91299 N., Longitude: 132.13509 W.; datum: WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: Several northwest-trending
vein-dike systems cut linearly through a zoned, peralkaline granite pluton. The vein-dike deposits contain rare
earth elements, thorium, and uranium concentrations of
several percent each. Individual vein-dike systems extend
as much as 2.6 km (1.6 mi) along strike, composed of
multiple, subparallel, thin veins that individually rarely
exceed 1.5 m (5 ft) in width.
Status: Active, ongoing exploration and assessment of the
rare earth elements vein systems in the district by Ucore
Rare Metals; its exploration work in the district began in
2007 and has continued into the 2010 field season (http://
www.ucoreraremetals.com/bokan.asp).
Production: Between 1957 and 1971, the Ross-Adams mine
was operated by three different companies to fulfill a contract with the Atomic Energy Agency; it produced roughly
85,000 tons (77,000 metric tons) of ore with a grade of
about 1 percent uranium oxide and 3 percent thorium
oxide.
Estimated resources: An assessment by the U.S. Bureau of
Mines (Warner and Barker, 1989) suggested that collectively the vein-dike systems in the district represent a
resource of 6.8 million tons (6.2 metric tons) of ore that
average 0.264 percent rare earth elements, about onethird of which is yttrium. Recent assay results released by
Ucore Rare Metals suggest that in some of the vein-dike
deposits the rare earth elements content (dominated by
yttrium) can locally exceed 11 percent.
Detailed Discussion
Bokan Mountain is situated near the southern tip of
Prince of Wales Island, which is the southernmost island in
the Alaska panhandle and which covers an area of about 710
km2 (34 mi2) (fig. 4) (Warner and Barker, 1989; Philpotts
and others, 1998). The Upper Triassic to Middle Jurassic host
rock (Lanphere and others, 1964; De Saint-Andre and others,
1983) is a riebeckite-acmitebearing peralkaline granite with
a crudely circular shape that intruded Paleozoic igneous and
sedimentary rocks (Staatz, 1978). The core riebeckite granite
porphyry contains subordinate aplitic aegirine granite and is
surrounded by an outer annulus composed of predominantly
aegirine granite porphyry (Thompson, 1988; Philpotts and
others, 1998). Pegmatite-aplites with thorium, rare earth elements (REE), and low levels of gold are also present on Bokan
Mountain and were emplaced in contact zones around the
intrusive granite (Staatz, 1978; Warner and Barker, 1989; Philpotts and others, 1998). In addition, various dikes cut across
all of the rocks near Bokan Mountain, with compositions that

include andesite, dacite, basalt, lamprophyre, quartz, monzonite, rhyolite, aplite, and quartz latite (Warner and Barker,
1989). Some of the more felsic dikes contain high levels of
accessory Nb, REE, and Th.
The aplitic pegmatites are found throughout the peralkaline granite and range in shape from lensoidal bodies to
elongated pods. Examples are radioactive pegmatites exposed
in the IML prospects on the east flank of Bokan Mountain,
about 1 km (0.6 mi) north-northwest of the Ross-Adams mine
(MacKevett, 1963; Warner and Barker, 1989). Most of the
pegmatites contain complex mineralogies that include quartz,
albite, aegirine, and zircon, with variable amounts of allanite,
ilmenite, riebeckite, arsenopyrite, and fluorite (Warner and
Barker, 1989). Because of alteration of riebeckite, along the
border zone pegmatites typically contain disseminated iron
and titanium spinels, as well as magnetite. The cores of the
pegmatites consist of milky white massive quartz. The trace
element compositions of the pegmatites is equally complex
and may contain elevated percentages of Au, Be, Nb, REE,
hafnium (Hf), Li, Ta, Sn, Th, U, Y, and Zr. The wall rock
also contains a halo that is enriched in these elements, with
minerals that include aegirine, sericite, and hematite alteration
(Warner and Barker, 1989). Feldspar is largely altered to clay
minerals.
In 1955, uranium was discovered in the shear zones and
fractures at Bokan Mountain. However, the Ross-Adams mine
was the only commercially productive open pit mine in the
area. The Ross-Adams mine extracted ore from the RossAdams pipe on the Cub claim, which lies along the contact
between aegirine syenite and aegirine granite porphyry. An
irregularly shaped north-northwest-trending body, the pipe
measures 24 m (79 ft) across and was mined along strike for
more than 300 m (984 ft) (Thompson, 1988). Between 1957
and 1971, the Ross-Adams mine was operated by three different companies and produced roughly 85,000 tons of ore with a
grade of about 1 percent U3O8 and 3 percent ThO2 (Stephens,
1971; Thompson, 1988; Warner and Barker, 1989). Climax
Molybdenum operated the mine from 1957 to 1959 and
produced 315,000 lb of U3O8, and Standard Metals produced
another 300,000 lb of U3O8 between 1959 and 1964 (table 14).
From 19701971, Newmont Exploration produced 687,000 lb
of U3O8, at which time operations were suspended, leaving
approximately 365,000 tons of uranium ore unmined (Warner
and Barker, 1989).
A private report for the U.S. Department of Agriculture
of work conducted by Kent and Sullivan (2004) indicates
that a total of 90,700 tons of uranium ore with an unknown
grade has been produced at the Ross-Adams mine; in contrast,
Cathrall (1994) reports that a total of 209,400 tons of 1 percent
uranium oxide (U3O8) ore was produced. Several companies,
including Standard Metals, Cotter Corp., Union Carbide,
Santa Fe Minerals, Dome Minerals, and Humble Oil, conducted exploration drilling on the Bokan Mountain property
during 19711981 (Kent and Sullivan, 2004). The property
is currently (2010) under study by Ucore Rare Metals; the
AlaskaBokan Mountain 29
1328'30"
Prince of Wales Island
Bokan Mountain
5454'30"
Ross Adams Mine
EXPLANATION
Aegirine granite porphyry
Fine-grained riebeckite granite porphyry
Riebeckite aplite porphyry
Felty-aegirine granite
Border zone pegmatite-aplite
Riebeckite granite porphyry
Riebeckite-aegirine aplite
Figure 4. Simplified geologic map of Bokan Mountain, Alaska. Modified from Thompson (1988).
2 KILOMETERS

Table 14. Uranium production from the Ross-Adams mine, Alaska.
[Source: Warner and Barker, 1989. Stephens (1971) reported 83,000 tons of uranium ore at about 1% U3O8. Kent and Sullivan (2004) reported
90,700 tons of ore of unknown grade. Cathrall (1994) reported 209,400 tons of 1 percent U3O8, making the total U3O8 produced 4.2 million pounds.
lb, pound]
Year
Mining company
Amount mined (tons)
U3O8 produced (lb)
Grade (percent U3O8)
1957
Climax Molybdenum Corp.
15,000
315,000
1.05
19591964
Standard Metals Corp.
15,000
300,000
1.0
19701971
Newmont Exploration, Ltd.
55,600
687,000
0.62
85,600
1,302,000
Total
Weighted average
company began an intensive new exploration program in 2007

that continued to the present throughout an area of about 20
mi2 that includes the Ross-Adams mine property (http://www.
ucoreraremetals.com/bokan.asp). Preliminary reports based on
these new data suggest an inverse relationship between U and
REE; U is located near the margin of the granite complex and
more abundant REE more distant from the intrusive complex.
However, ore having a high percentage of U is generally also
enriched in REEespecially the heavy rare earth elements
(HREE), Y, Zr, Be, and Nb. For example, Ucore Rare Metals
reports finding about 6 m of core having a grade of 0.26 percent light rare earth elements (LREE) and 3.6 percent HREE
in the orebodys I & L vein system.
Rare earth elementsbearing uraniferous orebodies also
lie in the northwest-striking shear zones within the stock
granite, where they measure as thick as 3 m (3.3 ft) and as
long as 30 m (98 ft) along strike (Thompson, 1988). The
main uranium minerals include uranothorite and coffinite in
a gangue of quartz and feldspar (Warner and Barker, 1989;
Heylmun, 1999). Typically, uranothorite is the dominant
ore mineral; it forms yellowish to brownish ovoids that are
0.2 to 2 mm in diameter (Thompson, 1988). Hematite may
be found as rims on uranothorite grains or in fine veinlets
that extend along microfractures between ovoids. Less than
2 percent of the ore also consists of sulfide species such as
pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, marcasite, acanthite, and bornite (Thompson, 1988). Within and
adjacent to the orebodies, pervasive hydrothermal albite and
minor amounts of chlorite, fluorite, calcite, quartz, sericite, and tourmaline precipitated during wall-rock alteration
(Thompson, 1988).
In addition to the mineralized shear zones, U- and REEmineralized veins and dikes extend out from Bokan Mountain
all the way to the West Arm of Kendrick Bay. Most of the
veins and dikes are parallel to subparallel (table 15) and crop
out on the southeast side of Bokan Mountain, although an
exception is the Geiger dike, which is located on the northwest
side of the mountain (fig. 5). Overall, the veins and dikes tend
to bifurcate and anastomose, especially away from the granite
stock, which makes them appear more like members of a system rather than individual bodies (Philpotts and others, 1998).
0.76
On the whole, ore mineralization is confined to microfractures

in the dikes or the interstices between larger silicate grains
(Warner and Barker, 1989). For example, the I & L vein system strikes west-northwest (table 15) and is located within the
peralkaline granite stock on the east side of Bokan Mountain
(MacKevett, 1963; Warner and Barker, 1989). The system
measures 2.6 km (1.6 mi) long and is composed of many thin,
subparallel veins that individually rarely exceed 1.5 m (5 ft)
in width (Staatz, 1978; Warner and Barker, 1989). Of the
two main splays in the I & L vein system, the western splay
(closest to the Bokan Mountain granite) is hosted by limonitestained peralkaline granite and pegmatite (Warner and Barker,
1989). The Dotson dike system terminates in the northwest
at a right-lateral offset to the I & L vein system and extends
about 2 km (1.2 mi) to the southeast; this system of veins has
a width around 1 km (0.6 mi) (Staatz, 1978; Philpotts and
others, 1998). The Dotson dike system likely extends southeastward beneath the West Arm of Kendrick Bay (Warner and
Barker, 1989). The Geiger dike extends northerly from near
an aplite outlier of the peralkaline granite to the north shore of
South Arm Moira Sound; it is a continuous dike system of one
to five or more parallel, radioactive dikes (Warner and Barker,
1989). The Cheri dike system consists of steeply dipping,
subparallel, radioactive dikes that cut albitized quartz diorite
country rock (Warner and Barker, 1989). In some places,
pyroxene-rich masses appear within the dikes whereas magnetite, pyrite, and epidote appear along the edges. Rare fluorite
and secondary uranium have also been identified within all of
these vein-dike systems (Warner and Barker, 1989).
The Upper Cheri dikes are subparallel to and southwest
of the Cheri dikes. On the whole, the dikes are very similar to
those of the Cheri dike system, with comparable mineralogy,
structure, setting, radioactivity, and intrusive characteristics
(Warner and Barker, 1989). The Geoduck dikes can be traced
southeasterly along a strike of N. 4050 W. for about 2.9
km (1.8 mi) (Warner and Barker, 1989) (table 15). Texturally,
the dikes are fine to medium grained and granular and banded
or cut by veinlets of quartz or opaque minerals. In addition,
the Geoduck dike system has, for most of its strike length,
chlorite- and epidote-altered pyritic quartz diorite wall rocks
(Warner and Barker, 1989).
The veins and dikes are of importance because they contain anomalously high amounts of Be, Nb, REE, Ta, and Hfrich zirconium (table 16). From 1984 to 1987, the U.S. Bureau
of Mines investigated several prospects on Bokan Mountain
and in the surrounding area, including the mineralized dikes.
Collectively, the dikes indicate a resource of 6.8 million tons
of ore that average 0.264 percent REE oxides, about one-third
yttrium (Warner and Barker, 1989). In addition, the dikes are
extensively enriched in yttrium and heavy rare earth elements
(HREE) relative to the light rare earths (LREE); yttrium is
present at 1,000 times its normal crustal abundance. This composition contrasts with REE deposits elsewhere in the United
States and is important because most of the HREE and yttrium
in the United States is imported (Warner and Barker, 1989).
The most abundant REE are, in order of generally decreasing
abundance, Y, Ce, Nd, La, and Sm. Gadolinium, Dy, Ho, Er,
and Tm are also present in variable and sometimes noteworthy
concentrations (Warner and Barker, 1989). On average, the
dikes also contain 0.727 percent zirconium oxide and 0.155
percent niobium oxide, while the amount of thorium and
uranium in the dikes is negligible. Trace to minor amounts of
other valuable elements are also present, including Be, Ga, Ge,
Au, Hf, Pb, Li, Pd, Rb, Ag, Sr, Ta, Sn, V, and Zn.
The minerals of the euxenite-polycrase series host most
of the Nb found in the dikes, though minor amounts are
also contained in columbite (now called ferrocolumbite),
aeschynite, and fergusonite (Warner and Barker, 1989).
Thalenite, or its alteration product tengerite, contains the
observed Y as well as inclusions of xenotime. Other REE are
contained within the minerals bastnasite, parisite, synchysite,
xenotime, and monazite. Thorium and uranium are present

in thorite and uranothorite. Other minerals identified in the
dikes include aegirine, barite, biotite, calcite, epidote, fluorite,
galena, iron oxides, magnetite, microcline, microperthite,
native silver, pyrite, riebeckite, sphalerite, and zircon. Philpotts and others (1998) examined a 3-km (1.9 mi) transect
from the margin of the Bokan Mountain peralkaline granite
stock along a micro-pegmatite and aplite vein-dike system
enriched in Y-REE-Zr-Nb, and they identified minerals such
as arfvedsonite, taeniolite, and gittinsite, as well as several
other REE-, Zr-, and Nb-bearing phases. By use of various
analytical methods, the examined transect was found to be
generally enriched in Y and HREE and to have a pronounced
negative Eu anomaly, which largely agrees with the results
obtained by Warner and Barker (1989) for several dike systems in the Bokan Mountain area.
Similar to the mineralogy of the dike systems, the
mineralogy of the I & L vein system is complex. In particular, U, Th, and REE are present in several different minerals
from different parts of the veins, and they are usually in a
gangue dominated by quartz and albite (Staatz, 1978; Keyser
and McKenney, 2007). Generally, U is located in Th-bearing
uraninite, although it can be found in brannerite in some of the
transverse veins (Staatz, 1978). Secondary U minerals, such
as kasolite and sklodowskite, have been identified, but they
are rare (Keyser and McKenney, 2007). In the northwest part
of the vein system, thorite is the main thorium mineral, while
allanite is found in the southeastern part of the system as well
as in the transverse veins. Other rare earth minerals besides
allanite include bastnasite, xenotime, and monazite. However,
Table 15. Dimensions of main orebodies in the Bokan Mountain district, Alaska.
[m, meter; --, not available]
Prospect
Deposit type
Trend
Length
(m)
Average
width
(m)
Estimated
depth
(m)
Source
Dotson shear zone
Shear zone,
fracture controlled
--
--
3.0
--
Warner and
Barker (1989).
Ross-Adams pipe
Shear zone,
fracture controlled
--
Thompson
(1988).
Cheri
Dike
Upper Cheri
Dike
--
366
Dotson
Dike
--
2,134
Geiger
Dike
N. 15 E. to
N. 30 W.
Geoduck
Dike
I & L vein system
Dike
N-NW
300
24
264
Warner and
Barker (1989).
--
Warner and
Barker (1989).
0.9
762
Warner and
Barker (1989).
1,707
1.5
762
Warner and
Barker (1989).
N. 40 W. to
N. 50 W.
2,896
0.5
762
Warner and
Barker (1989.
NW
2,600
1.5
--
N. 45 W.
1,097
0.9
1
Staatz (1978).
So
uth
Pe
er
Geig
Arm
Lake
rki
ns
Cr
ee
Bokan
Mountain
Lake
Ross
Adams
I&L
X
Dot
son
Dotson C
reek
er
pp
We
s
2 MILES
Ge
er
ri
he
Lake
Ch
od
tA
rm
uc
Kendrick
Bay
eri
Ch
Figure 5. Map of major vein and dike systems associated with Bokan Mountain, Alaska. Modified from
Heylmun (1999).
the distribution of the REE oxides is unusual in that one part

of a vein may contain mostly LREE (for example, bastnasite)
whereas another part of the same vein has predominantly
HREE (for example, xenotime) (Staatz, 1978).
In addition, the I & L vein system contains anomalous
amounts of Be, Nb, Zr, Ba, Sr, Sn, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Mo (table
16). Most of the Nb-rich minerals are located in euxenitepolycrase or columbite-tantalite series. (Columbite and tantalite are obsolete names for a mineral series; columbite is now
named ferrocolumbite (Fe2+Nb2O6), which forms two minerals
series, one with ferrotantalite (Fe2+Ta2O6) and the other with
manganocolumbite [(Mn2+,Fe2+)(Nb,Ta)2O6)].
Commonly, these minerals are associated with zircon as
microveinlets. Alternatively, these minerals may replace albite
and quartz in the vein matrix. Other minerals include aegirine,
barite, biotite, calcite, epidote, fluorite, galena, iron oxides,
potassium feldspar, magnetite, pyrite, riebeckite, native silver,
and sphalerite (Staatz, 1978).
Many of the dikes in the Bokan Mountain area crop out

in heavily forested areas and thus the bedrock is covered by
thick vegetation (Warner and Barker, 1989). For instance, the
Upper Cheri dike system can be traced only intermittently
because of muskeg cover, glacial till, or obscuration by
hillside talus where it is open-ended. On the northwest end
of the Upper Cheri, the dike system passes under a low-lying
creek valley (Warner and Barker, 1989). Heavy soil cover
also prohibits detailed mapping in the I & L vein system. In
addition, accessibility to the area is limited given that the
topography of the Bokan Mountain area ranges from moderately steep to precipitous (Keyser and McKenney, 2007).
Although deep-water marine access is available to and from
Ketchikan and Prince Rupert by way of Kendrick Bay and
Moira Sound, accessing more remote sections of the area
must be achieved by helicopter, boat, or on foot. In spite of
these limitations, the mineralization could have considerable
economic potential.
--
--
4,443,000
481,000
Upper Cheri
2,039,000
-2,450,000
--
--
8,490,000
--
4,693,000
--
--
9,528,000
Geoduck1
--37,000
5,000
586,000
I&L
I&L
I&L
I&L
ILM
30,890,000
27,000
--
365,000
--
--
--
6,000
50,000
23,000
6,863,000
Trace percentages of Ge, Hf, Pb, Zn, and Au also present.
Total
Sunday Lake
--
--
I&L
Ross-Adams mine
--
I&L
21,000
-1,378,000
2,600,000
Geiger
Geoduck1
Geiger
Geiger1
Dotson dike1
Dotson shear zone
Cheri
--
73,000
458,000
--
Cheri1
Cheri
Inferred
Indicated
Resource
(tons)
Prospect
0.59
0.17
0.017
--
--
--
--
--
0.094
0.012
0.015
0.008
0.021
0.021
0.011
0.009
0.014
0.014
0.020
0.012
U3O8
(percent)
0.070
--
0.176
0.300
0.100
0.300
0.100
0.096
0.186
0.112
0.148
0.062
0.219
0.219
0.103
0.083
0.099
0.123
0.175
0.089
Nb2O5
(percent)
[%, percent; --, not available. Source of data: Warner and Barker (1989) and Keyser and McKenney (2007)]
3.640
0.460
--
--
--
--
--
--
0.114
0.021
0.031
0.009
0.009
0.052
0.071
0.025
0.032
0.042
0.025
ThO2
(percent)
Table 16. Resource estimates for main prospects on Bokan Mountain, Alaska, and surrounding property.
1.030
0.400
0.083
--
--
--
--
--
--
0.200
0.374
0.163
0.168
0.168
0.138
0.113
0.159
0.180
0.222
0.095
Y2O3
(percent)
0.380
0.320
3.340
--
--
--
--
--
0.094
0.390
0.640
1.000
2.430
2.430
0.260
0.009
0.460
0.410
0.650
0.320
ZrO2
(percent)
0.329
0.32
0.353
--
--
--
--
--
--
0.319
0.375
0.149
0.458
0.458
0.21
0.132
0.411
0.352
0.461
0.281
REO
(percent)
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
0.028
0.028
--
--
--
0.16
--
--
0.025
0.03
0.025
BeO
(percent)
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
0.014
0.014
0.026
--
--
0.01
0.01
0.01
Ta2O5
(percent)
References Cited
Cathrall, J.B., 1994, Geochemical survey of the Craig study
areaCraig and Dixon Entrance quadrangles and the
western edges of the Ketchikan and Prince Rupert
quadrangles, southeast Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey
Bulletin 2082, 52 p., 1 plate.
De Saint-Andr, B., Lancelot, J.R., and Collot, B., 1983,
U-Pb geochronology of the Bokan Mountain peralkaline
granite, southeastern Alaska: Canadian Journal of Earth
Sciences, v. 20, no. 2, p. 236245.
Heylmun, E.B., 1999, Rare earths at Bokan Mountain, Alaska:
International California Mining Journal, v. 68, no. 5,
p. 4446.
Kent, S., and Sullivan, C., 2004, 2004 Preliminary assessment/
site inspection report, Ross Adams uranium mine, Prince
of Wales Island, Alaska: Private report for USDA Forest
Service, Kent & Sullivan, Inc.
Keyser, H.J., and McKenney, J., 2007, Geological Report on
the Bokan Mountain Property, Prince of Wales Island,
Alaska: Private report for Landmark Minerals, Inc., 48 p.
Lanphere, M.A., MacKevett, Jr., E.M., and Stern, T.W., 1964,
Potassium-argon and lead-alpha ages of plutonic rocks,
Bokan Mountain area, Alaska: Science, v. 145, no. 3633,
p. 705707.
MacKevett, E.M., Jr., 1963, Geology and ore deposits of the
Bokan Mountain uranium-thorium area, southeastern
Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1154, 125 p.,
5 plates.
Philpotts, J.A., Taylor, C.D., Tatsumoto, M., and Belkin, H.E.,
1998, Petrogenesis of late-stage granites and Y-REE-ZrNb-enriched vein dikes of the Bokan Mountain stock,
Prince of Wales Island, southeastern Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 980459, 71 p.
Staatz, M.H., 1978, I and L uranium and thorium vein system,
Bokan Mountain, southeastern Alaska: Economic Geology, v. 73, no. 4, p. 512523.
Stephens, F.H., 1971, The Kendrick Bay project: Western
Miner, v. 44, no. 10, p. 151158.
Thompson, T.B., 1988, Geology and uranium-thorium mineral
deposits of the Bokan Mountain granite complex, southeastern Alaska: Ore Geology Reviews, v. 3, p. 193210.
Warner, J.D., and Barker, J.C., 1989, Columbium- and rareearth element-bearing deposits at Bokan Mountain,
southeast Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open File
Report 3389, 196 p.
AlaskaSalmon Bay 35
AlaskaSalmon Bay
Location: Northeast shore of Prince of Wales Island, the
southernmost island in Alaska. Latitude: 56.31915 N.,
Longitude: 133.17145 W.; datum: WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: Short, irregular, and lenticular veins of radioactive carbonate-hematite crop out
along the coast for about 13 km (8 mi). Some veins can be
traced for more than 91 m (300 ft) between the low-tide
line and forest cover. The veins cut the Salmon Bay greywacke, a thick formation of Silurian age. On average, the
veins are 58 cm (23 in.) wide, though they normal range
from less than 2 cm (1 in.) to as much as 0.76 m (2.5 ft). A
few veins reach 1.53 m (5 to 10 ft) in width.
Status: Apparently little geologic work has been done in this
area since the 1950s.
Production: No past production.
Estimated resources: The average of seven samples taken
from one of the more radioactive veins was 0.034 percent equivalent uranium (eU) or 0.156 percent equivalent
thorium (eTh), which equates to 0.178 percent equivalent
ThO2 (eThO2) (Houston and others, 1955). The fluorinerich carbonates from the highest-grade rare earth elements
vein yield an average content of 0.79 percent rare earth
oxides. Because of the short, lenticular, and irregular
nature of the veins, the average grade or total reserves was
not calculated.
Detailed Discussion
Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in southeastern
Alaska in 1952 identified radioactive minerals in the vicinity
of Salmon Bay, Alaska, located on the northeastern shoreline
of Prince of Wales Island. Short, irregular, and lenticular veins
of radioactive carbonate-hematite crop out along the coast for
about 13 km (8 mi), roughly 5 km (3 mi) northwest and 8 km
(5 mi) southeast of Salmon Bay (Houston and others, 1955).
Some of the veins can be traced, however, for more than 91 m
(300 ft) between the low-tide line and forest cover. The veins
cut the Salmon Bay greywacke, a thick formation of Silurian
age that ranges in color from reddish brown to grayish green
(Houston and others, 1955). On average, the veins are 58
cm (23 in.) wide, though they normally range from less than
2 cm (1 in.) to as many as 0.76 m (2.5 ft). A few veins reach
1.53 m (5 to 10 ft) in width.
The predominant minerals in the veins are dolomiteankerite and alkali feldspar, with lesser amounts of hematite,
pyrite, siderite, magnetite, quartz, chalcedony, and chlorite
(Houston and others, 1955). Other minerals identified include
parisite, bastnasite, muscovite, fluorite, apatite, thorite, zircon,
monazite, epidote, topaz, garnet, chalcopyrite, and marcasite.
The radioactivity in the veins is caused by thorite and monazite, both of which contain thorium. The fluorcarbonates
parisite and bastnasite are found in nonradioactive carbonatehematite veins, which are also located along the coast and are
wider than the radioactive veins. Of the two fluorcarbonates,
parisite is more abundant and appears to be a late-stage mineral that fills in small vugs or was deposited along fractures in
the host carbonate vein (Houston and others, 1955).
Seven samples taken from one of the more radioactive
veins averaged 0.034 percent equivalent uranium (eU) or
0.156 percent equivalent thorium (eTh), which equates to
0.178 percent equivalent ThO2 (eThO2) (Houston and others, 1955). The fluorcarbonates from the highest-grade rare
earth vein yield an average content of 0.79 percent rare earth
oxides. Because of the short, lenticular, and irregular nature
of the veins, no calculation of the average grade or total
reserves was attempted. However, analyses of samples from
the Paystreak vein on Pitcher Island were sufficient to enable
preliminary estimates. Houston and others (1955) reported
approximately 68.6 lb (31 kg) of Th or 78.1 lb (35.4 kg) of
ThO2 per foot (0.3 m) of depth for the 100-ft (30.5-m) portion
of the vein sample.
Additional exploration of the Salmon Bay deposit is
necessary to more fully evaluate the economic potential of
this resource, as little work has been done in this area since
the 1950s.
Reference Cited
Houston, J.R., Velikanje, R.S., Bates, R.G., and Wedow,
H., Jr., 1955, Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in
southeastern Alaska, 1952: U.S. Geological Survey Trace
Elements Investigations Report 293, 58 p.
36
CaliforniaMountain Pass Deposit

and Mine
Location: Northeastern corner of San Bernardino County,
California. Latitude: 35.47812 N., Longitude: 115.53068
W.; datum: WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: A massive carbonatite called
the Sulphide Queen body forms the core of the Mountain
Pass igneous complex and hosts the bulk of the rare earth
elements resources in the district. This carbonatite body
has an overall length of 730 m (2,395 ft) and average
width of 120 m (394 ft). The typical ore contains about
1015 percent bastnasite (the ore mineral), 65 percent
calcite or dolomite (or both), and 2025 percent barite,
plus other minor accessory minerals (Castor and Nason,
2004). The Sulphide Queen carbonatite body is the largest
known mass of high-grade rare earth elements ore in the
United States.
Status: Molycorp ceased its mining of the Mountain Pass rare
earth elements deposit in 2002 when its permit expired. In
2009, Molycorp announced its intentions to resume mining at Mountain Pass by the year 2012.
Production: Rare earth elements were mined in the district
beginning in 1952, with nearly continuous production
until 2002. The mines peak output, around 1990, was
20,000 metric tons/year (22,000 tons/year) of rare earth
elements oxides.
Estimated resources: Molycorp estimates that the remaining
deposit holds 20 to 47 million metric tons (22 to 52 million tons) of ore with an estimated average grade of 8.9
percent rare earth elements oxide.
Detailed Discussion
The Mountain Pass deposit sits near the eastern edge of
the Mohave Desert in the northeastern corner of San Bernardino County, California. It lies just north of Interstate Highway 15 near Mountain Pass, about 60 mi (96 km) southwest of
Las Vegas, Nevada (figs. 6 and 7).
The Mountain Pass deposit is commonly recognized as
the largest known rare earth elements (REE) resource in the
United States, with current reserves estimated to be greater
than 20 million metric tons of ore with an average grade of 8.9
percent rare earth elements oxide (Castor and Hedrick, 2006).
A massive carbonatite called the Sulphide Queen body forms
the core of the Mountain Pass igneous complex and hosts the
bulk of the REE mineral resources in the district. This carbonatite body has an overall length of 730 m (2,395 ft) and
average width of 120 m (394 ft) (Olson and others, 1954). The
typical ore contains about 1015 percent bastnasite (the ore
mineral), 65 percent calcite or dolomite (or both), and 2025
percent barite, plus other minor accessory minerals (Castor
and Nason, 2004). The Sulphide Queen carbonatite body is
the largest known mass of high-grade REE ore in the United

States. Light REE are preferentially concentrated in the Mountain Pass ore (Castor, 2008).
Molycorp ceased its mining of the Mountain Pass REE
deposit in 2002 when its permit expired. However, in 2009,
Molycorp announced its intentions to resume mining at Mountain Pass by the year 2012. The mines open pitinactive
since 2002covers about 22 hectares (55 acres ) of area
and is about 122 m (400 ft ) deep. In July 2009, Molycorp
reached agreement with Arnold Magnetic Technologies Corp.
of Rochester, New York, to make permanent magnets using
REE mined at Mountain Pass (Mining Engineering, 2009).
Molycorp announced that Plans call for mining to resume
at Mountain Pass by 2012, at the rate of about 972 t/d [972
metric tons per day; 1,000 tons per day] of ore, enough to
produce 20 kt [20,000 metric tons; 22,000 tons] of rare earth
oxides for sale each year (Mining Engineering, 2009, p. 8); it
has received approval to double its output volume with time.
The mines peak output 20 years ago was 20,000 metric tons
per year of rare earth oxides (Mining Engineering, 2009).
Molycorp estimates that the remaining deposit holds 20 to
47 million metric tons (22 to 52 million tons) of ore (Mining
Engineering, 2009).
The Sulphide Queen carbonatite stock and nearby carbonatite dikes are associated with Proterozoic, potassium-rich
igneous rocksbiotite shonkinite, hornblende and biotite
syenite, and granitethat intruded Precambrian metamorphic
and igneous rocks (Olson and others, 1954; Castor, 2008). The
Sulphide Queen body was originally mapped as three rock
types with local variationsgray calcite-barite rock (fig. 8),
ferruginous dolomitic rock, and silicified carbonate rock
(Olson and others, 1954). All phases of the stock contain bastnasite. Age determinations indicate that the Sulphide Queen
carbonatite was emplaced 13755 million years ago (DeWitt
and others, 1987), about 2535 million years after the alkaline
igneous intrusions in the district (Castor, 2008).
In addition to the massive Sulphide Queen carbonatite
stock, several carbonatite dikes are exposed in the Mountain
Pass district. These dikes include the Birthday veins north
and northwest of the Sulphide Queen mass and other carbonatite dikes southeast of the stock. The Sulphide Queen
stock and the carbonatite dikes are exposed across an area
of less than 1 mi2 in the district. The carbonatite dikes range
from a few inches to about 6 m (20 ft) in thickness and
can be exposed for as much as 122 m (400 ft) along strike
(Olson and others, 1954). Like the Sulphide Queen stock,
the carbonatite dikes are abundant in calcite (as much as 90
percent of the dike) and barite (as much as 30 percent); but
in contrast to the stock, individual dikes may or may not contain bastnasite. Accessory minerals include siderite, quartz,
fluorite, galena, pyrite, apatite, crocidolite, wulfenite, biotite,
thorite, hematite, magnetite, goethite, and potassium feldspar
(Olson and others, 1954; Castor and Nason, 2004; Castor, 2008). The carbonatite dikes range in total REE oxide
content from 2.03 to 18.64 percent (Olson and others, 1954;
Staatz and others, 1980).
CaliforniaMountain Pass Deposit and Mine 37
Figure 6. Google Earth image of the Mountain Pass mining district, California. Molycorps open pit mineinactive since 2002is at
the center of this view; the pit covers about 55 acres (22 hectares) and is about 400 ft (122 m) deep. (Image used with permission of
Google.)
The REE content of the Mountain Pass district was first

discovered in April 1949, when a couple of uranium prospectors noted modest radioactivity on their Geiger counter on
Sulphide Queen hill and at the Birthday vein, located 1,219 m
(4,000 ft) to the northwest (radioactivity reflected the thorium
content of the carbonatite). They grabbed samples of radioactive rock and took it to the U.S. Bureau of Mines office in
Boulder City, Nevada. Analyses of the samples by the Bureau
of Mines, confirmed by laboratories of the USGS, found
that the rock was rich in bastnasitea rare earthcarbonatefluorine mineralwhich subsequently became the primary
ore mineral of Mountain Pass. Later in 1949, the prospectors
filed claims on the Birthday vein system. In November of

1949, the USGS initiated a high-priority field study of the
Mountain Pass district, which mapped, described, and sampled
the district in detail; this field work led to the discovery of
the massive Sulphide Queen carbonatite stock (Shawe, 1953;
Olson and others, 1954).
Mappers collected 59 outcrop samples of the Sulphide
Queen stock, which in total showed an average content of 6.9
percent REE oxides. Molybdenum Corporation of America
(later Molycorp) purchased the claims from the prospectors
in February 1950 and prepared plans to mine these bastnasite
deposits. In 1952, Molybdenum Corporation of America began
Figure 7. Northwest-facing view of Mountain Pass district, California, about 1997, viewed from the Mineral Hill area south of Interstate
Highway 15. An outcrop of ultrapotassic rock is in the right foreground. (Photograph by Stephen B. Castor, Nevada Bureau of Mines and
Geology; used with permission.)
Figure 8. Dolomitic carbonatite (beforsite, described by Castor, 2008) of the

Sulphide Queen orebody, Mountain Pass district, California. This sample is very
high grade ore; it contains more than 12 percent rare earth oxide. bar, barite
phenocrysts; b+cc, fine-grained bastnasite mixed with calcite; brown to yellow
mineral is dolomite. (Photograph by Stephen B. Castor, Nevada Bureau of Mines
and Geology; used with permission.)
CaliforniaMountain Pass Deposit and Mine 39

mining of the surface outcrops and built small processing
facilities in the district. The early prospecting and discovery
history of the Mountain Pass district is thoroughly described
by D.F. Hewett, as the foreword to Olson and others (1954).
Although the report is more than half a century old and
was written prior to large-scale mining in the district, the USGS
report of Olson and others (1954) remains the most comprehensive published report on the geology of the Mountain Pass
district. The geologic mapping, lithologic descriptions, and
mineralogy described in the report have been proven through
the several decades of development to be an accurate geologic
accounting of the district. The results of more recent geologic
and geochemical research in the district, which includes subsurface information, are detailed by Castor (2008).
References Cited
Castor, S.B., 2008, The Mountain Pass rare-earth carbonatite
and associated ultrapotassic rocks, California: The Canadian
Mineralogist, v. 46, no. 4, p. 779806.
Castor, S.B., and Hedrick, J.B., 2006, Rare earth elements, in
Kogel, J.E., Trivedi, N.C., Barker, J.M., and Krukowski,
S.T., eds., Industrial minerals & rocksCommodities, markets, and uses (7th ed.): Littleton, Colo., Society for Mining,
Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. (SME), p. 769792.
Castor, S.B., and Nason, G.W., 2004, Mountain Pass rare earth
deposit, California, in Castor, S.B., Papke, K.G., and Meeuwig, R.O., eds., Betting on industrial mineralsProceedings of the 39th Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals, Reno/Sparks, Nev., May 1824, 2003: Nevada Bureau
of Mines and Geology Special Publication 33, p. 6881.
DeWitt, Ed, Kwak, L.M., and Zartman, R.E., 1987, U-Th-Pb
and 40Ar/39Ar dating of the Mountain Pass carbonatite and
alkalic igneous rocks, S.E. Cal. [abs.]: Geological Society
of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 19, no. 7, p. 642.
Mining Engineering, 2009, Rare earths mine to come back on
line to fuel green cars: Mining Engineering, v. 61, no. 10,
[October 2009], p. 8.
Olson, J.C., Shawe, D.R., Pray, L.C., and Sharp, W.N., 1954,
Rare-earth mineral deposits of the Mountain Pass district,
San Bernardino County, California: U.S. Geological Survey
Professional Paper 261, 75 p.
Shawe, D.R., 1953, Thorium resources of the Mountain Pass
district, San Bernardino County, California: U.S. Geological Survey Trace Elements Investigations Report 251,
73 p., 4 plates.
Staatz, M.H., Hall, R.B., Macke, D.L., Armbrustmacher, T.J.,
and Brownfield, I.K., 1980, Thorium resources of selected
regions in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey
Circular 824, 32 p.
CaliforniaMusic Valley Area

Location: Sixteen km (10 mi) southeast of Twentynine Palms
in Riverside County, southern California. Latitude:
33.98423 N., Longitude: 115.93254 W.; datum: WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: The xenotime deposits of
the Music Valley area are situated within the Pinto Gneiss
of probable Precambrian age. Biotite-rich zones in the
gneiss can contain abundant orange xenotime grains,
commonly forming 1015 percent of the biotite zones and
locally comprising about 35 percent xenotime.
Status: A reported deposit with apparently no current exploration activity.
Production: These deposits had no past production. Smallscale exploration of these deposits during the late 1950s
investigated their radioactivity.
Estimated resources: No resource estimate has been made for
this district. In 1957, rock chip samples were collected in
radioactive, biotite-rich intervals of the Pinto Gneiss that
had been exposed in exploration prospect pits. Results
from five samples found 3.5 to 8.8 weight percent yttrium.
Detailed Discussion
Music Valley lies in the Pinto Mountains about 16 km
(10 mi) southeast of Twentynine Palms in Riverside County,
southern California, and just to the northeast of Joshua Tree
National Park. During 1949 and 1952, reconnaissance ground
and airborne radiometric prospecting by the USGS in conjunction with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission led to
the discovery of radioactivity anomalies in the Music Valley
area. This discovery led to local exploration efforts to find the
source of the radioactivity. By 1959, only traces of uranium
had been found in this area, but localized concentrations of
xenotime suggest that the radioactivity originated in thorium
rather than uranium.
All of the xenotime deposits of the Music Valley area
lie within the Pinto Gneiss of probable Precambrian age
(Evans, 1964), the oldest rock unit exposed in this area. The
Pinto Gneiss consists of roughly equal amounts of quartz
and plagioclase feldspar, and it averages approximately 35
percent biotite (Evans, 1964). Accessory minerals present in
trace amounts in the gneiss include sericite, apatite, magnetite,
zircon, and sphene, and local monazite, actinolite, orthoclase,
microcline, perthite, and muscovite. Biotite-rich zones in
the gneiss can contain abundant orange xenotime grains that
commonly form 1015 percent of the biotite zones and locally
comprise about 35 percent xenotime (Evans, 1964).
In the Music Valley area, xenotime concentrations are
distributed throughout a northwest-trending zone that is about
4.8 km (3 mi) in width by 9.7 km (6 mi) in length. According
to Evans (1964, p. 10): Xenotime is almost entirely confined
to the Pinto Gneiss where it is irregularly distributed and only
locally concentrated in sufficient quantity to give an abnormal

radioactive anomaly. It nearly always occurs in biotite-rich
lenses, pods, and folia.
In 1957, rock-chip samples were collected in radioactive,
biotite-rich intervals of the Pinto Gneiss that had been exposed
in exploration prospect pits. Five rock-chip samples collected
from the most radioactive prospect, the U-Th deposit, found
the following concentrations (Evans, 1964, table 2, p. 21):
Element
Concentration
(wt percent)
3.58.8
La
0.260.34
Ce
0.470.94
Nd
0.240.41
Dy
0.220.41
Yb
0.460.75
Th
0.310.49
To better evaluate the potential rare earth elements

resources within the Music Valley area requires additional
detailed mapping, sampling and analyses, and perhaps core
drilling.
Reference Cited
Evans, J.R., 1964, Xenotime mineralization in the southern
Music Valley area, Riverside County, California: California
Division of Mines and Geology Special Report 79, 24 p.
ColoradoIron Hill Carbonatite Complex 41
ColoradoIron Hill Carbonatite

Complex
Location: Located near the small town of Powderhorn, about
35 km (22 mi) south-southwest of Gunnison, Colorado.
Latitude: 38.25319 N., Longitude: 107.05328 W.; datum:
WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: A massive carbonatite
stock forms the core of the Iron Hill carbonatite complex.
The carbonatite stock is enriched in rare earth elements,
niobium, and thorium; the adjacent pyroxenite unit is
enriched in these elements also and in substantial amounts
of titanium.
Status: Since 1990, Teck Resources Ltd. has owned many
of the patented claims within this intrusive complex. Its
interests have focused on the substantial titanium resource
within the pyroxenite unit of the complex. Currently
(2010), it appears that Teck Resources is not actively
conducting work at this property.
Production: No mineral resources have been produced from
this intrusive complex, despite its varied and substantial
mineral resources (Van Gosen and Lowers, 2007).
Estimated resources: The U.S. Geological Survey (Staatz
and others, 1979) estimated that the carbonatite stock of
Iron Hill contains 655.6 million metric tons (722.7 million
tons) of carbonatite. On the basis of the averaged analytical results of 28 samples of the carbonatite stock0.4
percent total rare earth elements oxides and 0.004 percent thorium oxideStaatz and others (1979) calculated
potential reserves within the stock of 2.6 million metric
tons (2.865 million tons) of rare earth elements oxides and
28,190 metric tons (31,080 tons) of thorium oxide. Applying an average grade of 0.057 percent niobium oxide,
Staatz and others (1979) estimated a reserve of 374,000
metric tons (412,000 tons) of niobium oxide in the carbonatite stock of Iron Hill. For an area of the pyroxenite unit,
Teck Resources reported that mineable proven, probable
and possible reserves***are 41.8 million tonnes [46 million tons] grading 13.2% TiO2 [titanium oxide] within an
open-ended global proven, probable and possible geologic
resource of 1.6 billion tonnes [1.8 billion tons] grading
10.9% TiO2 (Shaver and Lunceford, 1998, p. 63).
Detailed Discussion
The Iron Hill carbonatite complex is exposed for 31 km2
(12 mi2) near the small town of Powderhorn, about 35 km
(22 mi) south-southwest of Gunnison, Colorado. The intrusion is alkaline with a prominent carbonatite stock at its core.
This intrusive complex is noteworthy because of its classic
geology and its mineral resource potential (Van Gosen and
Lowers, 2007). This intrusive complex was described by
Olson and Hedlund (1981, p. 5) as the best example of the
carbonatite-alkalic rock association in the United States and is

one of the outstanding occurrences in the world, comparable to
many of the classic areas in Africa and other continents. The
primary rock types of the complex are, from oldest to youngest, pyroxenite, uncompahgrite, ijolite, nepheline syenite, and
carbonatite (Olson, 1974; Hedlund and Olson, 1975; Olson
and Hedlund, 1981; Armbrustmacher, 1983). Substantial
titanium concentrations have been measured in the pyroxenite
unit, which is thought to host the largest titanium (Ti) resource
in the United States (Thompson, 1987; Shaver and Lunceford,
1998; Van Gosen and Lowers, 2007). The carbonatite stock
is enriched in rare earth elements (REE), niobium (Nb), and
thorium (Th); the pyroxenite unit is also enriched in these elements plus vanadium (V). Thus, it may be economic to extract
several resources from this complex with a well-coordinated
mine and mill plan. Thus far, none of these resources has been
developed at Iron Hill.
A dolomitic carbonatite stock was the last major igneous phase of the Iron Hill intrusive complex. The stock
forms Iron Hill (fig. 9) and the ridge to its northwest, and
it is exposed throughout an area of about 3.7 km (2.3 mi)
long by 1.90.8 km (1.20.5 mi) wide, making it the largest exposed carbonatite mass in the United States. Staatz and
others (1979) estimated that the carbonatite stock of Iron Hill
contains 655.6 million metric tons (722.7 million tons) of
carbonatite. On the basis of the averaged analytical results
of 28 samples of the carbonatite stock0.4 percent for total
rare earth oxides and 0.004 percent ThO2Staatz and others
(1979) calculated potential reserves within the stock of 2.6
million metric tons (2.865 million tons) of rare earth elements
oxides and 28,190 metric tons (31,080 tons) of ThO2. Recent
sampling of the Iron Hill carbonatite stock by Van Gosen
(2008) found median values (from 13 samples) of 0.19 percent
total rare earth oxides (table 17) and 0.0035 percent ThO2;
this result represents estimated resources within the stock of
about 1.22 million metric tons (1.34 million tons) of rare earth
elements oxides and about 23,000 metric tons (25,300 tons)
of ThO2. (Median values were used for the Van Gosen (2008)
data because a few individual results exceeded the upper
analytical limit of detection for an element.)
Applying an average grade of 0.057 percent Nb2O5, Staatz
and others (1979) estimated a reserve of 374,000 metric tons
(412,000 tons) of Nb2O5 in the carbonatite stock of Iron Hill.
Armbrustmacher and Brownfield (1979) found 0.003 to 0.2
weight percent Nb (niobium) in 28 samples of the carbonatite
stock. Van Gosen (2008) found median values of 0.0595 weight
percent Nb2O5 from 13 samples of the stock, suggesting an estimated resource of 390,000 metric tons (430,000 tons) of Nb2O5.
As noted earlier, the pyroxenite unit of the Iron Hill
complex is enriched in titanium and likely is the largest titanium resource in the United States. In 1968, Buttes Gas & Oil
Company purchased the properties of the Iron Hill intrusive
complex. It focused its exploration and development primarily
on titanium resources in the perovskite-rich pyroxenite on the
northeast side of the Cimarron fault (Thompson, 1983). Exploration by Buttes Gas & Oil continued at the site into the 1980s.

Figure 9. Northwestfacing view of Iron
Hill, Gunnison County,
southwestern Colorado.
Iron Hill is formed by a
massive carbonatite stock
that forms the center of an
alkaline intrusive complex.
This complex hosts
many mineral resources,
including titanium,
niobium, rare earth
elements, and thorium
(Van Gosen and Lowers,
2007). The carbonatite
stock is estimated to
consist of 655.6 metric tons
of carbonatite containing
2.6 million metric tons
of rare earth elements
oxides, 28,200 metric tons
of thorium oxide, and
373,700 metric tons of
niobium oxide (Staatz and
others, 1979, p. 30).
A 1976 newspaper article in the Denver Post (February 25,

1976, p. 31) reported that company officials stated that their
studies had identified 419 million tons (380 metric tons) of
reserves averaging 12 percent TiO2. Thompson (1987, p. 27)
noted, In 1976, Kaiser Engineers, Inc. prepared a computer
ore reserve analysis indicating a reserve of 390,000,000 tons
(350 million metric tons) assaying 11.5 percent TiO2. Since
1976, additional drilling has increased the reserve to at least
500 million tons (450 million metric tons) of about the same
grade. Thompson (1983, 1987) summarizes the exploration
work at Iron Hill during the 1970s and 1980s by Buttes Gas
& Oil and its subsidiary companies, and he describes the processing steps that were being considered to most effectively
extract titanium from the rock.
In 1990, Teck Resources Ltd. entered into a joint venture
partnership with Buttes Gas & Oil Company to explore
the titanium resources of the Iron Hill intrusive complex.
In 1994, Teck Resources purchased 100 percent interest in
the properties. Since then (and by 2010), Teck Resources
delineated an orebody within the pyroxenite rock in the
northeastern area of the intrusive complex, calculated reserve
estimates, and conducted mineral processing, marketing,
and environmental baseline studies to evaluate the economic
viability of developing these titanium resources (Shaver and
Lunceford, 1998). Teck Resources reported that mineable
proven, probable and possible reservesare 41.8 million
metric tons (46 million tons) grading 13.2 percent TiO2 within
an open-ended global proven, probable and possible geologic
resource of 1.6 billion metric tons (1.8 billion tons) grading

10.9 percent TiO2 (Shaver and Lunceford, 1998, p. 63).
More recently, Van Gosen (2008) collected 24 widely
scattered near-surface samples of the pyroxenite unit in
the northern part of the intrusive complex (fig. 10). Results
showed a high concentration of 5.74 percent Ti (titanium) with
a median value of 3.2 percent Ti content. For comparison, Best
(1982, p. 615) reported that the titanium content of typical
pyroxenite is approximately 0.88 percent. Also, Upton (1967,
p. 283) reported that the Iron Hill pyroxenite contained the
highest titanium concentrations among his example chemistries of alkaline pyroxenites worldwide.
Similar to the central carbonatite stock, the pyroxenite unit at Iron Hill also is enriched in rare earth elements
(table 17), niobium, and thorium and, additionally, vanadium.
Pyroxenite samples collected by Van Gosen (2008) contained
median values of 0.143 percent total rare earth elements oxide
content (table 2), 0.036 percent Nb2O5, 0.0025 percent ThO2,
and 0.046 percent V2O5.
The high REE resource estimates at Iron Hill, Colorado,
are biased by the very large volume of the host rocksthe
carbonatite and the pyroxenite unitwhich are exposed
throughout very large areas and extend at depth for at least
several hundreds of meters. Also, note that REE concentrations at Iron Hillabout 0.140.19 percent REE oxideare
substantially lower than the concentrations in the Mountain
Pass carbonatite deposit (California), which reportedly averages 8.9 percent rare earth oxide.
ColoradoIron Hill Carbonatite Complex

Table 17. Median concentrations of rare earth elements in samples of carbonatite stock and pyroxenite unit, Iron Hill
carbonatite complex, Colorado.
[Rare earth elements listed in order of increasing atomic number; yttrium (Y) is included with these elements because it shares chemical and physical
similarities with the lanthanides. ppm, parts per million; wt percent, weight percent. Data from Van Gosen (2008)]
Carbonatite stock (13 samples)

Element
Median value
(ppm)
Pyroxenite unit (24 samples)
Oxide
Oxide equivalent
(wt percent)
Element
Median value
(ppm)
Oxide
Oxide equivalent
(wt percent)
La
344
La2O3
0.040
La
264
La2O3
0.031
Ce
681
Ce2O3
0.080
Ce
508
Ce2O3
0.060
Pr2O3
0.010
Pr
Pr2O3
0.007
Nd2O3
0.039
Nd
Nd2O3
0.026
Pr
Nd
89.7
337
60.2
227
Sm
47.8
Sm2O3
0.006
Sm
39.1
Sm2O3
0.005
Eu
11
Eu2O3
0.001
Eu
10.6
Eu2O3
0.001
Gd
33.7
Gd2O3
0.004
Gd
31.1
Gd2O3
0.004
Tb2O3
0.0004
Dy2O3
0.002
Tb
3.72
Tb2O3
0.0004
Tb
Dy
8.04
Dy2O3
0.0009
Dy
Ho
1.10
Ho2O3
0.0001
Ho
2.04
Ho2O3
0.0002
Er
2.63
Er2O3
0.0003
Er
4.48
Er2O3
0.0005
Tm
0.29
Tm2O3
0.00003
Tm
0.45
Tm2O3
0.00005
Yb
1.6
Yb2O3
0.0002
Yb
2.5
Yb2O3
0.0003
Lu
0.17
Lu2O3
0.00002
Lu
0.29
Lu2O3
0.00003
Y2O3
0.004
Y2O3
0.006
Y
Total
27.9
1,590
0.186
3.64
14.1
47.8
1,215
0.143
43

Figure 10. Outcrop of
pyroxenite unit in the
northern part of the Iron
Hill carbonatite complex,
southwestern Colorado.
Analyses of 24 widely
scattered samples of
this pyroxenite unit
collected throughout
the complex contained
median abundances of 5.3
percent titanium oxide,
0.06 percent cerium oxide,
0.143 percent total rare
earth elements oxides,
0.036 percent niobium
oxide, 0.0025 percent
thorium oxide, and 0.046
percent vanadium oxide
(Van Gosen, 2008).
References Cited
Armbrustmacher, T.J., 1983, The complex of alkaline rocks
at Iron Hill, Powderhorn district, Gunnison County,
Colorado, in Handfield, R.C., ed., Gunnison Gold Belt
and Powderhorn Carbonatite Field Trip Guidebook,
1983: Denver Region Exploration Geologists Society,
p. 2831.
Armbrustmacher, T.J., and Brownfield, I.K., 1979, The carbonatite stock at Iron Hill, Gunnison County, Colorado
Chemical and mineralogical data: U.S. Geological Survey
Open-File Report 79537, 10 p.
Best, M.G., 1982, Igneous and metamorphic petrology: San
Francisco, Calif., W.H. Freeman and Company, 630 p.
Hedlund, D.C., and Olson, J.C., 1975, Geologic map of the
Powderhorn quadrangle, Gunnison and Saguache Counties,
Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle
Map GQ1178, scale 1:24,000.
Shaver, K.C., and Lunceford, R.A., 1998, White Earth Project,

ColoradoThe largest titanium resource in the United States:
Canadian Industrial Minerals Bulletin, v. 91, p. 6365.
Thompson, J.V., 1983, Economic potential of the carbonatite
and alkalic stock at Powderhorn, Gunnison County, Colorado, in Handfield, R.C., ed., Gunnison Gold Belt and Powderhorn Carbonatite Field Trip Guidebook, 1983: Denver
Region Exploration Geologists Society, p. 3242.
Thompson, J.V., 1987, Titanium resource in Colorado equals
all other US deposits: Engineering and Mining Journal, v.
188, no. 7, p. 2730.
Upton, G.J., 1967, Alkaline pyroxenites, in Wyllie, P.J., ed., Ultramafic and related rocks: New York, John Wiley, p. 281288.
Olson, J.C., 1974, Geologic map of the Rudolph Hill

quadrangle, Gunnison, Hinsdale, and Saguache Counties,
Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle
Map GQ1177, scale 1:24,000.
Van Gosen, B.S., 2008, Geochemistry of rock samples collected from the Iron Hill carbonatite complex, Gunnison
County, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File
Report 20081119, 27 p. and 2 spreadsheet data files. (Also
available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1119/)
Olson, J.C., and Hedlund, D.C., 1981, Alkalic rocks and

resources of thorium and associated elements in the
Powderhorn district, Gunnison County, Colorado: U.S.
Geological Survey Professional Paper 1049C, 34 p.
Van Gosen, B.S., and Lowers, H.A., 2007, Iron Hill (Powderhorn) carbonatite complex, Gunnison County, COA
potential source of several uncommon mineral resources:
Mining Engineering, v. 59, no. 10, [October 2007], p. 5662.
ColoradoWet Mountains Area 45
ColoradoWet Mountains Area

Location: In the Wet Mountains and surrounding area in
Fremont and Custer Counties of south-central Colorado.
WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: Thorium (Th) and rare
earth elements (REE) are noted in veins, syenite dikes,
fracture zones, and carbonatite dikes (Armbrustmacher,
1988) associated with three Cambrian alkaline complexes
(Olson and others, 1977) that intruded the surrounding
Precambrian terrane. Thorium-REEmineralized veins
and fracture zones, which are distal to the three alkaline
intrusive complexes, have the highest economic potential for thorium and rare earth elements resources. The
thorium-REE veins and fracture zones are linear features,
typically 12 m (3.36.6 ft) thick, but a few are as much
as 15 m (49 ft) thick. Some individual thorium veins can
be traced in outcrop for 1.5 km (0.9 mi) and some radioactive fracture zones as much as 13 km (8 mi). Most of
these vein and fracture-zone deposits lie within a 57 km2
(22 mi2) tract of Precambrian gneiss and migmatite
located south and southeast of a quartz syenite complex
at Democrat Creek. Christman and others (1953, 1959)
mapped nearly 400 veins in this area.
Status: No apparent exploration activity is underway in this
district at present (2010). Many of the prospective vein
and fracture-zone deposits occur on private lands.
Production: No thorium or rare earth elements have been
produced from the district. Modest exploration activity,
apparently during the 1950s, prospected the radioactive
veins in the district; the prospecting included shallow
trenching.
Estimated resources: The U.S. Geological Survey (Armbrustmacher, 1988) estimated that the vein and fracture
zone deposits of the Wet Mountains area contain the following resources:
Thorium oxide (ThO2)
Reserves of 58,200 metric tons (64,200 tons);
Probable potential resources of 145,600 metric tons
(160,500 tons);
Total light rare earth elements
(73,270 tons)
Total heavy rare earth elements
(48,850 tons).
(This estimate was based on average concentrations of 0.46

percent ThO2, 0.21 percent total light rare earth elements
oxides, and 0.14 percent total heavy rare earth elements
oxides.)
Detailed Discussion
This thorium-rare earth elements (REE) district, located
in Fremont and Custer Counties of south-central Colorado,
may be comparable in thorium and REE resources to the
Lemhi Pass district of Idaho-Montana. Thorium-REE deposits
are exposed throughout an area of about 60 km (37 mi) north
to south by 24 km (15 mi) west to east. Thorium and REE are
found in veins, syenite dikes, fracture zones, and carbonatite
dikes (Armbrustmacher, 1988) associated with three Cambrian
alkaline complexes (Olson and others, 1977) that intruded
the surrounding Precambrian terrane. These three alkaline
complexes are the McClure Mountain Complex (Shawe and
Parker, 1967; Armbrustmacher, 1984), the Gem Park Complex
(Parker and Sharp, 1970), and the complex at Democrat Creek
(Armbrustmacher, 1984). The thorium-REE-mineralized
veins and fracture zones, which are distal to the three alkaline
intrusive complexes, have the highest economic potential for
thorium and REE resources.
On the basis of 201 samples of veins and fracture zones,
the USGS (Armbrustmacher, 1988) estimated that the vein and
fracture zone deposits of the Wet Mountains area contain the
following resources:
Thorium oxide (ThO2)
(160,500 tons);
Total light rare earth elements
(73,270 tons);
Total heavy rare earth elements
Reserves of 17,700 metric tons (19,540 tons); and
(48,850 tons).
This estimate incorporates average concentrations of 0.46
percent ThO2, 0.21 percent total light REE oxides, and 0.14
percent total heavy REE oxides.
The thorium-REE veins and fracture zones are linear
features, typically 12 m (3.36.6 ft) thick, but a few are as
much as 15 m (49 ft) thick (fig. 11). Some individual thorium
veins can be traced in outcrop for 1.5 km (0.9 mi) and some
radioactive fracture zones for as much as 13 km (8 mi). Most
of these vein- and fracture-zone deposits are distributed within
a 57 km2 (22 mi2) tract of Precambrian gneiss and migmatite
located south and southeast of a quartz syenite complex at
Democrat Creek. Christman and others (1953, 1959) mapped

nearly 400 veins in this area. The dominant minerals forming
these veins are smoky and clear quartz, microcline, barite, iron
oxides, carbonates, and accessory rutile and sulfide minerals.
Waxy, red thorite is the primary thorium mineral.
Thorium-REE minerals in the Wet Mountains district
are also deposited in carbonatite dikes and small plugs. The
carbonatite dikes are especially associated with the McClure
Mountain complex (Staatz and Conklin, 1966). The carbonatites take a variety of forms, such as composite dikes
with two or more generations of carbonate side by side with
lamprophyre (Heinrich and Salotti, 1975; Armbrustmacher
and others, 1979); phreatic explosion breccia pipes satellite
to the McClure Mountain complex (the Pinon Peak breccia
pipes of Heinrich and Dahlem, 1967); and siliceous carbonate
dikes associated with amethyst veining (the Amethyst carbonatites of Heinrich and Shappirio, 1966). Armbrustmacher
(1979) separated the carbonatites into two groups: replacement
carbonatites and primary magmatic carbonatites. Replacement
carbonatites have microscopic textures that indicate the nearly
Gneiss
complete pseudomorphous replacement of relict igneous dike

minerals by carbonate minerals. The replacement carbonatite
dikes have ThO2 contents of <0.1 percent (Armbrustmacher
and Brownfield, 1978). In contrast, the primary magmatic
carbonatite dikes do not display mineral replacement textures
and are enriched in elements and minerals typical of magmatic
carbonatites, such as thorium, niobium, and REE that reside
in the minerals thorite, bastnasite, synchysite, ancylite, and
monazite. Thorium concentrations in the primary magmatic
carbonatite dikes commonly exceed 0.1 percent ThO2. However, thorium is more concentrated and is present in greater
volume in the quartziron oxidebarite vein and fracture-zone
deposits of the district in comparison with the carbonatites
(Armbrustmacher, 1988).
From 52 samples of primary magmatic carbonatite in the
Wet Mountains area, Armbrustmacher (1988) found average
concentrations of 0.17 percent ThO2 and 2.15 percent total rare
earth oxides. Armbrustmacher (1988) calculated that the seven
largest carbonatite dikes in the district contain the following:
Quartz-barite-limonite-thorite vein
0
0
Gneiss
1 FOOT
1 METER
Figure 11. Sewell Ranch thorium vein (between yellow lines), Wet Mountains, Custer
County, south-central Colorado. This northwest-southeast-trending Cambrian vein, 9 ft (2.7
m) wide here, cuts about perpendicular to foliation of Precambrian mafic gneiss country
rock. Analysis of outcrop samples of this vein collected by this study found 762 ppm Th
(0.087 percent Th oxide); 495 ppm La; 1,280 ppm Ce; 752 ppm Nd; 296 ppm Sm; 78.5 ppm Eu;
174 ppm Gd; 16.2 ppm Tb; 14.5 ppm Ho; 4.16 ppm Tm; 25.2 ppm Yb; and 3.42 ppm Lu.
ColoradoWet Mountains Area 47

ThO2
Reserves of 119 metric tons (131 tons);
Probable potential resources of 683 metric tons
(753 tons);
Total REE oxides
(14,300 tons).
The Wet Mountains area also contains thin (2 m thick)
red syenite dikes that contain anomalous thorium and REE,
particularly where the dikes are located nearest the intrusive
centers. The syenite dikes are composed primarily of alkali
feldspar and ferric oxides, with trace amounts of thorite,
barite, rutile, xenotime, bastnasite, and brockite (Armbrustmacher, 1988). Samples of red syenite veins analyzed by this
study found only 3040 parts per million (ppm) Th, equivalent
to 0.00340.0046 percent ThO2, and 590680 ppm total rare
earth elements. Cerium accounts for about 40 percent of the
rare earth content of the syenite dikes.
Sampling and geochemical analyses completed during
this study showed that the syenite, mafic, and ultramafic rock
units that form the core of the three intrusive complexes do
not contain particularly large concentrations of thorium or
REE. Samples of the quartz syenite pluton of the complex at
Democrat Creek had an average content of 62 ppm Th (0.007
percent ThO2) and 700 ppm total rare earth elements. Gabbro
and pyroxenite units of the Gem Park complex showed no
greater than 13 ppm Th and average total rare earth elements
content of 190 ppm. In the McClure Mountain complex, all
samples of the plutonic units of hornblende-biotite syenite
(fig. 12), nepheline syenite, pyroxenite, and gabbro contained
less than10 ppm Th and no more than 355 ppm total rare earth
elements content.
Figure 12. West-facing view of McClure Mountain, Fremont County, Colorado. The mountain is composed of a
hornblende-biotite syenite phase of McClure Mountain complex. This stock is genetically related to thorium-rare earth
elements vein deposits of Wet Mountains area. However, this rock unit and other core units of three intrusive complexes
in this area contain only modest concentrations of thorium and rare earth elements. The thorium- and rare earthbearing
minerals crystallized in epigenetic vein and fracture-zone deposits distal to the alkaline intrusive complexes.
References Cited
Armbrustmacher, T.J., 1979, Replacement and primary magmatic carbonatites from the Wet Mountains area, Fremont
and Custer Counties, Colorado: Economic Geology, v. 74,
no. 4, p. 888901.
Armbrustmacher, T.J., 1984, Alkaline rock complexes in the
Wet Mountains area, Custer and Fremont Counties, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1269,
33 p.
Armbrustmacher, T.J., 1988, Geology and resources of thorium and associated elements in the Wet Mountains area,
Fremont and Custer Counties, Colorado: U.S. Geological
Survey Professional Paper 1049F, 34 p., 1 plate.
Armbrustmacher, T.J., and Brownfield, I.K., 1978, Carbonatites in the Wet Mountains area, Custer and Fremont Counties, ColoradoChemical and mineralogical data: U.S.
Geological Survey Open-File Report 78177, 6 p., 3 sheets.
Armbrustmacher, T.J., Brownfield, I.K., and Osmonson, L.M.,
1979, Multiple carbonatite dike at McClure Gulch, Wet
Mountains alkalic province, Fremont County, Colorado:
The Mountain Geologist, v. 16, no. 2, p. 3745.
Christman, R.A., Brock, M.R., Pearson, R.C., and Singewald,
Q.D., 1959, Geology and thorium deposits of the Wet
Mountains, ColoradoA progress report: U.S. Geological
Survey Bulletin 1072H, 535 p.
Christman, R.A., Heyman, A.M., Dellwig, L.F., and Gott, G.B.,
1953, Thorium investigations 195052, Wet Mountains, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 290, 40 p., 5 plates.
Heinrich, E.W., and Dahlem, D.H., 1967, Carbonatites and
alkalic rocks of the Arkansas River area, Fremont County,
Colorado, 4The Pinon Peak breccia pipes: American
Mineralogist, v. 52, nos. 5 and 6, p. 817831.
Heinrich, E.W., and Salotti, C.A., 1975, A colloform carbonatite, McCoy Gulch, Fremont County, Colorado: The
Mountain Geologist, v. 12, no. 3, p. 103111.
Heinrich, E.W., and Shappirio, J.R., 1966, Alkalic rocks
and carbonatites of the Arkansas River Canyon, Fremont
County, Colorado, 3The Amethyst carbonatites: American Mineralogist, v. 51, no. 7, p. 10881106.
Olson, J.C., Marvin, R.F., Parker, R.L., and Mehnert, H.H.,
1977, Age and tectonic setting of lower Paleozoic alkalic and mafic rocks, carbonatites, and thorium veins in
south-central Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Journal of
Research, v. 5, no. 6, p. 673687.
Parker, R.L., and Sharp, W.N., 1970, Mafic-ultramafic igneous
rocks and associated carbonatites of the Gem Park Complex, Custer and Fremont Counties, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 649, 24 p.
Shawe, D.R., and Parker, R.L., 1967, Mafic-ultramafic layered

intrusion at Iron Mountain, Fremont County, Colorado: U.S.
Geological Survey Bulletin 1251A, 28 p.
Staatz, M.H., and Conklin, N.M., 1966, Rare-earth thorium
carbonate veins of the Road Gulch area, northern Wet
Mountains, Colorado, in Geological Survey research, 1966,
Chapter B: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper
550B, p. 130133.
IdahoDiamond Creek Area 49
IdahoDiamond Creek Area

Location: This vein district lies on the eastern slope of the
Salmon River Mountains, about 13 km (8 mi) northnorthwest of Salmon, Idaho. Veins of the Diamond Creek
district are found throughout an area only 4 km (2.5 mi)
long by 0.8 km (0.5 mi) wide. Latitude: 45.29112 N., Longitude: 113.95174 W.; datum: WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: The veins are hosted by
Proterozoic quartzite and siltite and by Mesoproterozoic
granite. The Diamond Creek veins are mineral fillings in
fractured and sheared bedrock; the veins are as much as
7.6 m (25 ft) thick in the metasedimentary rocks (quartzite and siltite) but rarely more than 0.6 m (2 ft) thick in
the granite (Staatz and others, 1979). These veins contain
considerable amounts of hydrous iron oxide minerals,
accompanied by disseminated thoriumrare earth elementsbearing minerals. The vein deposits with copious
amounts of yellow-to-brown iron oxides (limonite and
goethite) appear to contain the highest thorium (Th) and
rare earth elements (REE) concentrations.
Status: No apparent exploration activity is underway in this
district at present (2010). Within the last decade, Thorium
Energy Inc. sampled vein deposits in the district.
Production: No thorium or rare earth elements have been
produced from the district. In the Diamond Creek area, the
larger veins were explored to evaluate their radioactivity
in the latest 1940s into the early 1950s by use of bulldozed
trenches, short adits, and hand-dug pits (Anderson, 1958).
Most of the Diamond Creek area is soil covered, and thus
the veins are exposed only by workings and road cuts.
Estimated resources: Sampling of the veins of the Diamond
Creek district by the U.S. Geological Survey (Staatz and
others, 1979, eight samples) found total REE oxide contents of 0.59 to 5.51 percent and thorium oxide contents
of 0.04 to 1.71 percent (only one sample had more than
1 percent ThO2). Most of the samples were more greatly
enriched in the light REE compared with the heavy REE.
Staatz and others (1979) estimated total reserves for the
district of 2,870 tons (2,600 metric tons) of total rare-earth
oxides and total probable potential resources of 75,500 tons
(68,500 metric tons) of total REE oxides, using an average
grade of 1.22 percent total REE oxides. Recent exploration and sample analysis by Thorium Energy Inc. supports
the previous data reported by the USGS and the Atomic
Energy Commission., including average total REE content
of 0.80 percent and thorium content of 0.12 percent.
Detailed Discussion
The Diamond Creek district in eastern Idaho contains
thorium- and rare earth elements (REE)-bearing veins similar to those in the Lemhi Pass district, 56 km (35 mi) to the
southeast. This vein district lies on the eastern slope of the
Salmon River Mountains, about 13 km (8 mi) north-northwest

of Salmon, Idaho. Veins of the Diamond Creek district are
found across an area of only 4 km (2.5 mi) long by 0.8 km (0.5
mi) wide (Anderson, 1958; Staatz and others, 1979). The veins
are hosted by Proterozoic quartzite and siltite and by Mesoproterozoic granite (Evans and Zartman, 1990; Evans and Green,
2003). Similar in general appearance to the veins of Lemhi
Pass, the Diamond Creek veins are mineral fillings in fractured
and sheared bedrock; the veins are as much as 7.6 m (25 ft )
thick in the metasedimentary rocks (quartzite and siltite), but
rarely more than 0.6 m (2 ft ) thick in the granite (Staatz and
others, 1979).
In the Diamond Creek area, the larger veins were
explored in the latest 1940s into the early 1950s by use of
bulldozed trenches, short adits, and hand-dug pits (Anderson,
1958). Most of the Diamond Creek area is soil covered, and
thus the veins are exposed only by workings and road cuts.
Only eight veins have been identified in the district, traced
along strike for 33.5 to 780 m (110 to 2,560 ft ) (Anderson,
1958; Staatz and others, 1979). The eight veins vary from 0.15
to 7.6 m (0.5 to 25 ft ) in thickness (Staatz and others, 1979).
They contain considerable amounts of hydrous iron oxide minerals, accompanied by disseminated thorium-REE minerals.
In the Diamond Creek district, the vein deposits with
copious amounts of yellow to brown iron oxides (limonite
and goethite) appear to contain the highest thorium and REE
concentrations (Anderson, 1958). Quartz, limonite, and
goethite form the bulk of the veins, with locally abundant
fluorite, potassium feldspar, hematite, and biotite (Anderson,
1958; Staatz and others, 1979). The primary thorium and REE
mineral is monazite (Staatz and others, 1979). Thorium also
occurs in minor amounts in brockite and thorite, and xenotime
and bastnasite have been identified in trace amounts (Staatz
and others, 1979).
Sampling of the veins of the Diamond Creek district by
Staatz and others (1979, eight samples) found total REE oxide
contents of 0.59 to 5.51 percent and thorium oxide contents of
0.04 to 1.71 percent (only one sample had more than 1 percent
ThO2). Most of the samples were more greatly enriched in the
light REE than in the heavy REE. Staatz and others (1979)
estimated total reserves for the district of 2,870 tons (2,600
metric tons) of total rare-earth oxides and total probable
potential resources of 75,500 tons (68,500 metric tons) of total
REE oxides, using an average grade of 1.22 percent total REE
oxides.
Recent exploration and sample analysis by Thorium
Energy Inc. supports the previous data reported by the USGS
and the Atomic Energy Commission., including average total
REE content of 0.80 percent and thorium content of 0.12
percent. Hedrick (2010) reports, A preliminary estimate of
the amounts of REE in the deposit are 22,400 t (metric tons)
of cerium, 17,125 of neodymium, 8,220 t of lanthanum, 5,480
t of samarium, 4,795 t of yttrium, 3,425 t of praseodymium,
3,425 t of gadolinium, 1,370 t of dysprosium and europium
each, and a total of 685 t of the remaining heavy rare earths.
(One ton (2,000 lb) is equal to 0.9072 metric tons.)
References Cited
Anderson, A.L., 1958, Uranium, thorium, columbium, and
rare earth deposits in the Salmon region, Lemhi County,
Idaho: Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology Pamphlet
No. 115, 81 p.
Evans, K.V., and Green, G.N., 2003, Geologic map of the
Salmon National Forest and vicinity, east-central Idaho:
U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Series Map
I2765, scale 1:100,000, 2 sheets, 19 p. pamphlet.
Evans, K.V., and Zartman, R.E., 1990, U-Th-Pb and Rb-Sr
geochronology of middle Proterozoic granite and augen
gneiss, Salmon River Mountains, east-central Idaho: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 102, no. 1, p. 6373.
Hedrick, J.B., 2010, Rare earths (advance release), in 2007
Minerals yearbook: U.S. Geological Survey, 19 p., accessed
September 8, 2010, at http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/
pubs/commodity/rare_earths/myb1-2007-raree.pdf.
IdahoHall Mountain 51
IdahoHall Mountain
Location: Veins crop out in an area of about 2.6 km2 ( mi2)
1,830 m (6,000 ft) by 305 m (1,000 ft) wideon Hall
Mountain in northernmost Idaho. Hall Mountain lies 1.6
km (1 mi) south of the United StatesCanada border and
4.8 km (3 mi) east of the border station of Porthill, Idaho.
WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: The veins of Hall Mountain
cut Precambrian quartzite and quartz diorite. They range
in exposed length from 1.8 m (6 ft) to 213 m (700 ft)
and in width from 0.18 m (0.6 ft) to 4 m (13 ft). Thorite
is the primary thorium- and rare earth elementsbearing
mineral; quartz and calcite are the most abundant gangue
minerals, associated with chlorite magnetite, limonite,
pyrite, and biotite, along with numerous minor and trace
minerals. A total of 30 minerals were identified by Staatz
(1972).
Status: No active exploration has been reported in this district.
this district.
Estimated resources: The U.S. Geological Survey (Staatz
and others, 1979) determined that the possible reserves
in this district are limited to thorium resources in only a
few large veins. They estimate that the thorium reserves
are 104,300 metric tons (115,000 tons) of vein material
averaging 4.0 percent thorium oxide. They suggest that
the rare earth elements are probably not economical in
this district because of their low overall concentrations
(average about 0.05 percent rare earth elements oxides).
Detailed Discussion
Thorium and REE-rich veins crop out in an area of about
2.6 km2 ( mi2)1,830 m (6,000 ft) by 305 m wide (1,000
ft)on Hall Mountain in northernmost Idaho. Hall Mountain
lies 1.6 km (1 mi) south of the United States-Canada border
and 4.8 km (3 mi) east of the border station of Porthill, Idaho.
Veins in this area can contain considerable thorium content,
locally with as much as 21 percent ThO2 (Staatz, 1972);
however, their rare earth elements content is usually much less
than their thorium content. As reported by Staatz and others
(1974, p. 677), Total rare-earth content of these veins ranges
from 0.00111 to 0.197 percent in 12 samples from 10 veins;
the thoria (ThO2) content, from 0.011 to 5.84 percent. Staatz
(1972, p. 240) reported, The thorium content of 23 samples
from 11 veins ranged from 0.0095 to 21 percent. Twelve
samples had a thorium content greater than 1 percent.
The veins of Hall Mountain cut Precambrian quartzite
and quartz diorite. They range in exposed length from 1.8
to 213 m (6 to 700 ft) and vary in width from 0.18 to 4 m
(0.6 to 13 ft). Thorite is the primary thorium- and rare earth
elementsbearing mineral; quartz and calcite are the most

abundant gangue minerals, associated with chlorite magnetite,
limonite, pyrite, and biotite, along with numerous minor and
trace minerals. A total of 30 minerals were identified by Staatz
(1972).
According to the analyses of Staatz and others (1979),
the possible reserves in this district are limited to thorium
resources in only a few large veins. They estimate that the thorium reserves are 104,300 metric tons (115,000 tons) of vein
material averaging 4.0 percent ThO2. They suggest that the
rare earths are probably not economical in this district because
of their low overall concentrations (average about 0.05 percent
rare earth elements oxides). The distribution of rare earth elements in the Hall Mountain veins, on the basis of the average
concentrations of 10 vein samples reported by Staatz and others (1974), is summarized in table 18.
Table 18. Mean concentrations of rare earth elements measured

in 10 vein samples, Hall Mountain, Idaho.
[Rare earth elements listed in order of increasing atomic number; yttrium (Y)
is included with these elements because it shares chemical and physical similarities with the lanthanides. wt percent, weight percent. Data averaged from
analyses reported by Staatz and others (1974, table 1)]
Oxide
Average
wt percent
La2O3
0.0013
Ce2O3
0.0053
Pr2O3
<0.0006
Nd2O3
0.0016
Sm2O3
0.0011
Eu2O3
<0.0018
Gd2O3
0.0041
Tb2O3
<0.0018
Dy2O3
0.0034
Ho2O3
<0.0012
Er2O3
0.0024
Tm2O3
<0.0017
Yb2O3
0.0025
Lu2O3
<0. 0014
Y 2O 3
0.0315
Total
0.0512
References Cited
Staatz, M.H., 1972, Thorium-rich veins of Hall Mountain in
northernmost Idaho: Economic Geology, v. 67, no. 2,
p. 240248.
Staatz, M.H., Shaw, V.E., and Wahlberg, J.S., 1974, Distribution and occurrence of rare earths in the thorium veins
on Hall Mountain, Idaho: Journal of Research of the U.S.
Geological Survey, v. 2, no. 6, p. 677683.
IdahoLemhi Pass District, Idaho-Montana 53
IdahoLemhi Pass District, IdahoMontana

Location: The Lemhi Pass district contains numerous vein
deposits enriched in thorium and rare earth elements
(REE) within a 140 km2 (54 square mi) core of a larger
400 km2 (154 mi2) area in the central Beaverhead Mountains; the district straddles the Continental Divide on the
Montana-Idaho border. Latitude: 44.93728 N., Longitude:
113.46451 W.; datum: WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: Within the Lemhi Pass district, Staatz (1972; Staatz and others, 1979) mapped 219
veins enriched in thorium and rare earth elements (REE).
Most of these veins are quartz-hematite-thorite veins
that fill fractures, shears, and brecciated zones in Mesoproterozoic quartzite and siltite host rocks. Thorium and
REE also appear in monazite-thorite-apatite shears and in
replacements with specularite, biotite, and alkali feldspar.
The thorium-REE veins of the district range from 1 m (3.3
ft) to at least 1,325 m (4,347 ft) in length and from a few
centimeters (1 in.) to as much as 12 m (39 ft) in width.
The Last Chance vein1,325 m (4,348 ft) long and 38
m (1026 ft) wide for most of its lengthis the longest
and widest vein in the district.
Status: During the last decade (prior to 2010), Thorium
Energy Inc. has evaluated the thorium and REE resources
in the vein systems of the district.
Production: No thorium or REE have been produced from
this district. Past exploration and development in these
vein deposits focused on their thorium content; earlier
development trenched several veins and produced modest
underground workings in the Last Chance vein.
Estimated resources: This district is thought to represent the
largest concentration of thorium resources in the United
States (Van Gosen and others, 2009). On average, the
thorium veins of the district have roughly equal concentrations of thorium and total rare earth elements. Thus,
the REE resources of the vein deposits of the Lemhi Pass
district are approximately equal to its thorium resource.
Earlier studies by the USGS estimated that the Lemhi
Pass district contains total reserves of 64,000 metric
tons (70,500 tons) of thorium oxide (ThO2) and probable
potential resources of an additional 121,000 metric tons
(133,000 tons) (Staatz and others, 1979). The 10 largest veins, with an average grade of 0.43 percent ThO2,
represent 95 percent of the districts identified thorium
resources. Using a compilation of surface, underground,
and drilling assays, the Idaho Energy Resource Company
reported a quantitative proven reserve of 176 metric
tons (194 tons) of ThO2 within the Last Chance vein and
a possible resource of 2,000 metric tons (2,200 tons) of
additional ThO2 (Idaho Energy Resource Company, written commun., 2008).
Detailed Discussion
The Lemhi Pass district contains numerous vein deposits enriched in thorium and rare earth elements (REE) within
a 140 km2 (54 mi2) core of a larger 400 km2 (154 mi2) area in
the central Beaverhead Mountains; the district straddles the
Continental Divide on the Montana-Idaho border (fig. 13).
This district is thought to represent the largest concentration
of thorium resources in the United States (Van Gosen and
others, 2009). Earlier studies by the USGS estimated that the
Lemhi Pass district contains total reserves of 64,000 metric
tons (70,550 tons) of thorium oxide (ThO2) and probable
potential resources of an additional 121,000 metric tons
(133.400 tons) (Staatz and others, 1979). The 10 largest
veins, with an average grade of 0.43 percent ThO2, represent 95 percent of the districts identified thorium resources.
Using a compilation of surface, underground, and drilling
assays, the Idaho Energy Resource Company reported a
quantitative proven reserve of 176 metric tons (194 tons)
of ThO2 within the Last Chance vein and a possible resource
of 2,000 metric tons (2,200) of additional ThO2 (Idaho
Energy Resource Company, written commun., 2008). On
average, the thorium veins of the district have roughly equal
concentrations of thorium and total rare earth elements.
Thus, the REE resources of the vein deposits of the Lemhi
Pass district are approximately equal to its thorium resource.
The Last Chance vein and the Wonder vein (fig. 14) are
the only deposits in the district that have been sampled by
underground or drill-hole access. Much exploration potential
exists in the district.
Within the Lemhi Pass district, Staatz (1972) and Staatz
and others (1979) mapped 219 veins enriched in thorium and
REE. Most of these veins are quartz-hematite-thorite veins,
which fill fractures, shears, and brecciated zones in Mesoproterozoic quartzite and siltite host rocks. Thorium and
REE also are present in monazite-thorite-apatite shears and
replacements with specularite, biotite, and alkali feldspar.
The thorium-REE veins of the district range from 1 m (3.3 ft)
to at least 1,325 m (4,347 ft) in length and from a few centimeters (1 in.) to as much as 12 m (39 ft) in width. The Last
Chance vein1,325 m (4,348 ft) long and 38 m (1026 ft)
wide for most of its lengthis the longest and widest vein
in the district; this vein also represents the largest individual
thorium and REE resource in the district. Fifteen thorium
veins in the district exceed 300 m (984 ft) in length. Some of
the veins contain carbonate minerals, such as calcite, siderite,
and ankerite, and local fluorite. Rare earth elements- and
thorium-bearing allanite and monazite are locally abundant.
Other reported ore minerals include brockite, xenotime, and
thorite. The primary gangue minerals are quartz, hematite,
limonite, apatite, potassium feldspar, biotite, albite, and
barite. Most of the veins are extensively weathered and have
abundant iron-oxide staining. The district also hosts small
quartz-copper-gold (and rare molybdenum) veins, and some
of the thorium veins contain very small amounts of base metals, such as copper, iron, manganese, lead, and zinc.
Lemhi Pass
Figure 13. View to west of Lemhi Pass, Idaho-Montana. The ridge, a part of Beaverhead
Mountains, forms a segment of the Continental Divide and the Idaho-Montana border;
Montana is in foreground and Idaho is in the distance. More than 200 rare earth elements- and
thorium-rich veins in this area form the Lemhi Pass district.
Figure 14. Outcrop of Wonder vein (between red lines), Lemhi Pass district, Idaho-Montana,
exposed in a mined bench. Vein is heavily oxidized and consists mainly of silica, likely some
carbonate, and iron oxide minerals with thorite and altered thorite. Host rock is Precambrian
quartzite and siltite.
IdahoLemhi Pass District, Idaho-Montana 55

The thorite veins of the Lemhi Pass district are approximately equally enriched in thorium and REE; the ratio of
thorium to REE concentrations in the veins averages around
1:1. Staatz (1972) reported the REE analyses of 31 vein
samples, which showed total REE-oxide contents ranging
from 0.073 to 2.20 percent, with an average value of 0.428
percent (very similar to the average thorium oxide content
of 0.43 percent found in the 10 largest veins in the district).
Table 19 lists the average distribution of the rare earth elements reported by Staatz (1972, table 5) from the analyses
of nine samples of the Last Chance vein. The districts
thorium veins are most commonly enriched in the middle
REE (especially neodymium), with some veins apparently
enriched more in the heavy REE (Staatz, 1972, p. 7677).
Using modern techniques in recent analytical work, the Idaho
Geological Survey and industry (Idaho Energy Resource
Company in 1991; Thorium Energy in 2008) has confirmed
the overall thorium and REE concentrations and the unusual
Table 19. Mean concentrations of rare earth elements measured

in samples of Last Chance vein, Idaho-Montana.
[Rare earth elements listed in order of increasing atomic number; yttrium (Y)
is included with these elements because it shares chemical and physical similarities with the lanthanides. wt percent, weight percent. Last Chance is the
largest vein in the Lemhi Pass district, Idaho-Montana. Data averaged from
nine samples of the vein reported by Staatz (1972, table 5)]
Oxide
Average
wt percent
La2O3
0.033
Ce2O3
0.082
Pr2O3
0.014
Nd2O3
0.127
Sm2O3
0.087
Eu2O3
0.027
Gd2O3
0.056
Tb2O3
0.003
Dy2O3
0.008
Ho2O3
<0.003
Er2O3
0.002
Tm2O3
<0.003
Yb2O3
<0.003
Lu2O3
<0.003
Y2O3
0.015
Total
0.454
enrichments in middle REE-group minerals. Hedrick (2010)

reported, Based on average percentages of individual REE
by recent sampling and previous analyses by Idaho Energy
Reserves Co. (a subsidiary of Idaho Power Co.), the Lemhi
Pass District had resources, in order of increasing atomic
number, 77,345 t of yttrium; 25,780 t of lanthanum; 69,980
t of cerium; 11,050 t of praseodymium; 66,296 t of neodymium; 40,515 t of samarium; 14,735 t of europium; 40,515 t of
gadolinium; 1,840 of terbium; 14,730 t of dysprosium; 1,840
t each of holmium and ytterbium; and about 929 t or less
each of erbium, thulium, and lutetium.
References Cited
Hedrick, J.B., 2010, Rare earths (advance release), in 2007
Minerals yearbook: U.S. Geological Survey, 19 p. accessed
September 8, 2010, at http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/
pubs/commodity/rare_earths/myb1-2007-raree.pdf.
Staatz, M.H., 1972, Geology and description of the thoriumbearing veins, Lemhi Pass quadrangle, Idaho and Montana:
U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1351, 94 p.
Van Gosen, B.S., Gillerman, V.S., and Armbrustmacher, T.J.,
2009, Thorium deposits of the United StatesEnergy
resources for the future?: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1336, 21 p. (Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/
circ/1336/.)
IllinoisHicks Dome
Location: Hicks Dome is located in Hardin County, southernmost Illinois. Latitude: 37.53131 N., Longitude: 88.36873
W.; datum: WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: The dome-shaped structure,
approximately 14.5 km (9 mi) in diameter, was formed
by the displacement of sedimentary rocks at least 1,200
m (3,940 ft) upward above an alkaline intrusion at depth.
More than 600 m (1,970 ft) of sedimentary rocks, mostly
limestone, were pushed up by the explosive intrusion
of magmatic fluids. A hole drilled near the apex of the
dome (Brown and others, 1954) intersected a mineralized
breccia at a depth of 490 m (1,607 ft), which continues to
the bottom of the hole at 897 m (2,944 ft). Mineralization
in the breccia contains thorium and rare earth elements,
tentatively identified as residing in monazite, and is
found in association with florencite, a cerium-aluminum
phosphate; gangue minerals are fluorspar, calcite, quartz,
minor pyrite, and traces of sphalerite and galena.
Status: Currently (2010), no exploration appears to be active
at this feature.
this intrusive complex.
Estimated resources: Resources have not been estimated.
Eight samples of drill core, each 7.69.1 m (2530 ft)
long, contained thorium concentrations of 0.0070.18
percent thorium oxide (Brown and others, 1954). Rare
earth elements content in the eight drill-core samples
was 0.10.99 weight percent yttrium; 0.010.099 weight
percent lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, and dysprosium;
and 0.0010.0099 weight percent ytterbium (Trace, 1960).
These samples represent only 64 m (210 ft) of a breccia
zone enriched in thorium and rare earth elements; this
zone could extend throughout a large area across the roof
of Hicks Dome.
Detailed Discussion
Hicks Dome, in Hardin County of southernmost Illinois, overlies a potentially wide area of rare earth elements
(REE) and thorium (Th) mineralization at depth. The domeshaped structure, approximately 14.5 km (9 mi) in diameter,
was formed by the displacement of sedimentary rocks at
least 1,200 m (3,940 ft) upward above an alkaline intrusion
at depth. More than 600 m (1,970 ft) of sedimentary rocks,
mostly limestone, were pushed up by the explosive intrusion
of magmatic fluids (Heyl and others, 1965). A hole drilled near
the apex of the dome (Brown and others, 1954) intersected a
mineralized breccia at a depth of 490 m (1,607 ft), which continues to the bottom of the hole at 897 m (2,944 ft). Mineralization in the breccia includes fluorspar, calcite, quartz, minor
pyrite, and traces of sphalerite and galena. Eight samples of
this drill core, each 7.69.1 m (2530 ft) long, contained 0.007
to 0.18 percent ThO2 (Brown and others, 1954). REE content
in the eight drill-core samples was 0.10.99 weight percent
Y; 0.010.099 weight percent for La, Ce, Nd, and dysprosium
(Dy); and 0.0010.0099 weight percent ytterbium (Yb) (Trace,
1960). These samples represent only 64 m (210 ft) of a breccia
zone enriched in Th-REE; this zone could extend throughout a
large area across the roof of Hicks Dome.
Shallow diamond drilling and trenching sampled an
area of radioactive breccia atop Hicks Dome in which the
radioactive mineral was tentatively identified as monazite,
and found, in association with florencite, a cerium-aluminum
phosphate (Trace, 1960). A surface sample from a trench
contained 0.10.5 weight percent Th plus REE, including
0.51 weight percent Ce and La, 0.10.5 weight percent
Nd, 0.050.1 weight percent praseodymium (Pr), 0.010.05
weight percent terbium (Tb), and 0.0050.01 weight percent
Yb (Trace, 1960).
Using airborne gamma-ray data, Pitkin (1974) delineated the large extent of the radioactivity anomaly at Hicks
Dome, which arises because of its thorium content. However,
the apparent depth of this REE-thorium deposit may limit
its resource potential. Much more surface and subsurface
exploration is necessary to evaluate the extent and grade of
this deposit.
References Cited
Brown, J.S., Emery, J.A., and Meyer, P.A., Jr., 1954, Explosion pipe in test well on Hicks Dome, Hardin County,
Illinois: Economic Geology, v. 49, no. 8, p. 891902.
Heyl, A.V., Brock, M.R., Jolly, J.L., and Wells, C.E., 1965,
Regional structure of the southeast Missouri and IllinoisKentucky mineral districts: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin
1202B, 20 p., 3 plates.
Pitkin, J.A., 1974, Preliminary thorium daughter contour map
and profiles of the Hicks Dome area, Hardin County, Illinois: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 74157, 9 p.
Trace, R.D., 1960, Significance of unusual mineral occurrence at Hicks Dome, Hardin County, Illinois, in Short
papers in the geological sciences, Geological Survey
research, 1960: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper
400B, p. B63B64.
MissouriPea Ridge Iron Deposit and Mine 57
MissouriPea Ridge Iron Deposit and

Mine
Location: The Pea Ridge iron orebody and mine site is
located in Washington County, Missouri, about 97 km (60
mi) southwest of St. Louis. Latitude: 38.12621 N., Longitude: 91.04766 W.; datum: WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: Rare earth elements
(REE)bearing breccia pipes cut through the Pea Ridge
massive magnetite-iron orebody. The Pea Ridge deposit
is hosted by Precambrian volcanic rocks of the St. Francois terrane of southeastern Missouri. The magnetite-rich
orebody is interpreted as a high-temperature, magmatichydrothermal deposit (Sidder and others, 1993) in
ash-flow tuffs and lavas, which may have formed in the
root of a volcanic caldera (Nuelle and others, 1991). Four
mapped REE-bearing breccia pipes steeply crosscut the
magnetite-hematite orebody and its altered rhyolite host
rock. Exposed portions of the breccia pipes are as much
as 60 m (197 ft) in horizontal length and as much as 15 m
(49 ft) in width; the pipes extend below the mined levels
to an undetermined depth (Seeger and others, 2001).
Rare earth elementsbearing minerals in the breccia
pipes include monazite, xenotime, and minor bastnasite
and britholite. The REE concentrations reported in the
breccia pipes are consistently high but variable. Nuelle
and others (1992, p. A1) state, Total REE oxide content
of samples of the groundmass material, which are not
diluted with lithic fragments, average about 20 weight
percent. Seeger and others (2001, p. 2) state, Total
REE oxide concentrations of grab samples range from
about 2.5 to 19 weight percent. Bulk sampling by the
U.S. Bureau of Mines found REE oxides concentrations
ranging from 7 to 25 weight percent and an average of
12 weight percent (Vierrether and Cornell, 1993).
Status: Currently (2010), there is no active development in
this deposit. In 2005, Upland Wings formed Wings Enterprises, with the intent to reclaim iron ore at the site and
produce iron from its large surface reserves (http://www.
wingsironore.com/).
Production: In 1957, the deposit was first developed by the
Bethlehem Steel and St. Joseph Lead Company, under the
name Meramec Mining Company. In 1964, iron production began from this deposit. The mine operated from
1964 to 2001 with three interruptions, producing more
than 30 million tons (27 million metric tons) of pellets,
fines, heavy media, and other iron products. In 1990, the
mine lost its last iron-ore-pellet customer and began to
produce specialty products. The Pea Ridge mine continued to operate while iron ore prices fell during the 1990s,
but in 2001 the mine went into bankruptcy. In 2001,
Upland Wings, Inc., purchased the Pea Ridge Iron Ore
mine properties and all of its mineral rights.
Estimated resources: A U.S. Bureau of Mines report by

Whitten and Yancey (1990) estimated that the breccia
pipes contain about 600,000 metric tons (660,000 tons) of
REE reserves with an average grade of 12 percent REE
oxides. The report does not indicate the data used to calculate this estimate. However, a similar value of 600,000
short tons is mentioned as a note on another internal company memo (provided by Jim Kennedy, electronic communication, October 2008); that memo is dated 10-25-89
and signed by Larry J. Tucker (retired Pea Ridge mine
superintendent); supporting calculations for this value
are missing. A copy of another internal company memo
(provided by Jim Kennedy, electronic communication,
October 2008 and dated 11-22-88 and signed by Larry
J. Tucker) indicates that there is a combined, probable
reserve in two of the breccia pipes of approximately
250,000 metric tons (276,000 tons) of mineralized rock,
grading about 13 percent REE (note: weight percent, not
oxide equivalent). The surface tailings contain additional
lanthanide resources primarily in fine-grained, REEbearing minerals, chiefly monazite and xenotime, that
form inclusions within apatite. The apatite also contains
minor amounts of REE in its structure; apatite is found
in variable concentrations throughout the iron orebody
(Vierrether and Cornell, 1993).
Detailed Discussion
Rare earth elements (REE)bearing breccia pipes cut
through the Pea Ridge massive magnetite iron-orebody in
Washington County, Missouri, about 97 km (60 mi) southwest
of St. Louis. The iron deposit as a whole contains concentrations of REE that may be economically recoverable as a
primary product or as a byproduct of iron ore production.
The Pea Ridge massive magnetite deposit is hosted by
Precambrian volcanic rocks of the St. Francois terrane of southeastern Missouri; this volcanic-plutonic province is composed
of Mesoproterozoic rhyolitic ash-flow tuffs, lava flows, and
granitic plutons (Kisvarsanyi, 1980). The St. Francois terrane
contains eight known Mesoproterozoic magnetite-hematite
deposits and forms an iron metallogenic province (Kisvarsanyi
and Proctor, 1967) that hosts nearly 1 billion metric tons of
identified ore (Arundale and Martin, 1970). The Pea Ridge
massive magnetite orebody has been interpreted as a hightemperature, magmatic-hydrothermal deposit (Sidder and others, 1993) in ash-flow tuffs and lavas, which may have formed
in the root of a volcanic caldera (Nuelle and others, 1991).
The Pea Ridge deposit is covered by Cambrian and
Ordovician sedimentary rocks that unconformably overlie the
deposit and the underlying Precambrian rocks. The orebody
lies discordant to the host volcanic rocks, striking N. 60 E.
with a nearly vertical dip, whereas the host volcanic rocks
strike N. 80 W. and dip 75 NE. (Emery, 1968). The primary
host for the iron orebody is altered rhyolite tuff (Nuelle and
others, 1992). This massive iron deposit is estimated to contain more than 100 million short tons of ore (Arndt, 1981).

The deposit area contains nine mappable rock units:
amphibole-quartz rock; heterolithic breccia; pseudobreccia;
magnetite; hematite; silicified rock; REE mineral-bearing
breccia pipes; mafic dikes; and aplite dikes (Nuelle and others, 1992; Seeger and others, 2001). Four mapped lanthanide-bearing breccia pipes (X11, V12, X13, V14) steeply
crosscut the magnetite-hematite orebody and its altered
rhyolite host rock (fig. 15); the pipes are situated along the
footwall and eastern edge of the iron orebody (Seeger and
others, 2001). Exposed portions of the breccia pipes are as
much as 60 m (197 ft) in horizontal length and as much as
15 m (49 ft) in width; the pipes extend below the mined
levels to an undetermined depth (Seeger and others, 2001).
One of the pipes is exposed for 120 m (394 ft) vertically. As
described by Seeger and others (2001, p. 2), the four breccia
pipes of the Pea Ridge deposit consist of the following:
Fragments of rhyolite, iron oxide, and silicified rock
in a groundmass of rock flour, feldspar, chlorite, barite, apatite, monazite, xenotime, quartz, and calcite.
Volcanic rock fragments range from less than 1 mm
to about 0.5 m in diameter, are subrounded to angular
with moderate to high sphericity, and have undergone
potassium metasomatism. Specularite [iron oxide]
fragments are angular, are as long as several meters,
and have low to moderate sphericity.
The REE-bearing minerals in the breccia pipes include
monazite, xenotime, and minor bastnasite and britholite.
Nuelle and others (1992) describe the monazite and xenotime as forming radial crystal aggregates and granular
crystals 0.51.9 mm (0.020.75 in.) across; these minerals
also replace microfragments in the wall rock and within the
groundmass fill fractures in barite and potassium feldspar
crystals. The mineralogy of Pea Ridge is summarized by
Nuelle (1998), and its mineral paragenesis and alteration
zones are described by Sidder and others (1993). Gold, tin,
and silver are unevenly distributed in the breccia pipes and in
both the hematite and silicified zones (Husman, 1989). Nuelle
and others (1992) report localized gold concentrations as
much as 371 parts per million.
The REE oxide concentrations are relatively high within
the breccia pipes of the Pea Ridge deposit. The REE abundances reported in the breccia pipes are consistently high but
variable. Nuelle and others (1992, p. A1) state, Total REE
oxide content of samples of the groundmass material, which
are not diluted with lithic fragments, average about 20 weight
percent. Seeger and others (2001, p. 2) state, Total REE
oxide concentrations of grab samples range from about 2.5
to 19 weight percent. Bulk sampling by the U.S. Bureau
of Mines found REE oxides concentrations ranging from 7
to 25 weight percent and an average of 12 weight percent
(Vierrether and Cornell, 1993). The size of the REE resource
in the four breccia pipes has not been determined and these
pipes are open downward. A copy of an internal company
memo (provided by Jim Kennedy, electronic communication,
October 2008, dated 11-22-88 and signed by Larry J. Tucker,
retired Pea Ridge mine superintendent) indicates that there is a

combined, probable reserve for pipes X11 and X13 of approximately 250,000 metric tons of mineralized rock, grading about
13 percent REE (note: weight percent, not oxide equivalent).
The reserves were calculated for the volume between levels
2275 and 2675 by using a density of 2,000 lb per 9 cubic foot
(ft3) (approximately 3.56 gram per cubic centimeter (g/cm3)).
(Working levels in the mine, now flooded, are named for their
depth below the collar of the shaft; the uppermost level was at
1,375 ft and the deepest level was at 2,675 ft.)
A U.S. Bureau of Mines report by Whitten and Yancey
(1990) estimated that the breccia pipes contain about 600,000
metric tons of REE reserves with an average grade of 12
percent REE oxides. The report does not indicate the data
used to calculate the 600,000 metric ton resource estimate.
However, a similar value of 600,000 short tons is mentioned
as a note on another internal company memo (provided by
Jim Kennedy, electronic communication, October 2008) that
is dated 10-25-89 and signed by Larry J. Tucker; supporting
calculations for this value are missing. The surface tailings
contain additional lanthanide resources, primarily in finegrained, REE-bearing minerals, chiefly monazite and xenotime, that form inclusions within apatite. The apatite also
contains minor amounts of REE in its structure; apatite is
found in variable concentrations throughout the iron orebody
(Vierrether and Cornell, 1993).
The rare earth elements in the breccia pipes of the Pea
Ridge are dominated by the light REE lanthanum (La) and
cerium (Ce), but the pipes are also relatively enriched in
heavy REE, including dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho),
erbium (Er), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu), and yttrium (Y)
(table 20). The REE (lanthanide) resources of Pea Ridge are
proportionally more concentrated in these heavy REE than is
true of most other U.S. deposits (table 21). The REE distribution in the Pea Ridge deposit was generally confirmed by
a recent USGS study, which collected limited samples of
tailings and drill core at the site (Grauch and others, 2010).
Although the total REE oxide resource at Pea Ridge (72,000
metric tons) is very small in comparison with the Mountain
Pass deposit (2.58 million metric tons), the Pea Ridge deposit
may be viewed as a potential source of heavy REE as a
byproduct of iron ore production.
The Pea Ridge magnetite deposit was identified in 1950
from a prominent magnetic anomaly. In 1957, the deposit was
first developed by the Bethlehem Steel and St. Joseph Lead
Company, under the name Meramec Mining Company. In
1964, production began from this deposit. The mine operated
from 1964 to 2001, with three interruptions, and produced
more than 30 million tons (27 million metric tons) of pellets,
fines, heavy media, and other iron products. In 1990, the mine
lost its last iron-ore-pellet customer and began to produce specialty products (information from the Wing Enterprises Web
site, http://www.wingsironore.com/). In contrast, Nuelle (1998)
reported a much higher historic production and stated, to date
[March 1998], Pea Ridge has produced 50.7 million metric
tons of iron ore.
dm
mpbn
mpbo
vr
mpbo
mpbn
mpbn
aqr
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aqr
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00
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400 feet
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00
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X-13 pipe
2275-FOOT LEVEL
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V-14 pipe
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00
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X-11 pipe
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481
00
Mine workingsOpen-ended workings indicate stopes or

abandoned areas.
FaultShowing approximate dip where known. Dashed

where projected or inferred.
ContactDashed where projected or inferred; jagged

where extremely gradational.
mhbo
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V-12 pipe
58
E9
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da
N1
485
00
MISSOURI
00
Figure 15. Generalized geologic map of the 2275 level of the Pea Ridge iron mine, Washington County, Missouri. Map from Grauch and others (2010), who adapted it from
Seeger and others (2001).
vr
dm
mpbo
mpbo
Volcanic rocks
vr
vr
Amphibole-quartz rock
aqr
vr
Magnetite zone
dm
Hematite zone
vr
Silicified rock
sr
sr
Rare earth mineral-bearing breccia pipes
bp
00
MIDDLE PROTEROZOIC UNITS
62
E9
66
E9
LIST OF MAJOR MAP UNITS
MissouriPea Ridge Iron Deposit and Mine 59

Table 20. Rare earth elements and thorium concentrations in four breccia pipes, Pea Ridge deposit,
Missouri.
[Rare earth elements listed in order of increasing atomic number; yttrium (Y) is included with these elements because it
shares chemical and physical similarities with the lanthanides. --, not available. Data from internal company memo by
Larry J. Tucker, dated 10-25-89 (Jim Kennedy, electronic communication, October, 2008)]
Breccia pipe
Element
X-11
(percent)
V-12
(percent)
X-13
(percent)
V-14
(percent)
La
4.45
2.70
2.95
2.05
Ce
Pr
Nd
Sm
8.00
4.50
4.95
4.05
0.68
--
0.41
0.34
2.15
--
1.50
1.10
0.42
--
0.33
0.24
Eu
0.03
--
0.03
0.02
Gd
Tb
Dy
Ho
0.15
--
0.18
0.08
Er
Tm
Yb
Lu
Y
Th
--
--
--
--
0.19
--
0.18
0.09
0.03
--
0.03
0.01
0.09
--
0.09
0.04
--
--
--
--
0.16
--
0.12
0.06
0.02
--
0.01
--
0.70
0.69
0.67
0.36
0.63
--
0.23
0.41
The Pea Ridge mine continued to operate while iron ore

prices fell during the 1990s, but in 2001 the mine went into
bankruptcy. Later that year, Upland Wings, Inc. purchased
the Pea Ridge Iron Ore mine properties and all of its mineral
rights. In 2005, Upland Wings formed Wings Enterprises,
with the intent to reclaim iron ore at the site and produce iron
from its large surface reserves. Wings Enterprises suggests
that its reclamation production facility can produce more than
30 short tons per hour of 70 percent Fe (95 percent magnetite)
ore material from its estimated 300,000 short tons of surface
reserve.
The Pea Ridge mine site, currently inactive (2010), contains an iron mine, mill, iron-pellet-making facility, and large
piles of milled iron-ore tailings resulting from its earlier operation. The property now has two large tailings lakes flanked by
extensive waste and tailings piles; most have vegetation cover,
and several contain smaller ponds and wetlands. There are also
several small, dry tailings ponds and a variety of ore stockpiles.
Tailings underlie approximately 180 acres in total. The entire
property is currently owned by Jim Kennedy, the president of
Wings Enterprises, Inc., in Saint Louis, Missouri (http://www.
wingsironore.com/).
MissouriPea Ridge Iron Deposit and Mine
61
Table 21. Rare earth elements oxide concentrations of two world-class Chinese rare earth elements deposits compared with
concentrations in major United States rare earth elements deposits.
[Rare earth elements listed in order of increasing atomic number; yttrium (Y) is included with these elements because it shares chemical and physical similarities with the lanthanides. --, not available. Values listed below were calculated by combining data from sources providing either tonnage or rare earth elements
distribution]
Bayan Obo
deposit1
(metric tons)
China Clay
deposits2
(metric tons)
Mountain Pass
deposit3
(metric tons)
Iron Hill
carbonatite4
(metric tons)
Pea Ridge
deposit5
(metric tons)
Lemhi Pass
district6
(metric tons)
La2O3
15,267,052
193,001
872,120
264,469
18,275
4,672
Ce2O3
23,720,328
311,762
1,279,918
522,907
32,298
11,584
Pr2O3
1,734,339
40,529
106,337
68,838
2,862
1,984
Nd2O3
6,083,552
135,197
288,040
257,716
9,474
17,903
Sm2O3
616,088
38,165
21,939
36,340
1,963
12,264
Rare earth
oxide
Eu2O3
99,822
3,430
2,710
8,352
158
3,776
Gd2O3
247,460
29,699
5,420
25,464
808
7,872
Tb2O3
23,884
4,282
413
2,806
--
448
Dy2O3
56,584
22,994
878
6,051
903
1,128
Ho2O3
12,594
4,918
103
826
137
--
Er2O3
14,270
14,401
155
1,973
430
256
Tm2O3
3,376
2,059
52
216
--
--
Yb2O3
2,364
10,755
52
1,195
662
--
490
1,627
--
125
88
--
117,798
187,181
3,355
23,228
3,942
2,113
48,000,000
1,000,000
2,581,490
1,220,506
72,000
64,000
Lu2O3
Y2O3
Total
1
Bayan Obo deposit, Inner Mongolia, China: Berger and others (2009) indicate that Bayan Obo has 800 million metric tons of ore at 6 percent REE oxide
content. Rare earth elements distribution is based on the average of three analyses of mineralized material from the East Ore Deposit; data from Yang and others
(2009).
2
China Clay deposits, southern China: Clark and Zheng (1991) indicate that the combined rare earth elements oxide content of all the China Clay deposits is at
least 1 million metric tons. Rare earth elements distribution is based on a single ore concentrate (Grauch and others, 2010, table 4).
3
Mountain Pass deposit, California: Castor and Nason (2004) indicate that Mountain Pass contains estimated reserves of 29 million metric tons of ore at 8.9
wt. percent rare earth elements oxides (by using a 5 percent cutoff). Rare earth elements distribution calculated from data in Castor (2008) from rare earth elements oxide contents in concentrate.
4
Iron Hill carbonatite, Colorado: Staatz and others (1979) estimated that the carbonatite stock of Iron Hill consists of 655.6 million metric tons of carbonatite.
Rare earth elements oxide resources were calculated from median concentrations measured by Van Gosen (2008) in 13 samples of the Iron Hill stock.
5
Pea Ridge deposit, Missouri: Whitten and Yancey (1990) indicate that Pea Ridge contains 600,000 metric tons of ore with an average tenor of 12 percent
rare earth elements oxides. Rare earth elements distribution is based on the average of composite assays of samples from four breccia pipes (Grauch and others,
2010).
6
Lemhi Pass district, Idaho-Montana: Rare earth elements distribution is based on the average of analyses of nine samples of the Last Chance vein, reported
by Staatz (1972).
Arndt, R.H., 1981, The mineral industry of Missouri, in Minerals Yearbook, 197879, Volume II, Area reportsDomestic: U.S. Bureau of Mines, p. 299314.
Berger, V.I., Singer, D.A., and Orris, G.J., 2009, Carbonatites

of the world, explored deposits of Nb and REEDatabase
and grade and tonnage models: U.S. Geological Survey
Open-File Report 20091139, 17 p. plus database. (Also
Arundale, J.S., and Martin, J.A., 1970, The mineral industry

of Missouri, in Minerals Yearbook, 1968, Volume III, Area
reportsDomestic: U.S. Bureau of Mines, p. 429443.
Castor, S.B., 2008, The Mountain Pass rare-earth carbonatite

and associated ultrapotassic rocks, California: The Canadian
Mineralogist, v. 46, no. 4, p. 779806.
References Cited

Castor, S.B., and Nason, G.W., 2004, Mountain Pass rare earth
deposit, California, in Castor, S.B., Papke, K.G., and Meeuwig, R.O., eds., Betting on industrial mineralsForum
on the Geology of Industrial Minerals, 39th, Reno/Sparks,
Nev., May 1824, 2003, Proceedings: Nevada Bureau of
Mines and Geology Special Publication 33, p. 6881.
Seeger, C.M., Nuelle, L.M., Day, W.C., Sidder, G.B.,

Marikos, M.A., and Smith, D.C., 2001, Geologic maps and
cross sections of mine levels at the Pea Ridge iron mine,
Washington County, Missouri: U.S. Geological Survey
Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF2353, version 1.0,
6 p. pamphlet, 5 sheets.
Clark, A.L., and Zheng, Shuhui, 1991, Chinas rare earth

potential, industry and policy, in Siribumrungsukha, B.,
Arrykul, S., Sanguansai, P., Pungrassami, T., Sikong, L.,
and Kooptarnond, K., eds., International Conference on
Rare Earth Minerals and Minerals for Electronic Uses, Hat
Yai, Thailand, January 2325, 1991, Proceedings: Hat Yai,
Thailand, Prince of Songkla University, p. 577601.
Sidder, G.B., Day, W.C., Nuelle, L.M., Seeger, C.M., and

Kisvarsanyi, E.B., 1993, Mineralogic and fluid-inclusion
studies of the Pea Ridge iron-rare-earth-element deposit,
southeast Missouri, Chapter U, in Scott, R.W., Jr., Detra,
P.S., and Berger, B.R., eds., Advances related to United
States and international mineral resourcesDeveloping
frameworks and exploration technologies: U.S. Geological
Survey Bulletin 2039, p. 205216.
Emery, J.A., 1968, Geology of the Pea Ridge iron ore body, in
Ridge, J.D., ed., Ore deposits in the United States, 1933
1967, The Graton-Sales Volume, volume 1: New York, N.Y.,
American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum
Engineers, Inc., p. 359369.
Grauch, R.I., Verplanck, P.L., Seeger, C.M., Budahn, J.R., and
Van Gosen, B.S., 2010, Chemistry of selected core samples, concentrate, tailings, and tailings pond watersPea
Ridge iron (-lanthanide-gold) deposit, Washington County,
Missouri: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report
20101080, 15 p. (Also available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/
of/2010/1080/.)
Husman, J.R., 1989, Gold, rare earth element, and other potential by-products of the Pea Ridge iron ore mine: Missouri
Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geology and
Land Survey, Contributions to Precambrian Geology 21,
Open-File Report OFR8978MR, 18 p.
Staatz, M.H., 1972, Geology and description of the thoriumbearing veins, Lemhi Pass quadrangle, Idaho and Montana:
U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1351, 94 p.
Van Gosen, B.S., 2008, Geochemistry of rock samples collected from the Iron Hill carbonatite complex, Gunnison
County, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File
Report 20081119, 27 p. and 2 spreadsheet data files. (Also
Vierrether, C.W., and Cornell, W.L., 1993, Rare-earth occurrences in the Pea Ridge tailings: U.S. Bureau of Mines
Report of Investigations 9453, 10 p.
Kisvarsanyi, E.B., 1980, Granitic ring complexes and Precambrian hot-spot activity in the St. Francois terrane, midcontinent region, United States: Geology, v. 8, no. 1, p. 4347.
Whitten, C.W., and Yancey, R.J., 1990, Characterization of the

rare-earth mineralogy at the Pea Ridge deposit, Missouri:
U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations 9331, 9 p.
Kisvarsanyi, Geza, and Proctor, P.D., 1967, Trace element

content of magnetites and hematites, southeast Missouri iron
metallogenic province, U.S.A.: Economic Geology, v. 62,
no. 4, p. 449471.
Yang, Xiao-Yong, Sun, Wei-Dong, Zhang, Yu-Xu, and Zheng,

Yong-Fei, 2009, Geochemical constraints on the genesis
of the Bayan Obo Fe-Nb-REE deposit in Inner Mongolia, China: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 73, p.
14171435.
Nuelle, L.M., 1998, Minerals of the Pea Ridge mine, Washington

County, Missouri: Rocks & Minerals, v. 73, issue 2, p. 9097.
Nuelle, L.M., Day, W.C., Sidder, G.B., and Seeger, C.M.,
1992, Geology and mineral paragenesis of the Pea Ridge
iron ore mine, Washington County, MissouriOrigin of the
rare-earth-element- and gold-bearing breccia pipes, Chapter
A, in Day, W.C., and Lane, D.E., eds., Strategic and critical
minerals in the midcontinent region, United States: U.S.
Geological Survey Bulletin 1989A, p. A1A11.
Nuelle, L.M., Kisvarsanyi, E.B., Seeger, C.M., Day, W.C., and
Sidder, G.B., 1991, Structural setting and control of the Pea
Ridge magnetite deposit, Middle Proterozoic St. Francois
terrane, Missouri [abs.]: Geological Society of America
Abstracts with Programs, v. 23, no. 5, p. 292.
NebraskaElk Creek Carbonatite 63
NebraskaElk Creek Carbonatite
Detailed Discussion
Location: Located near the small town of Elk Creek in

southeastern Nebraska. Latitude: 40.26861 N., Longitude:
96.18333 W.; datum: WGS84
A buried, rare earth elements (REE) and niobium-rich

carbonatite mass, referred to as the Elk Creek carbonatite, lies
in the subsurface about 1.6 km (1 mi) southwest of the small
town of Elk Creek in southeastern Nebraska. On the basis of
exploration drilling results and the extent of magnetic and
gravity anomalies, the carbonatite mass at depth appears to
have its center beneath section 33, township 4 north, range 11
east. The entire oval-shaped, subsurface body, which is recognized by a geophysical anomaly caused by the carbonatite and
associated intrusive rocks, is about 7 km (4.3 mi) in diameter;
it straddles the boundary between Johnson County and Pawnee
County (Carlson and Treves, 2005).
In 1970, a regional geophysical program detected a
nearly circular, concurrent magnetic and gravity anomaly
in this area. This area of Nebraska is blanketed by loess and
glacial till that overlies Pennsylvanian marine carbonates and
shale. Exploratory drilling in this area had previously encountered Precambrian granitic and metamorphic rocks at depths of
600 ft (183 m) (Carlson and Treves, 2005). Modeling by Burfeind and others (1971) of the geophysical data collected over
the anomaly suggested a cylindrical body with an indefinite
length and a radius of 5,500 ft (1,676 m), which was beveled
on the basement surface at a depth of about 600 ft (183 m). A
test hole was drilled into the anomaly, which found 45 ft (13.7
m) of unconsolidated cover of Quaternary loess and glacial till
overlying 583 ft (178 m) of Upper and Middle Pennsylvanian
carbonates and shale. At a depth of 630 ft (192 m), the drilling
hit an iron-rich, silicate-bearing carbonate rock. This discovery prompted a drill-coring program, which recovered carbonate rocks from depths of 665 ft (203 m) to 1,000 ft (305 m)
(Carlson and Treves, 2005). Core drilling into the geophysical
anomaly during the 1970s and 1980s by the State of Nebraska,
Cominco American, and Molycorp, Inc. resulted in at least 113
core holes. Molycorp completed 106 of the test holes, recovering about 80,000 ft (24,384 m) of cores and rotary samples
(Carlson and Treves, 2005). The deepest hole reached a depth
of 3,406 ft (1,038 m) and bottomed in carbonatite.
As part of his doctoral dissertation project, Xu (1996)
examined 5,927 ft (1,807 m) of core obtained from the carbonatite complex. He reported that the core studied comprised
mostly massive to brecciated, apatite- and pyrochlore-bearing
dolomitic carbonatite (89 percent), along with fenitized basalt,
lamprophyre, and syenite (totaling 11 percent). Major-element
analyses suggest that the carbonate mass is a magnesiocarbonatite, generally similar in major chemical composition to
the Iron Hill (Powderhorn) carbonatite stock in southwestern
Colorado. The REE are hosted principally by the minerals
bastnasite, parisite, and synchisite and by smaller amounts of
monazite (Xu, 1996). Niobium resides in pyrochlore. The U.S.
Geological Survey obtained a potassium-argon age on biotite
in the carbonatite of 5447 million years old (Xu, 1996).
On May 4, 2010, Quantum Rare Earth Developments
Corp. announced that it had acquired the Elk Creek carbonatite
properties (http://www.quantumrareearth.com/). In its press
Deposit type and basic geology: A buried, rare earth elements (REE)- and niobium (Nb)-rich carbonatite mass,
referred to as the Elk Creek carbonatite, lies in the subsurface about 1.6 km (1 mi) southwest of the small town
of Elk Creek in southeastern Nebraska. On the basis of
exploration drilling and the extent of magnetic and gravity
anomalies, the carbonatite mass at depth appears to have
its center beneath section 33, township 4 north, range 11
east. The entire oval-shaped, subsurface body, which is
recognized by a geophysical anomaly caused by the carbonatite and associated intrusive rocks, is about 7 km (4.3
mi) in diameter. Analyses of drill core showed the intrusion at depth comprised mostly massive to brecciated,
apatite- and pyrochlore-bearing dolomitic carbonatite (89
percent), along with fenitized basalt, lamprophyre, and
syenite (totaling 11 percent). Major-element analyses suggest that the carbonate mass is a magnesian carbonatite
(dolomitic), generally similar in gross chemical composition to the Iron Hill (Powderhorn) carbonatite stock in
southwestern Colorado. The REE are hosted principally
by the minerals bastnasite, parisite, and synchisite and
by smaller amounts of monazite (Xu, 1996). Niobium
was deposited in pyrochlore. The U.S. Geological Survey
obtained a potassium-argon age on biotite in the carbonatite of 5447 million years old (Xu, 1996).
Status: On May 4, 2010, Quantum Rare Earth Developments
Corp. announced that it had acquired the Elk Creek carbonatite properties (http://www.quantumrareearth.com/).
this intrusion.
Estimated resources: It has been reported that the Elk
Creek carbonatite may represent the largest niobium
(Nb) resource in the United States. Quantum Rare Earth
Developments Corporation reported several assay results
from Molycorps earlier drilling program. Reportedly,
drilling within the core zone found high-grade niobium
contents, estimated at 39.4 million tons of 0.82 percent
Nb2O5 and is open to the north, west and at depth (Molycorp, Inc., internal memorandum, Feb 05/1986). In the
widely spaced drilling surrounding the core zone, at
least 18 of the surrounding holes intersected greater than
6.1 m (20 ft) of greater than 1.0 percent REO (total rare
earth oxides), while at least 17 of the surrounding holes
intersected greater than 3.05 m (10 ft) of greater than 0.6
percent Nb2O5. Quantum reports assay intervals that
range from 1.02 to 3.12 percent total rare earth elements
oxide. They also note, Most of the historic drill core,
sample rejects, and pulps from Molycorps exploration are
available for review and sampling.

release, Quantum reported several assay results from Molycorps earlier drilling program, which included: detailed drilling of 25 holes within a core (central) zone of the 7-km (4.3mi) diameter geophysical anomaly and holes spaced about
610 m (2,000 ft) apart surrounding the core zone. Reportedly,
the drilling within the core zone found high-grade niobium
contents, estimated at 39.4 million tons of 0.82 percent Nb2O5
and is open to the north, west and at depth (Molycorp, Inc.
internal memorandum, Feb 05/1986). In the widely spaced
drilling surrounding the core zone, least 18 of the surrounding holes intersected greater than 20 feet (6.1 metres) of
greater than 1.0% REO [total rare earth oxides], while at least
17 of the surrounding holes intersected greater than 10 feet
(3.05 metres) of greater than 0.6% Nb2O5. Quantum reports
assays intervals that range from 1.02 to 3.12 percent total rare
earth oxide. They also note, Most of the historic drill core,
sample rejects, and pulps from Molycorps exploration are
available for review and sampling.
References Cited
Burfeind, W.J., Carlson, M.P., and Smith, Russell, 1971, The
Elk Creek geophysical anomaly, Johnson and Pawnee
Counties, Nebraska [abs.]: Geological Society of America
Abstracts with Programs, v. 3, no. 4, p. 254.
Carlson, M.P., and Treves, S.B., 2005, The Elk Creek Carbonatite, southeast NebraskaAn overview: Natural Resources
Research, v. 14, no. 1, p. 3945.
Xu, Anshun, 1996, Mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry and
origin of the Elk Creek Carbonatite, Nebraska: Lincoln,
Nebr., University of Nebraska, Ph.D. dissertation, 299 p.
New MexicoCapitan Mountains 65
New MexicoCapitan Mountains

Location: Thin veins containing thorium and rare earth elements crop out on the south flank of the Capitan Mountains in Lincoln County, south-central New Mexico.
WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: The radioactive deposits in
this district are veins composed of angular fragments of
alaskite cemented by quartz. Staatz (1974) identified 12
breccia veins in the district, ranging from 10 to 150 ft (3 to
46 m) in length and in. to 8 ft (6 mm to 2.4 m) in thickness. The principal thorium-bearing mineral in these veins
is thought to be allanite, accompanied by considerable
quantities of quartz, purple fluorite, limonite, and possibly
tourmaline (Griswold, 1959).
Status: Currently (2010), there appears to be no active
exploration in this district. The deposits were apparently
discovered in the early 1950s during the era of extensive
prospecting for radioactivity anomalies. Radioactive veins
in the Capitan Mountains were prospected in the middle
to late 1950s by numerous bulldozer cuts but never further
developed (Griswold, 1959). The primary focus of the
late 1950s exploration of the veins of this district was its
thorium potential. A thorium mill was constructed by New
Mexico Thorium Company, but it never processed ore
(McLemore, 1983). The ruins of the mill were subsequently removed by the U.S. Forest Service.
these vein deposits.
Estimated resources: Thorium and REE resources in the
district have not been estimated. Staatz (1974) analyzed 17
samples of these veins and found thorium contents of less
than 0.01 to as much as 1.12 percent. Reportedly, some
assays of vein material showed as much as 1.7 percent
thorium (Griswold, 1959). Thorium was assayed as the
target commodity in the breccia veins of the southern
Capitan Mountains, but REE concentrations are likely to
coexist in these deposits. McLemore and others (1988,
p. 4) noted that a select sample assayed 2,500 ppm La,
4,350 ppm Ce, and 330 ppm Y.
Detailed Discussion
Thin veins containing thorium and rare earth elements
(REE) crop out on the south flank of the Capitan Mountains in
Lincoln County, south-central New Mexico. The deposits were
apparently discovered in the early 1950s during the era of
extensive prospecting for radioactivity anomalies. Radioactive
veins in the Capitan Mountains were prospected in the middle
to late 1950s by numerous bulldozer cuts but never further
developed (Griswold, 1959). The radioactivity in the veins
originates primarily in thorium and in much lesser amounts of
uranium.
The radioactive deposits in this district are veins composed of angular fragments of alaskite cemented by quartz.
Staatz (1974) identified 12 breccia veins in the district, ranging
from 10 to 150 ft (3 to 46 m) in length and in. to 8 ft (6 mm
to 2.4 m) in thickness. He analyzed 17 samples of these veins
and found thorium contents of less than 0.01 to 1.12 percent.
Reportedly some assays of vein material showed as much as
1.7 percent thorium (Griswold, 1959). The principal thoriumbearing mineral in these veins is thought to be allanite, which
is accompanied by considerable quantities of quartz, purple
fluorite, limonite, and possibly tourmaline (Griswold, 1959).
The primary focus of the late 1950s exploration of this
districts veins was their thorium potential. A thorium mill was
constructed by New Mexico Thorium Company, but it never
processed ore (McLemore, 1983). The ruins of the mill were
subsequently removed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Thorium was assayed as the target commodity in
the breccia veins of the southern Capitan Mountains, but
REE concentrations are likely to coexist in these deposits.
McLemore and others (1988, p. 4) noted that a select sample
assayed 2,500 ppm La; 4,350 ppm Ce; and 330 ppm Y.
References Cited
Griswold, G.B., 1959, Mineral deposits of Lincoln County,
New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral
Resources Bulletin 67, 117 p., 12 plates.
McLemore, V.T., 1983, Uranium and thorium occurrences
in New MexicoDistribution, geology, production, and
resources, with selected bibliography: New Mexico Bureau
of Mines and Mineral Resources Open-File Report 183, 180
p. text, 6 appendixes.
McLemore, V.T., North, R.M., and Leppert, Shawn, 1988,
REE, niobium, and thorium districts and occurrences in
Resources Open-File Report 324, 27 p., 2 plates.
Staatz, M.H., 1974, Thorium veins in the United States: Economic Geology, v. 69, no. 4, p. 494507.
New MexicoEl Porvenir District
References Cited
Location: The El Porvenir or Hermit Mountain district lies

about 24 km (15 mi) northwest of Las Vegas and 4.8 km
(3 mi) north of Porvenir, on the eastern edge of the Las
Vegas Range, San Miguel County, north-central New
Mexico. Latitude: 35.74237 N., Longitude: 105.42377 W.;
datum: WGS84

Deposit type and basic geology: The bulk of Hermit Mountain is formed by a pink, coarse-grained Precambrian
granite that is cut by pegmatite dikes and quartz veins
(Robertson, 1976). Some of the pegmatites reportedly
contain monazite and rare earth elements mineralization.
Little published information is available on the chemistry
of these pegmatites, but the data that are available suggest
that anomalous rare earth elements concentrations are
present.
Status: Currently (2010), there appears to be no active exploration in this district.
these occurrences.
Estimated resources: Thorium and rare earth elements
resources in the district have not been estimated.
McLemore and others (1988) report that samples of
quartzite contain 546 parts per million (ppm) thorium (Th), 582 ppm lanthanum (La), and 1,160 ppm
yttrium (Y). These data presumably refer to a quartz-rich
pegmatite.
Detailed Discussion
The El Porvenir or Hermit Mountain district lies about
24 km (15 mi) northwest of Las Vegas and 4.8 km (3 mi)
north of Porvenir, on the eastern edge of the Las Vegas Range,
San Miguel County, north-central New Mexico. The bulk of
Hermit Mountain is formed by a pink, coarse-grained Precambrian granite, which is cut by pegmatite dikes and quartz
veins (Robertson, 1976). Some of the pegmatites reportedly
contain monazite and rare earth elements mineralization. Little
published information is available on the chemistry of these
pegmatites, but the data that are available suggest that anomalously high rare earth elements concentrations are present. For
example, McLemore and others (1988) report that samples of
quartzite contain 546 parts per million (ppm) Th, 582 ppm
La, and 1,160 ppm Y. These data presumably refer to a quartzrich pegmatite.
Robertson, J.M., 1976, Mining districts of northeastern New

Mexico, in Ewing, R.C., and Kues, B.S., eds., Guidebook
of Vermejo Park, northeastern New Mexico, New Mexico
Geological Society Twenty-seventh Field Conference, September 30, October 1 and 2, 1976: New Mexico Geological
Society, p. 257262.
New MexicoGallinas Mountains 67
New MexicoGallinas Mountains
Detailed Discussion
Location: Gallinas mining district lies in the Gallinas Mountains, about 16 km (10 mi) west of the town of Corona
in Lincoln County, central New Mexico. Latitude:
The cerium-rich mineral bastnasite formed within

fluorite-copper sulfide deposits in the Gallinas Mountains,
about 16 km (10 mi) west of the town of Corona in Lincoln
County, central New Mexico. In 195354, the Gallinas mining district produced small amounts of fluorspar-rich ore (for
fluorine); output is estimated to have been less than 2,000 tons
(1,800 metric tons) (Griswold, 1959). During 195455, the
Conqueror No. 9 claim produced approximately 60 tons
(54 metric tons) of bastnasite concentrate from these same
fluorspar deposits, which was processed nearby in Gallinas
at a small mill owned by the United States Rare Earths, Inc.
(Griswold, 1959). In 1956, the New Mexico Copper Corp.
produced about 300 tons (270 metric tons) of copper-leadfluorspar ore from its Conqueror claim in the Gallinas district,
of which about 11 tons (10 metric tons) was bastnasite ore
concentrate from the Conqueror No. 10 claim.
The Gallinas Mountains consist of Lower Permian sedimentary rocks that were domed, uplifted, faulted, and fractured during the emplacement of middle(?) Tertiary laccoliths
composed mainly of alkaline trachyte and rhyolite (Perhac,
1970). The fluorite-copper-bastnasite deposits form veins and
fill brecciated zones in sandstones and siltstones of the Permian Yeso Formation. Only two fluorspar deposits were found in
porphyritic trachyte; all other fluorspar deposits in the district
are hosted by sandstone and siltstones of the Yeso Formation.
The districts fluorite-copper-bastnasite deposits are interpreted to result from epithermal (relatively low temperature)
mineralization related to the intrusion of the alkaline trachyte
(Perhac and Heinrich, 1964; Perhac, 1970). The porphyritic
character of the trachyte and the character of the mineral
deposits (low-temperature mineral assemblage, brecciation,
and infilling of open spaces) suggest that the intrusions and
mineralizing events occurred at shallow depths (hypabyssal).
The fluorite-copper-bastnasite ore of the Gallinas district
was deposited in two settings within the sandstones and
siltstones of the Yeso Formation: as veins that fill thin fissures
(13 inches (2.57.6 cm wide) in highly fractured zones, and
as mineral-rich masses that fill open spaces and veinlets in
breccia zones. The brecciated zones were formed by faulting
and are therefore regarded as fault breccias. In both settings,
fluorite is the most abundant mineral. Fluorite content in the
breccia deposits averages about 60 percent (Soule, 1946).
Barite, calcite, and quartz are next in abundance (Soule, 1946;
Perhac, 1970). Other associated minerals are pyrite, galena,
chalcopyrite, mimetite, sphalerite, conichalcite, chalcocite,
wulfenite, malachite, azurite, vanadinite, mottramite, cerussite,
chrysocolla, agardite (yttrium-bearing mineral), and bastnasite (Glass and Smalley, 1945; Griswold, 1959; Perhac, 1970;
DeMark, 1980).
The bastnasite ore forms thin, tabular, waxy yellow,
transparent to translucent crystals 1 to 10 mm in length, usually about 4 mm (0.16 in.) in width and embedded in fluorite
Deposit type and basic geology: The cerium-rich mineral

bastnasite precipitated in fluorite-copper sulfide deposits
in the Gallinas Mountains. The fluorite-copper-bastnasite
deposits form veins and fill brecciated zones in sandstones and siltstones of the Permian Yeso Formation.
Only two fluorspar deposits were found in porphyritic
trachyte; all other fluorspar deposits in the district are
hosted by sandstone and siltstones of the Yeso Formation.
The porphyritic character of the trachyte and the character of the mineral deposits (low-temperature mineral
assemblage, brecciation, infilling of open spaces) suggest
that the intrusions and mineralizing events were shallow
(hypabyssal). The fluorite-copper-bastnasite deposits of
the Gallinas district are found in two settings within the
sandstones and siltstones of the Yeso Formation: as veins
that fill thin fissures (13 in. (2.57.6 cm) wide] in highly
fractured zones, and as mineral-rich masses that fill open
spaces and veinlets in breccia zones. The brecciated
zones were formed by faulting and are therefore regarded
as fault breccias. In both settings, fluorite is the most
abundant mineral.
exploration in this district.
Production: In 195354, the Gallinas mining district produced small amounts of fluorspar-rich ore (for fluorine);
output is estimated to have been less than 2,000 tons
(1,800 metric tons) (Griswold, 1959). During 195455,
the Conqueror No. 9 claim produced approximately 60
tons (54 metric tons) of bastnasite (a cerium-rich mineral)
concentrate from these same fluorspar deposits, which
was processed nearby in Gallinas at a small mill owned
by the United States Rare Earths, Inc. (Griswold, 1959).
In 1956, the New Mexico Copper Corp. produced about
300 tons (270 metric tons) of copper-lead-fluorspar ore
from its Conqueror claim in the Gallinas district, of which
about 11 tons (10 metric tons) of bastnasite ore concentrate from the Conqueror No. 10 claim.
Estimated resources: Soule (1946) estimated that bastnasite forms about 5 percent of the breccia deposits. Soule
(1946) analyzed hand-picked grains of bastnasite from the
Gallinas district and found that the bastnasite contained
74.39 percent total rare earth elements oxides: 25.61
percent cerium oxide and 48.78 percent other rare earth
elements oxides. No resource estimate of the potential
fluorspar and bastnasite tonnage within the Gallinas
district has been published.

(Glass and Smalley, 1945; Soule, 1946; DeMark, 1980).
Soule (1946) estimated that bastnasite forms about 5 percent
of the breccia deposits. Soule (1946) analyzed hand-picked
grains of bastnasite from the Gallinas district and found that
the bastnasite contained 74.39 percent total rare earth elements oxides: 25.61 percent cerium oxide and 48.78 percent
other rare earth elements oxides. No resource estimate of the
potential fluorspar and bastnasite tonnage within the Gallinas
district has been published.
References Cited
DeMark, R.S., 1980, The Red Cloud mines, Gallinas Mountains, New Mexico: The Mineralogical Record, v. 2, no. 11,
p. 6972.
Glass, J.J., and Smalley, R.G., 1945, Bastnasite: American
Mineralogist, v. 30, nos. 9 and 10, p. 601615.
Griswold, G.B., 1959, Mineral deposits of Lincoln County,
Perhac, R.M., 1970, Geology and mineral deposits of the
Gallinas Mountains, Lincoln and Torrance Counties,
Perhac, R.M., and Heinrich, E.W., 1964, Fluorite-bastnaesite
deposits of the Gallinas Mountains, New Mexico and
bastnaesite paragenesis: Economic Geology, v. 59, no. 2, p.
226239.
Soule, J.H., 1946, Exploration of Gallinas fluorspar deposits,
Lincoln County, N. Mex.: U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of
Investigations 3854, 25 p.
New MexicoGold Hill Area and White Signal District 69
New MexicoGold Hill Area and

White Signal District
Location: The White Signal district is located in Grant
County, southwestern New Mexico. The adjacent Gold
Hill area lies near the crest of the Burro Mountains.
WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: Rare earth elements (REE)
thoriumbearing minerals form pods and lenses within
pegmatites hosted by the Proterozoic Burro Mountain
granite in the western part of the White Signal district.
Quartz, muscovite, and microcline are the primary minerals of these pegmatites. Large euhedral crystals of euxenite [Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2O6] are found locally, and
some crystals are several inches long (Gillerman, 1964).
Other REE-bearing minerals reported in the pegmatites
are allanite and samarskite (Richter and others, 1986). In
the Gold Hill area, near the crest of the Burro Mountains,
the same REE-bearing minerals are hosted in similar
but larger pegmatites that also cut the Burro Mountain
granite (Hedlund, 1978). The primary pegmatite minerals are milky quartz, microcline, albite, and muscovite
with accessory biotite, magnetite, garnet, fluorite, and
REE-bearing minerals such as allanite, euxenite, and
samarskite.
Production: Shallow prospect pits were dug into the pegmatites in order to explore their radioactivity, presumably
during the 1950s, but no further development is reported.
Estimated resources: No report of the REE concentrations in
these pegmatites has been published, but thorium concentrations can reach as high as 0.72 percent (Staatz, 1974).
Detailed Discussion
Rare earth elements (REE)thoriumbearing minerals form pods and lenses within pegmatites hosted by the
Proterozoic Burro Mountain granite in the western part of the
White Signal district, which lies in Grant County, southwestern New Mexico (Gillerman, 1964; Richter and Lawrence,
1983; Richter and others, 1986). Shallow prospect pits were
dug into the pegmatites in order to explore their radioactivity, presumably during the 1950s, but no further development
is reported.
Quartz, muscovite, and microcline are the primary minerals of these pegmatites. Large euhedral crystals of euxenite
[Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2O6] are found locally, and some
crystals are several inches long (Gillerman, 1964). Other REEbearing minerals reported in the pegmatites are allanite and
samarskite (Richter and others, 1986). No analyses of the REE
concentrations in these pegmatites have been reported.
In the Gold Hill area, near the crest of the Burro Mountains, the same REE-bearing minerals are hosted in similar
but larger pegmatites that also cut the Burro Mountain granite
(Hedlund, 1978). These pegmatites were prospected by small
pits between 1952 and 1955. However, the amount and
concentration of rare-earth minerals was so small that work
was soon stopped (Gillerman, 1964, p. 127). The primary
pegmatite minerals are milky quartz, microcline, albite, and
muscovite with accessory biotite, magnetite, garnet, fluorite,
and the REE-bearing minerals, such as allanite, euxenite, and
samarskite. No report of the REE concentrations in these pegmatites has been published, but Th concentrations can reach as
high as 0.72 percent (Staatz, 1974).
References Cited
Gillerman, Elliott, 1964, Mineral deposits of western Grant
County, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines and
Mineral Resources Bulletin 83, 213 p., 11 plates.
Hedlund, D.C., 1978, Geologic map of the Gold Hill quadrangle, Hidalgo and Grant Counties, New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF1035,
scale 1:24,000.
Richter, D.H., and Lawrence, V.A., 1983, Mineral deposit map
of the Silver City 1 x 2 quadrangle, New Mexico and Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations
Series Map I1310B, scale 1:250,000.
Richter, D.H., Sharp, W.N., Watts, K.C., Raines, G.L., Houser,
B.B., and Klein, D.P., 1986, Maps showing mineral resource
assessment of the Silver City 1 x 2 quadrangle, New
Mexico and Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I1310F, 24 p. pamphlet,
1 sheet, various scales.
Staatz, M.H., 1974, Thorium veins in the United States: Economic Geology, v. 69, no. 4, p. 494507.
New MexicoLaughlin Peak Area

Location: Thorium (Th)- and rare earth elementsrich veins
are intruded throughout an area of about 12 km2 (4.6 mi2)
near Laughlin Peak, about 38 km (24 mi) southeast of
Raton in Colfax County, northeastern New Mexico.
WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: In this area, Staatz (1985)
mapped 29 veins ranging from 0.5 to 550 m (1.6 to 1,800
ft) in length and 0.2 to 70 cm (0.08 to 28 in.) in thickness. Thorium- and REE-bearing minerals in the veins
include brockite, xenotime, and crandallite. The brockite
and xenotime are mainly enriched in the yttrium-group
(heavy) rare earths, whereas the crandallite contains
mostly cerium-group (light) rare earth elements. The veins
are steeply dipping and lie along fracture zones, cutting
mostly trachyte and Dakota Sandstone but also intrusive
breccia and trachyandesite. The gangue minerals are
mostly potassium feldspar, quartz, or calcite, and lesser
amounts of goethite, magnetite, barite, zircon, rutile, and
a manganese oxide. One small carbonatite dike was found
2.7 km (1.7 mi) south of the mapped area.
Production: Prospecting for radioactive deposits began in
the Laughlin Peak area in the early 1950s; small pits and
trenches were dug along the veins. These prospects were
subsequently sampled by Staatz (1985).
district have not been estimated. Staatz (1985) found
that most of the veins contain higher concentrations of
the yttrium-group REE than the cerium group, and veins
with high yttrium-group concentrations usually also have
a high thorium content. Sampling by Staatz (1985, p. 1)
found, Thorium content of 30 samples ranges from 30
to 24,200 ppm (parts per million), and the total rare-earth
content from 147 to 19,030 ppm. These amounts equate
to REE concentrations of about 0.018 to 2.34 percent total
REE oxide.
Detailed Discussion
Thorium (Th)- and rare earth elements (REE)-rich veins
crop out throughout an area of about 12 km2 (4.6 mi2) near
Laughlin Peak, about 38 km (24 mi) southeast of Raton in
Colfax County of northeastern New Mexico. Staatz (1985)
mapped 29 veins in this area, ranging from 0.5 to 550 m (1.6
to 1,800 ft) in length and 0.2 to 70 cm (0.08 to 28 in.) in thickness. Thorium- and REE-bearing minerals in the veins include
brockite, xenotime, and crandallite. Thorite and monazite are
absent. The brockite and xenotime are mainly enriched in the
yttrium-group (heavy) rare earths, whereas the crandallite
contains mostly cerium-group (light) rare earth elements.

Staatz (1985) found that most of the veins contain higher
concentrations of yttrium-group REE than cerium-group REE,
and veins with high yttrium-group values usually have a high
Th content. Sampling by Staatz (1985, p. 1) found, Thorium
content of 30 samples ranges from 30 to 24,200 ppm (parts per
million), and the total rare-earth content from 147 to 19,030
ppm. These amounts equate to REE concentrations of about
0.018 to 2.34 percent total REE oxide.
The veins are steeply dipping and lie along fracture
zones, cutting mostly trachyte and Dakota Sandstone but also
intrusive breccia and trachyandesite. The gangue minerals
are mostly potassium feldspar, quartz, or calcite, and lesser
amounts of goethite, magnetite, barite, zircon, rutile, and a
manganese oxide. One small carbonatite dike was found 2.7
km (1.7 mi) south of the mapped area (Staatz, 1985). The
igneous rocks that are spatially associated with the veins have
alkaline compositions of phonolite, trachyte, trachyandesite,
and basalt. These rocks are also anomalous in REE, especially
light REE, and show total REE contents of 173807 ppm.
The veins do not cut phonolite or basalt, but Staatz (1985)
suggested that the source of the Th and REE in the veins was
the magma that formed the phonolite during the Oligocene,
because samples of the phonolite showed Th and REE contents much higher than samples of other associated igneous
rocks.
Prospecting for radioactivity began in the Laughlin Peak
area in the early 1950s; small pits and trenches were dug along
the veins. These prospects were subsequently sampled by Staatz (1985). Additional exploration is necessary to evaluate the
full REE resource potential of this area, but the geologic mapping and descriptions by Staatz (1985, 1986, 1987) provide a
solid framework for further work here.
References Cited
Staatz, M.H., 1985, Geology and description of the thorium
and rare-earth veins in the Laughlin Peak area, Colfax
County, New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey Professional
Paper 1049E, 32 p., 1 plate, scale 1:12,000.
Staatz, M.H., 1986, Geologic map of the Pine Buttes quadrangle, Colfax County, New Mexico: U.S. Geological Survey
Geologic Quadrangle Map GQ1591, scale 1:24,000.
Staatz, M.H., 1987, Geologic map of the Tres Hermanos Peak
quadrangle, Colfax County, New Mexico: U.S. Geological
Survey Quadrangle Map GQ1605, scale 1:24,000.
New MexicoLemitar and Chupadera Mountains 71
New MexicoLemitar and Chupadera

Mountains
Location: Carbonatite dikes and veins occur in the Lemitar
Mountains in west-central New Mexico, and more than a
dozen similar carbonatite dikes are known to be located
to the south within the adjacent Chupadera Mountains.
These mountain ranges lie west of San Antonio, Socorro,
and Lemitar in Socorro County, New Mexico. Latitude:
34.15398 N., Longitude: 106.98623 W.; datum: WGS84,
and Latitude: 33.85285 N., Longitude: 106.95781 W.;
datum: WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: More than 100 carbonatite
dikes and veins that contain rare earth elements (REE)
cut Precambrian metamorphic and granitic terrane in
the Lemitar Mountains, and more than a dozen similar
carbonatite dikes intruded Precambrian metamorphic rocks
to the south within the adjacent Chupadera Mountains
(McLemore, 1983, 1987; Van Allen and others, 1986).
The carbonatite intrusions range from less than 1 cm (0.4
in.) thickveinsto more than 1 m (3.3 ft) thickdikes
(McLemore, 1983, 1987). A few of the dikes can be traced
in outcrop for as much as 600 m (1,970 ft). Subparallel sets
of carbonatites locally form dike swarms. Alkaline igneous
rocks are lacking in these mountain ranges, so their igneous
source presumably lies at depth (McLemore, 1987). Age
determinations by the potassium-argon method suggest that
the carbonatites are Ordovician (44916 million years old,
McLemore, 1987) and thus represent a part of widespread
Cambrian-Ordovician igneous activity in New Mexico.
these vein deposits. Because uranium and thorium in the
carbonatite dikes make the dikes radioactive, they were
identified in 1954 during a uranium exploration program
conducted by United Geophysical Corp. (Van Allen and
others, 1986).
district have not been estimated. McLemore and others
(1988) reported a maximum concentration from selected
samples of 1,950 parts per million (ppm) thorium (0.195
percent) and 0.25 weight percent uranium oxide. Van
Allen and others (1986) and McLemore and others (1988)
report maximum concentrations from select carbonatite
samples as 0.19 weight percent total REE; 700 ppm Y;
4,900 ppm cerium (Ce); and 1,700 ppm lanthanum (La).
Detailed Discussion
More than 100 carbonatite dikes and veins that contain
rare earth elements (REE) cut Precambrian metamorphic
and granitic terrane in the Lemitar Mountains in west-central
New Mexico, and more than a dozen similar carbonatite dikes
intruded Precambrian metamorphic rocks to the south within

the adjacent Chupadera Mountains (McLemore, 1983, 1987;
Van Allen and others, 1986). These north-south-trending mountain ranges lie west of San Antonio, Socorro, and Lemitar in
Socorro County, New Mexico. The carbonatite intrusions range
from less than 1 cm (0.4 in.) thickveinsto more than 1 m
(3.3 ft) thickdikes (McLemore, 1983, 1987). A few of the
dikes can be traced in outcrop for as much as 600 m (1,970 ft).
Subparallel sets of carbonatites locally form dike swarms.
The carbonatite dikes occupy sets of fractures apparently
related to rifting of the adjacent Rio Grande Rift. Alkaline
igneous rocks are lacking in these mountain ranges, so the
dikes igneous source presumably lies at depth (McLemore,
1987). Age determinations by the potassium-argon method
suggest that the carbonatites are Ordovician (44916 million
years old, McLemore, 1987) and thus represent a part of widespread Cambrian-Ordovician igneous activity in New Mexico.
Because uranium and thorium in the carbonatite dikes
make the dikes radioactive, they were identified in 1954 during
a uranium exploration program conducted by United Geophysical Corp. (Van Allen and others, 1986). Although they were
described at that time as radioactive-calcite veins they were
later classified as carbonatites in 1978 by Tenneco geologists.
McLemore and others (1988) reported a maximum concentration
from selected samples of 1,950 ppm thorium (0.195 percent) and
0.25 weight percent U3O8. Although the uranium correlates with
yttrium in carbonatites of the Chupadera Mountains, no specific
uranium or yttrium mineral was identified (McLemore, 1983;
Van Allen and others, 1986). The gangue mineralogy of these
carbonatites is detailed by McLemore (1983, 1987).
Overall, the REE concentrations found in the carbonatite
dikes in both mountain ranges were quite variable. Van Allen
and others (1986) and McLemore and others (1988) report
maximum concentrations from select carbonatite samples as
0.19 weight percent total REE; 700 ppm Y; 4,900 ppm cerium
(Ce); and 1,700 ppm lanthanum (La).
References Cited
McLemore, V.T., 1983, Carbonatites in the Lemitar and
Chupadera Mountains, Socorro County, New Mexico, in
Chapin, C.E., ed., Socorro Region II, New Mexico Geological Society Thirty-fourth Annual Field Conference, October
1315, 1983: New Mexico Geological Society, p. 235240.
McLemore, V.T., 1987, Geology and regional implications of
carbonatites in the Lemitar Mountains, central New Mexico:
Journal of Geology, v. 95, no. 2, p. 255270.
Van Allen, B.R., Emmons, D.L., and Paster, T.P., 1986, Carbonatite dikes of the Chupadera Mountains, Socorro County,
New Mexico: New Mexico Geology, v. 8, no. 2, p. 2529.
New MexicoPetaca District

Location: The Petaca district is located between Ojo Caliente
and Tres Piedras, in Rio Arriba County, north-central New
Mexico. Latitude: 36.58835 N., Longitude: 106.07170 W.;
datum: WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: Thorium- and rare earth
elements (REE)bearing pegmatites crop out in Precambrian rocks in the southeastern Tusas Mountains (Bingler,
1968). The pegmatites of the Petaca district take a variety
of shapes, such as dikes, sills, pipes, pods, troughs, and
irregular forms. The pegmatites crop out for 75 to 1,430 ft
(23 to 436 m) in length (an average outcrop length is 410
ft (125 m)), and they have an average width of 30 to 35 ft
(9 to 11 m) (Bingler, 1968). Elevated REE concentrations
in Petaca district pegmatites mainly reflect the mineral
samarskite, a REE-iron-uranium-thorium-niobium-tantalum-titaniumbearing oxide.
Production: A number of pegmatites in the district were
mined for their large books of muscovite mica crystals,
beginning in 1870 and continuing intermittently until
1944 (Bingler, 1968).
district have not been estimated. McLemore and others (1988) reported an average niobium content of 0.04
percent in 87 pegmatites of the district. Monazite accounts
for the pegmatites high thorium content. An analysis
of the Globe pegmatite in the district found 10,332 ppm
thorium (McLemore and others, 1988). McLemore and
others (1988, p. 4) reported the following REE analysis of
a sample of the Globe pegmatite: 600 ppm Y, 660 ppm
Yb, 396 ppm Er, 186 ppm Gd, 3,117 ppm [total] REE +
Y. Otherwise, the REE content of the pegmatites of the
Petaca district has not been published.
Detailed Discussion
Thorium- and rare earth elements (REE)bearing pegmatites are exposed in the Petaca district, located between
Ojo Caliente and Tres Piedras, in Rio Arriba County, northcentral New Mexico. The pegmatites crop out in Precambrian
rocks in the southeastern Tusas Mountains (Bingler, 1968).
The pegmatites of the Petaca district take a variety of shapes,
such as dikes, sills, pipes, pods, troughs, and irregular forms.
The pegmatite forms and their characteristics are described
in detail by Jahns (1946). They crop out for 75 to 1,430 ft (23
to 436 m) in length (an average outcrop length is 410 ft (125
m)), and they have an average width of 30 to 35 ft (9 to 11 m)
(Bingler, 1968).
The primary minerals of the Petaca district pegmatites
are microcline, quartz, plagioclase, and muscovite. A number
of pegmatites in the district were mined for their large books

of muscovite mica crystals beginning in 1870 and continuing
intermittently until 1944 (Bingler, 1968). Almost 50 accessory
minerals have been identified; the most common is spessartite (now called spessartine) garnet, columbite-tantalite
[(Fe,Mn)(Nb,Ta)2O6], fluorite, beryl, monazite, samarskite,
and ilmenite-magnetite (Wright, 1948; Redmon, 1961;
Bingler, 1968). (Columbite and tantalite are obsolete names
for a mineral series; columbite is now named ferrocolumbite
(Fe2+Nb2O6), which forms two minerals series, with ferrotantalite (Fe2+Ta2O6) and with manganocolumbite [(Mn2+,Fe2+)
(Nb,Ta)2O6)].
The elevated concentrations of niobium (Nb) and tantalum (Ta) in the pegmatites arise from Nb- and Ta-bearing minerals. For example, McLemore and others (1988) reported an
average of Nb content of 0.04 percent in 87 pegmatites of the
district. Similarly, monazite accounts for the pegmatites high
Th content. Specifically, analysis of the Globe pegmatite in the
district found 10,332 ppm Th (McLemore and others, 1988).
Elevated REE concentrations in Petaca district pegmatites
mainly reflect the mineral samarskite, an REE-iron-uraniumthorium-niobium-tantalum-titaniumbearing oxide. The REE
are reportedly restricted to albite-rich zones in the pegmatites.
McLemore and others (1988, p. 4) reported this REE analysis
of a sample of the Globe pegmatite: 600 ppm Y, 660 ppm Yb,
396 ppm Er, 186 ppm Gd, 3,117 ppm [total] REE + Y. Otherwise, the REE content of the pegmatites of the Petaca district
has not been published.
References Cited
Bingler, E.C., 1968, Geology and mineral resources of Rio
Arriba County, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines
and Mineral Resources Bulletin 91, 158 p., 8 plates.
Jahns, R.H., 1946, Mica deposits of the Petaca district, Rio
Arriba County, New Mexico: New Mexico Bureau of Mines
and Mineral Resources Bulletin 25, 294 p., 25 plates.
Redmon, D.E., 1961, Reconnaissance of selected pegmatite
districts in north-central New Mexico: U.S. Bureau of
Mines Information Circular 8013, 79 p.
Wright, L.A., 1948, The Globe pegmatite, Rio Arriba County,
New Mexico: American Journal of Science, v. 246, no. 11,
p. 665688.
New MexicoRed Hills Area 73
New MexicoRed Hills Area

Location: Dike-like and tabular bodies containing thorium
and rare earth elements are exposed in the Red Hills area
of the southern Caballo Mountains, Sierra County, New
Mexico. They crop out across an area of about 7.8 square
km (3 mi2), which is centered about 4 km (2.5 mi) southeast of Caballo dam. Latitude: 32.86293 N., Longitude:
107.25655 W.; datum: WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: At least 45 radioactive,
dike-like and tabular, deep-red bodies of syenite that
crop out in the Red Hills area are modestly enriched in
heavy rare earth elements (HREE). These coarse-grained,
microcline-rich syenites range from 1 to 100 m (3.3 to
328 ft) in length and several centimeters to 10 m (1 in.
to 33 ft) in width (McLemore, 1986). The syenite bodies
are composed mainly of microcline and contain lesser
amounts of quartz, muscovite, hematite, goethite, chlorite,
and plagioclase and accessory apatite, zircon, calcite,
fluorite, limonite, magnetite, and barite. The radioactivity
originates in uranium and thorium residing in with spinel,
rutile, anatase, thorite, thorogummite, and possibly uraninite (Staatz and others, 1965; McLemore, 1986).
these vein deposits.
Estimated resources: Thorium or REE resources in the
district have not been estimated. Subsurface sampling
is necessary in this area to determine if a larger syenite
mass exists at depth, and if such a mass is consistently
enriched in the heavy REE. Samples of the microclinerich (syenite) bodies in the Red Hills by Staatz and others
(1965) contained thorium concentrations as much as 0.44
weight percent and modest to undetectable concentrations
of the light REE. However, the proportion of heavy REE
was higher. In particular, yttrium concentrations were as
much as 0.19 weight percent (Staatz and others, 1965;
McLemore, 1986).
Detailed Discussion
At least 45 radioactive, dike-like and tabular, deep-red
bodies of syenite that are modestly enriched in heavy rare
earth elements (REE) are exposed in the Red Hills area of the
southern Caballo Mountains, Sierra County, New Mexico (Staatz and others, 1965; McLemore, 1983, 1986). These coarsegrained, microcline-rich syenites range from 1 to 100 m (3.3
to 328 ft) in length and several centimeters to 10 m (1 in. to
33 ft) in width (McLemore, 1986). They crop out across an
area of about 7.8 square km (3 mi2), which is centered about
4 km (2.5 mi) southeast of Caballo dam. The syenite bodies
are composed mainly of microcline, with lesser amounts of
quartz, muscovite, hematite, goethite, chlorite, and plagioclase, and accessory apatite, zircon, calcite, fluorite, limonite,
magnetite, and barite. The radioactivity originates in uranium
and thorium that resides in with spinel, rutile, anatase, thorite,
thorogummite, and possibly uraninite (Staatz and others, 1965;
McLemore, 1986).
Samples of the microcline-rich (syenite) bodies in the
Red Hills by Staatz and others (1965) contained thorium
concentrations as much as 0.44 weight percent and modest to
undetectable concentrations of the light REE. However, the
proportion of heavy REE was higher. In particular, yttrium
concentrations were as much as 0.19 weight percent (Staatz
and others, 1965; McLemore, 1986). Subsurface sampling
is necessary in this area to determine if a larger syenite mass
exists at depth, and if such a mass is consistently enriched in
the heavy REE.
References Cited
of Mines and Mineral Resources Open-File Report 183,
180 p. text, 6 appendixes.
McLemore, V.T., 1986, Geology, geochemistry, and mineralization of syenites in the Red Hills, southern Caballo
Mountains, Sierra County, New MexicoPreliminary
observations, in Clemons, R.E., King, W.E., and Mack,
G.H., eds., Truth or Consequences region, New Mexico
Geological Society Thirty-seventh Annual Field Conference, October 1618, 1986: New Mexico Geological
Society, p. 151159.
Staatz, M.H., Adams, J.W., and Conklin, N.M., 1965, Thorium-bearing microcline-rich rocks in the southern Caballo
Mountains, Sierra County, New Mexico, in Geological
Survey Research 1965, Chapter D: U.S. Geological Survey
Professional Paper 525D, p. 4851.
New MexicoWind Mountain,

Cornudas Mountains
Location: Wind Mountain is located in Otero County, New
Mexico, and is one of the largest uplifted areas of the Cornudas Mountains. Wind Mountain stands about 80 km (50
mi) east of El Paso, just north of the New MexicoTexas
boundary. Latitude: 32.02382 N., Longitude: 105.50162
W.; datum: WGS84
(Zr), and fluorine (F, in fluorite). McLemore and others (1988)

analyzed a dike sample collected from Wind Mountain and
reported concentrations of 700 ppm lanthanum (La), 270 ppm
neodymium (Nd), and 242 ppm yttrium (Y). However, a full
rare earth elements resource evaluation of the Wind Mountain uplift would require much more sampling than has been
completed thus far.
References Cited
Deposit type and basic geology: Wind Mountain was formed

by a laccolith of porphyritic nepheline syenite that rises
about 2,500 ft (762 m) above the surrounding Diablo Plateau (Holser, 1959). Dikes and sills of nepheline syenite
and syenite cut the main mass of the laccolith. At least
some of these dikes and sills contain thorium, uranium,
and rare earth elements (REE) mineralization (McLemore,
1983). The alkaline dikes and sills reportedly also contain
anomalous concentrations of beryllium (Be), niobium
(Nb), lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), zirconium (Zr),
and fluorine (F, in fluorite).
Holser, W.T., 1959, Trans-Pecos region, Texas and New

Mexico, in Warner, L.A., Holser, W.T., Wilmarth, V.R., and
Cameron, E.N., Occurrence of nonpegmatite beryllium in
the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Professional
Paper 318, p. 130143.



these dikes and sills.
district have not been estimated. McLemore and others (1988) analyzed a dike sample collected from Wind
Mountain and reported 700 parts per million (ppm)
lanthanum (La), 270 ppm neodymium (Nd), and 242 ppm
yttrium (Y). However, a full rare earth elements resource
evaluation of the Wind Mountain uplift would require
much more sampling than has been conducted thus far.
Detailed Discussion
Wind Mountain, in Otero County, New Mexico, is one
of the largest uplifted areas of the Cornudas Mountains, a
mountain range that straddles the New MexicoTexas border
east of El Paso, Texas. The Cornudas Mountains, the northern
end of an alkaline magmatic belt that was emplaced about 35
million years ago, extends from southern New Mexico, across
Texas, and into Mexico. Wind Mountain itself lies about 80
km (50 mi) east of El Paso, just north of the New MexicoTexas boundary.
Wind Mountain was formed by a large alkaline intrusion,
a laccolith of porphyritic nepheline syenite that rises about
2,500 ft (762 m) above the surrounding Diablo Plateau (Holser, 1959). Dikes and sills of nepheline syenite and syenite cut
the main mass of the laccolith. At least some of these dikes
and sills contain Th, U, and rare earth elements mineralization
(McLemore, 1983). The alkaline dikes and sills reportedly also
contain anomalously high concentrations of beryllium (Be),
niobium (Nb), lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), tin (Sn), zirconium

of Mines and Mineral Resources Open-File Report 183,
180 p. text, 6 appendixes.
New YorkMineville Iron District 75
New YorkMineville Iron District
Detailed Discussion
Location: The Mineville iron district includes the iron ores

once mined in the Mineville, New York, area, located
in the northeastern part of the Adirondack Mountains,
on the west side of Lake Champlain. Most of the former
iron mines are near the towns of Mineville and Port
Henry in Essex County, New York. This district of iron
deposits extends for approximately 78 km2 (30 mi2).
WGS84
Thorium and rare earth elements (REE) are incorporated

within apatite in iron ores once mined in the Mineville, New
York, area, located in the northeastern part of the Adirondack
Mountains, on the west side of Lake Champlain (fig. 16).
Most of the former iron mines are near the towns of Mineville
and Port Henry in Essex County, New York. This district of
iron deposits extends for approximately 78 km2 (30 mi2). The
primary apatite-rich iron deposits are the Old Bed, Cheever,
and Smith bodies; the Cheever and Smith orebodies have been
mined out. Iron ore was mined from the district intermittently
from 1804 until the last operation closed in 1971. A more
detailed mining history of the district is summarized by Staatz
and others (1980).
The orebodies are magnetite deposits that are intricately
folded and faulted within a complex suite of Precambrian
metamorphic and igneous rocks. The host rocks have both
mafic and felsic compositions that include augite syenites,
granite, gabbro, and diorite (Kemp, 1908; Staatz and others,
1980). The granite has felsic Na- and K-rich compositions that
alternate with more basic, amphibole-, pyroxene-, and phlogopite-bearing rocks. Overlying the igneous sequence rests a
metasedimentary series that contains Proterozoic marbles,
calc-silicates and gneisses. The iron deposits are mainly magnetite, martite, and apatite, with gangue minerals of augite,
hornblende, albite, quartz, pyrite, and tourmaline (McKeown
and Klemic, 1956). Pegmatites crosscut the magnetite ore and
consist of quartz, feldspar magnetite allanite, and minor
scapolite, titanite, epidote, and zircon.
The iron deposits in the MinevillePort Henry area that
are high in apatite content are also enriched in phosphorous,
thorium, and REE, because these elements are concentrated within the apatite grains. In addition, the ore mineral
magnetite is intergrown with 13 mm (0.040.12 in.) long,
rice-shaped grains of apatite. The apatites can take several
colors, such as reddish brown, green, white, or transparent.
The reddish-brown variety is the most common. The reddishbrown color of the apatite, also referred to as fluorapatite, is
most likely generated by infiltration or inclusions of hematite
along fractures or within the crystal structure.
According to Staatz and others (1980, p. 29), The
reddish-brown apatite contains between 5.8 and 20.6 percent
total rare earths, the green variety between 0.5 and 2.0 percent,
and the white and transparent varieties only trace amounts.
Monazite, bastnasite, and hematite fill microfractures in the
apatites and also form coatings on the apatites as well. In
addition, microscopic phases of secondary thorite, allanite,
and parisite have been noted in some apatite crystals. Monazite, thorite, allanite, and bastnasite are enriched in thorium
and REE. Kainosite has also been observed in edenite under
a polarizing microscope and scanning electron microscope
(Lupulescu and Pyle, 2008).
Allanite located in the pegmatite bodies, host gneiss, or
pyroxene-rich rocks is rich in cerium. The allanite crystals with
a pegmatitic origin are very large, 20 to 25 cm (7.9 to 9.8 in.)
Deposit type and basic geology: Thorium and rare earth

elements (REE) reside within apatite in iron ores once
mined in the Mineville, New York, area. The primary
apatite-rich iron deposits are the Old Bed, Cheever, and
Smith bodies; the Cheever and Smith orebodies have
been mined out. The orebodies are magnetite deposits
that are intricately folded and faulted within a complex
suite of Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks.
The host rocks have both mafic and felsic compositions
that include augite syenites, granite, gabbro and diorite
(Kemp, 1908; Staatz and others, 1980). The iron deposits
are mainly magnetite, martite, and apatite, with gangue
minerals of augite, hornblende, albite, quartz, pyrite,
and tourmaline (McKeown and Klemic, 1956). The iron
deposits in the MinevillePort Henry area that are high
in apatite are also enriched in phosphorous, thorium, and
REE, because these elements are concentrated within
the apatite grains. In addition, the ore mineral magnetite
is intergrown with 13 mm (0.040.12 in.) long, riceshaped grains of apatite.
Status: Currently (2010), there is no reported exploration or
development in this district.
Production: Iron ore was mined from the district intermittently from 1804 until the last operation closed in 1971.
A detailed mining history of the district is summarized by
Estimated resources: Currently, large tailings piles and
unmined parts of magnetite orebodies in the Mineville
district contain REE-bearing apatite-rich rock. Staatz
and others (1980) estimated that about two-thirds of
the tailings piles were derived from apatite-rich ores,
which would represent about 9 million metric tons (10
million tons) of the tailings. Using an average grade of
about 8 percent apatite content, approximately 720,000
metric tons (790,000 tons) of apatite could be present
in the tailings dumps in the district. McKeown and
Klemic (1956) reported an average rare earth oxide
content of 11.14 percent in 14 samples of apatite separated from the Old Bed, Joker, and Smith orebodies.
Thus, the tailings dump piles could contain approximately 80,200 metric tons (88,400 tons) of rare earth
oxides.
Location of
detailed map
SHERMAN
MINE x
SMITH
MINE
FISHER HILL
x
MINE
Bartlett
Pond
ON
S
UD
H
Bartlett
BARTON HILL
MINE
x MINEVILLE MINES
Mineville
CHEEVER
MINE
oo
Br
AND
Witherbee
LC
and
PILFERSHIRE
x MINE
DELAWARE
M
Moriah
Center
Brook
Moriah
Port
Henry
ie
Brook
Lake
Champlain
en
zie
nz
e
cK
Lake Champla
in
oo
Br
cK
Road
Water
Railroad
Mine location
1 MILE
Figure 16. Mineville district in Essex County, New York. Modified from McKeown and Klemic (1956).
New YorkMineville Iron District 77

long, 6 to 20 cm (2.4 to 7.9 in.) wide, and 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in.)
thick, with smooth surfaces and conchoidal fractures (Blake,
1858). Allanite crystals associated with quartz and monazite
(Ce) are large, smooth-faced, and metamict (Lupulescu and
Pyle, 2008). In the pyroxene rocks, the metamict allanite has
decomposed to monazite (Ce), which contains a rim of Y-dominant allanite that is dark brown and strongly pleochroic.
In the iron ores of the MinevillePort Henry area, two
generations of monazite can be distinguished largely on the
basis of their relationships with other minerals. Within the
pegmatites, monazite (Ce) ranges from 13 mm (0.040.12
in.) to almost 1 cm (0.39 in.) and appears to be associated with
or inclusions in allanite, both of which are embedded in quartz
(Lupulescu and Pyle, 2008). Monazite also formed as a minute, secondary mineral because of the breakdown of allanite in
the pyroxene-rich rocks.
Currently, large tailings piles and unmined parts of magnetite orebodies in the Mineville district contain REE-bearing
apatite-rich rock. Staatz and others (1980) estimated that about
two-thirds of the tailings piles were derived from apatite-rich
ores, which would represent about 9 million metric tons of the
tailings. Using an average grade of about 8 percent apatite,
approximately 720,000 metric tons of apatite could be present in the tailings dumps in the district. McKeown and Klemic
(1956) reported an average rare earth elementsoxide content
of 11.14 percent in 14 samples of apatite separated from the
Old Bed, Joker, and Smith orebodies. Thus, the tailings dump
piles could contain approximately 80,200 metric tons of rare
earth oxides. Uranium and thorium contents average 0.032
percent and 0.15 percent, respectively. Spectrographic analyses
also reveal that yttrium is one of the main REE contained in
apatite, making the tailings a potential source for the yttriumgroup REE (McKeown and Klemic, 1956).
References Cited
Blake, W.P., 1858, Lanthanite and allanite in Essex County,
N.Y.: American Journal of Science and Arts, Series 2, v. 26,
no. 76, p. 245246.
Kemp, J.F., 1908, The Mineville-Port Henry group, in Newland,
D.H., and Kemp, J.F., Geology of the Adirondack magnetic
iron ores: New York State Museum Bulletin 119, p. 5788.
Lupulescu, Marion, and Pyle, Joseph, 2008, Mining history,
mineralogy and origin of the gneiss (granite)-hosted Fe-PREE and Fe oxide and gabbro-hosted Ti-Fe oxide deposits
from the Mineville-Port Henry Region, Essex County, NY,
in Selleck, B.W., ed., Field trip guidebook for the 80th
annual meeting of the New York State Geological Association: New York, N.Y., Guidebook-New York State
Geological Association, v. 80, p. 117129.
McKeown, F.A., and Klemic, Harry, 1956, Rare-earth-bearing
apatite at Mineville, Essex County, New York: U.S.
Geological Survey Bulletin 1046B, p. 923.

Circular 824, 32 p.
WyomingBear Lodge Mountains
Detailed Discussion
Location: Rare earth elements (REE)thorium deposits are

exposed in the southern Bear Lodge Mountains, about 8
km (5 mi) northwest of Sundance, Crook County, Wyoming. Latitude: 44.49215 N., Longitude: 104.44133 W.;
datum: WGS84
Disseminated and vein rare earth elements (REE)

thorium deposits are located in the southern Bear Lodge
Mountains, about 8 km (5 mi) northwest of Sundance, Crook
County, Wyoming. These REE deposits have been the focus
of recent exploration and resource evaluation by Rare Element Resources, Ltd. (http://www.rareelementresources.
com/s/Home.asp). Three decades ago, the geology and
thorium-REE resources of this district were studied by the
USGS (Staatz, 1983).
The REE-thorium deposits and nearby gold (Au) mineralization of the southern Bear Lodge Mountains are hosted
by middle Tertiary alkaline intrusions. These intrusions are
Eocene (38.350 million years old) and consist primarily of
phonolite and trachyte (Staatz, 1983). They intruded Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, forming a dome about
13 km (8 mi) long by 10 km (6 mi) wide. The flanks of the
central intrusive mass (phonolite and trachyte) are cut by small
plugs, dikes, and sills that are also of alkaline affinity (high
potassium and low silica content), which include lamprophyre,
syenite, nepheline syenite, and latite. These alkaline igneous
rocks crop out in a northwest-trending, oval-shaped area 9 km
(5.6 mi) long by 4 km (2.5 mi) wide (Staatz and others, 1979;
Staatz, 1983, his plate 1). Breccia bodies are associated with
the igneous intrusions, such as a heterolithic diatreme breccia
near Bull Hill. Rare earth elementsbearing carbonatite dikes
also intruded near the Bull Hill diatreme; these dikes are surrounded by a large zone of low-grade REE mineralization that
fills thin, narrow stockwork fractures within the large alkaline
intrusions. These thorium and REE deposits crop out throughout an area of about 16 km2 (6 mi2) in the southern Bear Lodge
Mountains (Staatz, 1983).
The igneous core of the dome is microfractured and
altered, thereby forming the disseminated deposits. REE and
Th mineralization precipitated within thin fractures as coatings and veinlets as much as 6 mm thick. The coatings and
veinlets consist predominantly of iron and manganese oxide
minerals, along with potassium feldspar and quartz. The REE
and thorium occupy sites in the minerals monazite, thorite,
and brockite. On the basis of 52 samples collected within an
area of 2.4 by 1.6 km (1.5 by 1 mi), where the alkaline rock
has numerous small veinlets, Staatz and others (1979, p. 27)
delineated three subareas:
Deposit type and basic geology: The REE-thorium deposits and nearby gold mineralization of the southern Bear
Lodge Mountains are hosted by middle Tertiary alkaline
intrusions. These intrusions are Eocene (38.350 million
years old) and consist primarily of phonolite and trachyte
(Staatz, 1983). They intruded Paleozoic and Mesozoic
sedimentary rocks, forming a dome about 13 km (8 mi)
long by 10 km (6 mi) wide. Breccia bodies are associated
with the igneous intrusions, such as a heterolithic diatreme breccia near Bull Hill. Rare earth elementsbearing
carbonatite dikes intruded near the Bull Hill diatreme; the
dikes are surrounded by a large zone of low-grade REE
mineralization that fills thin, narrow stockwork fractures
within the large alkaline intrusions. These thorium and
REE deposits crop out throughout an area of about 16
km2 (6 mi2) (Staatz, 1983). The igneous core of the dome
is microfractured and altered, thereby forming disseminated deposits. The REE and thorium mineralization
precipitated within thin fractures as coatings and veinlets
as much as 6 mm thick. The coatings and veinlets consist
predominantly of iron and manganese oxide minerals,
along with potassium feldspar and quartz. The REE and
thorium are incorporated into the minerals monazite,
thorite, and brockite.
Status: During the last few field seasons, Rare Element
Resources, Ltd., has explored for REE (http://www.
rareelementresources.com/s/Home.asp), focused primarily on Bull Mountain (near the center of the dome) and
areas just to the west and southeast of Bull Mountain,
where numerous carbonatite dikes are exposed. The
company drilled again in the summer months of 2010.
these vein deposits thus far (2010).
Estimated resources: Rare Element Resources, Ltd., has
delineated three mineralogical zones in the Bear Lodge
Mountain deposits dependent on depth of weathering
oxide, transitional, and unoxidized. As of 2010, they
estimate that the oxide zonethe near-surface part of the
Bull Hill deposithosts 4.5 million tons at 4.3 percent
REE oxides. They suggest that the total inferred resource
of the deposit is 9.8 million tons averaging 4.1 percent
REE oxides. During 2009, the company drilled five holes
just northwest of Bull Mountain through a total of 5,141
vertical feet of veins and dikes; there, total REE oxide
concentrations ranged from 2.08 to 9.12 percent.
(1) The northern area has an average grade of 0.023

percent ThO2 and 0.75 percent combined rare-earth
oxides, (2) the central area has an average grade of
0.042 percent ThO2 and 1.71 percent combined rareearth oxides, and (3) the southern area has an average grade of 0.035 percent ThO2 and 1.35 percent
combined rare-earth oxides.
They also noted that drilling indicates that the veining
extends at least 1,200 ft (365 m) below the surface.
WyomingBear Lodge Mountains 79

In a broader sampling survey, Staatz (1983) collected a
total of 341 samples throughout an area of 10.6 km2 (4.1 mi2)
across the exposed core of the Bear Lodge dome (centered
along Taylor Divide and Bull Hill). He found that the REE
content of the disseminated deposits was about 27 times greater
than their Th content. Staatz (1983, p. 1) reported, Total rareearth content of these samples ranged from 47 to 27,145 ppm,
and the thorium content from 9.3 to 990 ppm. The amount of
total rare earths of individual samples shows little correlation
with that of thorium. Staatz (1983, p. 1) also stated,
These deposits could be mined by open pit. The
Bear Lodge disseminated deposits have one of the
largest resources of both total rare earths and thorium in the United States, and although the grade of
both commodities is lower than some other deposits,
their large size and relative cheapness of mining
make them an important future resource.
Vein deposits in the southern Bear Lodge Mountains were
defined by Staatz (1983) as all tabular bodies at least 5 cm (2
in.) in thickness. Staatz (1983) mapped 26 veins in the core
of the Bear Lodge uplift and described them all as thin and
shortthe longest vein is exposed for 137 m (450 ft). Gangue
minerals are mostly potassium feldspar and quartz, with limonite, hematite, and manganese oxides. The REE and thorium
in these veins is observed in monazite, brockite, and bastnasite. Staatz (1983, p. 1) reported, Thorium content of 35
[vein] samples ranged from 0.01 to 1.2 percent, and the total
rare-earth content of 21 samples from 0.23 to 9.8 percent.
Rare Element Resources, Ltd., has focused its recent REE
exploration efforts (http://www.rareelementresources.com/s/
Home.asp) on Bull Mountain (near the center of the dome) and
areas just to the west and southeast of Bull Mountain, where
numerous carbonatite dikes are exposed. It has delineated three
mineralogical zones in these deposits dependent on depth of
weatheringoxide, transitional, and unoxidized (Ranta and
Clark, 2010). As of 2010, they estimate that the oxide zone (the
near-surface part of the Bull Hill deposit) hosts 4.5 million
tons at 4.3 percent REE oxides. They suggest that the total
inferred resource of the deposit is 9.8 million tons averaging
4.1 percent REE oxides. During 2009, the company drilled five
holes just to the northwest of Bull Mountain through a total of
5,141 vertical feet of veins and dikes; there, total REE oxide
concentrations ranged from 2.08 to 9.12 percent. The company
drilled again in the summer of 2010, which will further update
and refine its REE resource estimates for this district. The
rare earth elements distribution in these deposits is apparently
weighted toward light REE, as shown in table 22.
Rare Element Resources has focused on the oxide portions of
the Bull Hill deposit because this material has displayed favorable
recovery in its metallurgical testing (Ranta and Clark, 2010). The
loose, friable character of this material and fine-grained nature of
the REE minerals have reportedly shown a 90 percent recovery of
REE with a 13 percent REE oxide grade in the less-than-25-mm
(1-in.) fraction by employing a process using simple crushing to
less than in., scrubbing, and screening (Ranta and Clark, 2010).
Table 22. Typical rare earth elements distribution in the Bear

Lodge Mountains deposit, Wyoming.
[Rare earth elements listed in order of increasing atomic number; yttrium (Y) is
included with these elements because it shares chemical and physical similarities with the lanthanides. Elements listed in order of increasing atomic number.
Each sample is a composite metallurgical sample. The most abundant rare earth
elements in this deposit (in bold) are light rare earths elements. Source: Rare
Element Resources, Ltd. (http://www.rareelementresources.com/s/Home.asp)]
Rare earth
element
Oxide sample
(percent)
Unoxidized sample
(percent)
Lanthanum
29.3
32.5
Cerium
45.0
46.4
4.8
4.3
16.8
13.7
Samarium
2.0
1.4
Europium
0.4
0.3
Gadolinium
0.8
0.6
Terbium
0.1
0.0
Dysprosium
0.2
0.2
Yttrium
0.5
0.5
99.9
99.9
Praseodymium
Neodymium
Total
References Cited
Ranta, Don, and Clark, Jim, 2010, Geology and evaluation of
the Bear Lodge rare-earths project, Wyoming [unpublished
abs.]: Presentation to the Denver Region Exploration Geologists Society, January 4, 2010, Lakewood, Colo.
Staatz, M.H., 1983, Geology and description of thorium and
rare-earth deposits in the southern Bear Lodge Mountains,
northeastern Wyoming: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1049D, 52 p., 2 plates.
Phosphorite Deposits in the

Southeastern United States
Location: Phosphorite deposits are found in the southeastern
United States along the Atlantic Coastal Plain from North
Carolina to the center of the Florida peninsula, forming a
large phosphogenic province that has been subdivided into
the Carolina Phosphogenic Province and the Florida Phosphogenic Province (Riggs, 1984). Phosphate deposits are
also found in Virginia and Tennessee. Latitude: 27.58021
N., Longitude: 81.94569 W.; datum: WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: Cathcart (1949) identified
three main types of phosphatic rock in Florida: landpebble phosphate, hard-rock phosphate, and river-pebble
phosphate. Only the land-pebble deposits contain a
substantial amount of uranium and, in some places, also
contain rare earth elements. The most productive area
of the land-pebble district is in Polk and Hillsborough
Counties, which are located in the west-central part of the
Florida peninsula and include the upper Tertiary Hawthorn
Group and Bone Valley Formation. As such, mining of
phosphate in Florida has been concentrated in this area
(Cathcart and others, 1952). This region has been referred
to more recently as the central Florida phosphate district
(Van Kauwenberg and McClellan, 1990).
Status: Mining for phosphate in Florida dates back to 1883
in hard-rock deposits located near Hawthorne in Alachua
County; the bulk of phosphorite is used for fertilizer.
In 2009, 27.2 million metric tons (30 million tons) of
phosphate rock were mined (Jasinksi, 2010), compared
with 38.2 million metric tons (42.1 million tons) in 1973
(Stowasser, 1975). According to Jasinski (2010, p. 118):
In 2009, U.S. phosphate rock production and reported
usage were at their lowest point since the mid-1960s,
and consumption was at its lowest level since the early
1970s. The sharp decline is partly the result of a global
economic crisis that started in 2008 when phosphate
fertilizer producers were left with high inventories of
both phosphate rock and fertilizer as farmers held out for
lower prices (Jasinksi, 2010). The Atlantic Coastal Plain
deposits in Florida and North Carolina account for about
85 percent of production; the majority of phosphate comes
from Florida.
Production: Rare earth elements have not been extracted as a
byproduct from the phosphate deposits of the southeastern
United States.
Estimated resources: No one has estimated the potential
resource of rare earth elements in phosphate deposits in
the southeastern United States. Analyses of phosphate
rock from the Bone Valley Formation indicate that the rare
earth elements yttrium (Y) and lanthanum (La) are present
(McKelvey and others, 1951). Samples from the Noralyn
mine ranged from 0.01 to 0.1 percent Y, while those from
the Bonny Lake mine varied from 0.001 to 0.01 percent

Y. Although only one of the Bonny Lake mine samples
contained La, all of the samples from the Noralyn mine
contained 0.001 to 0.01 percent La.
Detailed Discussion
Phosphorite deposits are found in the southeastern United
States along the Atlantic Coastal Plain from North Carolina
to the center of the Florida peninsula, forming a large phosphogenic province that has been subdivided into the Carolina Phosphogenic Province and the Florida Phosphogenic
Province (Riggs, 1984). Phosphate deposits are also found in
Virginia and Tennessee. Mining for phosphate in Florida dates
back to 1883 in hard-rock deposits located near Hawthorne
in Alachua County (Florida Institute of Phosphate Research
(FIPR), 2010); the bulk of phosphorite is used for fertilizer.
In 2009, 27.2 million metric tons (30 million tons) of phosphate rock were mined (Jasinksi, 2010), compared with 38.2
million metric tons (42.1 million tons) in 1973 (Stowasser,
1975). According to Jasinski (2010, p. 118): In 2009, U.S.
phosphate rock production and reported usage were at their
lowest point since the mid-1960s, and consumption was at its
lowest level since the early 1970s. The sharp decline is partly
the result of a global economic crisis that started in 2008 when
phosphate fertilizer producers were left with high inventories
of both phosphate rock and fertilizer as farmers held out for
lower prices (Jasinksi, 2010). In addition, the richest orebodies
in Florida have been depleted, resulting in massive consolidation of phosphate mining companies in the State. The Atlantic
Coastal Plain deposits in Florida and North Carolina account
for about 85 percent of production, and the majority of phosphate comes from Florida.
Cathcart (1949) identified three main types of phosphatic
rock in Florida: land-pebble phosphate, hard-rock phosphate,
and river-pebble phosphate. Only the land-pebble deposits
contain a substantial amount of uranium and, in some places,
also contain rare earth elements (REE). Historically, the most
productive area of the land-pebble district occurs in Polk and
Hillsborough Counties, which are located in the west-central
part of the Florida peninsula, and which contain the Hawthorn
Group and Bone Valley Formation. As such, mining of phosphate in Florida, which began in 1888, has been concentrated
in this area (Cathcart and others, 1952). This region has been
referred to more recently as the central Florida phosphate district (Van Kauwenberg and McClellan, 1990). As time passed,
the mining became more concentrated in the Four Corners
Area (southwest of Orlando), as operations moved down dip
to the south and west.
The central Florida platform, or phosphate district, is
a shield-shaped area (fig. 17) that is about 7,252 km2 (2,800
mi2) and includes Polk, Hillsborough, Hardee, Manatee,
Sarasota, DeSoto, and Highland Counties (Cathcart, 1949).
The middle Miocene Hawthorn Group is found throughout
the entire Florida peninsula, except within the Ocala High (or
Ocala Upland) and the Sanford High. The Hawthorn Group
Phosphorite Deposits in the Southeastern United States 81

82
74
78
Hatteras
Embayment
Miocene upland areas

Phosphogenic provinces
NORTH CAROLINA
SOUTH
CAROLINA
36
Mid-Carolina
Platform High
GEORGIA
Carolina
Phosphogenic
Province
100 m
200 m
700 m
FLORIDA
Atlantic Ocean
Blake Plateau
Ocala
High
28
2000 m
Southeast
Georgia
Embayment
Florida
Phosphogenic
Province
700
200 m
100 m
200 m
700
20
00
Bahama
Banks
Figure 17. Phosphogenic provinces of the southeastern United States. Modified from Van Kauwenbergh
and McClellan (1990).

contains considerable phosphorite (Riggs, 1980). A preliminary investigation report by Cathcart and others (1952) divides
the Hawthorn Group into three lithologic units: a lowermost
unit containing dolomite, phosphatic marls, limestone, and
clay and quartz sands; a middle series of interbedded phosphatic sands, clays, and sandy clays; and an uppermost unit
consisting of dolomites and dolomitic limestone. In general,
the phosphorite grains range in size from less than 0.1 mm to
10 cm (0.0039 to 3.937 in.) in diameter.
Uncomformably overlying the Hawthorn Group, the
Bone Valley Formation contains phosphate that is typically a
higher grade, most likely the result of mechanical reworking
and subsequent precipitation during the Pliocene (Cathcart,
1949). As a result, the Bone Valley Formation is a lithochemical sequence in which the phosphorite appears sporadically
in irregular concentration and distribution (Riggs, 1980). The
formation consists of a lower zone of poorly sorted clay, silt,
sand, and gravel (Cathcart and others, 1952). Nearly all the
gravel in this unit, as well as a large part of the sand and clay,
is phosphate, specifically carbonate-fluorapatite (Cathcart
and others, 1952; Altschuler and others, 1952). The rest of
the sand consists of quartz, with minor amounts of feldspar
and trace amounts of ilmenite, zircon, tourmaline, staurolite,
and other minerals. The clay minerals include palygorskite,
montmorillonite, and kaolinite. The minerals in the upper
zone of the Bone Valley Formation are quartz sand, wavellite
and pseudowavellite (aluminum phosphates), crandallite, and
kaolinite.
Uranium (U) in the Bone Valley Formation has a maximum concentration of 0.02 percent uranium in the basal
section and an average concentration of about 0.01 percent
uranium (Cathcart, 1949). In the Hawthorn Group, there is a
low content of uranium in fresh, unweathered material. However, after leaching, the phosphate-rich rocks of the Hawthorn
Group yield a maximum of 0.01 percent U. In Manatee and
Hardee Counties, which are south of the high-grade district,
only minor amounts of uranium occur in the Bone Valley,
Hawthorn, and overlying Pleistocene sand formations.
In addition to uranium, semiquantitative spectrographic
analyses on phosphate rock from the Bone Valley Formation
indicate that the rare earth elements yttrium (Y) and lanthanum (La) are present (McKelvey and others, 1951). Samples
from the decommissioned Noralyn mine range from 0.01 to
0.1 percent Y while those from the decommissioned Bonny
Lake mine range from 0.001 to 0.01 percent Y. Although
only one of the Bonny Lake mine samples contains La, all
of the samples from the Noralyn mine contain 0.001 to 0.01
percent La.
Several metals are also present in nearly all samples from
the Bone Valley Formation such as vanadium, manganese,
chromium, barium, strontium, and titanium, with concentrations that range from 0.01 to 0.1 percent (McKelvey and
others, 1951). Nickel, copper, zirconium, and lead are also
present in amounts greater than 0.001 percent. The Bonny
Lake mine samples contain 0.001 to 0.01 percent tin whereas
those from the Noralyn mine contain 0.0001 to 0.001 percent.
McKelvey and others (1951) also report gallium in all samples

from the two mines.
Although the distribution of the metals is unknown, the
REE, U, Ba, and Sr are most likely located in the carbonatefluorapatite (francolite) lattice or absorbed on its surface
(Cathcart and others, 1952; Clarke and Altschuler, 1958). In
addition, because of the small quantities of the various elements, recovery may be possible only when ore is taken into
acid solution. More recent research regarding the rare earth
geochemistry of phosphorites suggests that the two main
factors influencing REE concentrations in marine sedimentary phosphates are primary compositional differences and
postdepositional processes such as diagenesis, the removal
of mineral species, and reworking of deposits by winnowing action (Van Kauwenbergh and McClellan, 1990). While
the North Carolina phosphorites appear to be unaltered,
the Florida phosphorites have undergone postdepositional
alteration through the removal of carbonate mineral species,
systematic decarbonatization of francolite, deposition of iron
and aluminum phosphates and of clay minerals in alteration
profiles.
MacArthur and Walsh (1984) determined that the abundance of REE in francolite reflects the REE source and mechanism of incorporation. Zanin and Zamirailova (2009) suggested that the REE concentrations of supergene phosphorites
are the result of weathering, the physicochemical conditions of
phosphorite formation, presence of a biogenic component, and
structural type of the phosphorites. In particular, phosphorite
from the weathering zone of sedimentary rocks, such as those
that are found in Florida and Tennessee, yield an average total
REE content of 27 ppm (Zanin and Zamirailova, 2009).
Further research on the REE and trace metal contents
of Florida phosphorites is critical to more fully assessing its
viability as an economic resource. Additional REE and trace
metal work on the North Carolina phosphorites is also warranted, as little has been reported at this point.
References Cited
Altschuler, Z.S., Cisney, E.A., and Barlow, I.H., 1952, X-ray
evidence of the nature of carbonate-apatite: Bulletin of the
Geological Society of America, v. 63, p. 12301231.
Cathcart, J.B., 1949, Distribution of uranium in the Florida
phosphate field: U.S. Geological Survey Trace Elements
Investigations Report 85, 18 p.
Cathcart, J.B., Blade, L.V., Davidson, D.F., and Ketner, K.B.,
1952, The geology of the Florida land-pebble phosphate
deposits: U.S. Geological Survey Trace Elements Investigations Report 265, 21 p.
Clarke, R.S., Jr., and Altschuler, Z.S., 1958, Determination of
the oxidation state of uranium in apatite and phosphorite
deposits: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, v. 13,
p. 127142.
Phosphorite Deposits in the Southeastern United States 83

Florida Institute of Phosphate Research (FIPR), 2010,
accessed September 8, 2010, at http://www.fipr.state.fl.us/
research-area-mining.htm#History.
Jasinski, S.M., 2010, Phosphate rock: U.S. Geological Survey
Mineral Commodity Summaries 2010, p. 118119, accessed
October 6, 2010, at http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/
commodity/phosphate_rock/mcs-2010-phosp.pdf.
McArthur, J.M., and Walsh, J.N., 1984, Rare-earth geochemistry of phosphorites: Chemical Geology, v. 47, p. 191220.
McKelvey, V.E., Cathcart, J.B., and Worthing, H.W., 1951,
Preliminary note on the minor-metal content of Florida
phosphate rock: U.S. Geological Survey Trace Elements
Memorandum Report 236, 6 p.
Riggs, S.R., 1980, Intraclast and pellet phosphorite sedimentation in the Miocene of Florida: Journal of the Geological
Society, v. 137, p. 741748.
Riggs, S.R., 1984, Paleoceanographic model of Neogene
phosphorite deposition, U.S. Atlantic Continental Margin:
Science, v. 223, no. 4632, p. 123131.
Stowasser, W.F., 1975, Phosphate rock, in Minerals Yearbook
1973, v. 1, Metals, Minerals, and Fuels: U.S. Bureau of
Mines, p. 10191035.
Van Kauwenbergh, S.J., and McClellan, G.H., 1990, Comparative geology and mineralogy of the southern United States
and Togo phosphorites: Geological Society of London,
Special Publications, v. 52, p. 139155.
Zanin, Y.N., and Zamirailova, A.G., 2009, Rare earth elements in supergene phosphorites: Geochemistry International, v. 47, p. 282296.
Placer Rare Earth Elements Deposits

Placer deposits are sand, silt, and cobble-size sediments
deposited in streams, rivers, and beaches, also referred to as
alluvial deposits. Globally and in the United States, alluvial accumulations of monazite are a valuable type of rare
earth elements (REE)thorium (Th) deposit. For example,
the alluvial monazite deposits of the Coastal Belt of southernmost India are thought to represent one of the largest
thorium resources in the world. The monazite deposits
of southern India contain detrital heavy minerals and are
found in piedmont lakes, shallow seas, parts of the beaches
(fig. 18), sand bars across the mouth of rivers, deltas, and
sand dunes behind the beaches (Bhola and others, 1958). A
study by Mahadevan and others (1958) estimated that the
beach sands of the southwestern coast of India alone contain
estimated reserves of 446,400 metric tons (492,200 tons) of
monazite, in which the ThO2 content of the monazite ranges
from 7.5 to 9 percent.
Monazites resistance to chemical weathering and high
specific gravity account for its association in alluvial (placer)
deposits with other resistant heavy minerals such as ilmenite,
magnetite, rutile, and zircon. Monazite weathers from alkaline
crystalline rocks of the surrounding region and is transported
downstream and deposited by alluvial processes.
In the United States, alluvial deposits of monazite
are known in the Carolina Piedmont of North and South
Carolina, the beach deposits of northeastern Florida through
southeastern Georgia, and the intermontane valleys of Idaho.

In the past, these unconsolidated stream deposits were mined
by small-scale sluices (Idaho and North and South Carolina)
and dredges (Idaho); beach sands were mined by large shovels
(Florida and Georgia). Sluicing instantly produces a heavymineral separate, but even in the case of the dredge or shovel
operations, the heavy-mineral separation was still performed
at the site. Thus, the mining of REE and thorium from alluvial
deposits has the advantages of relative ease of mining and
rapid mineral separation, in contrast to hard-rock mining.
Another benefit of placer deposits is the potential for coproducts. Coproducts can include REE and thorium obtained from
monazite; titanium from ilmenite and rutile; iron from magnetite; zirconium and hafnium from zircon; and industrial-grade
garnet, staurolite, tourmaline, kyanite, and sillimanite, which
are used as abrasives and refractory minerals.
The three monazite placer districts highlighted in this
reportNorth and South Carolina stream deposits, FloridaGeorgia beaches, and Idaho stream depositsare the largest
volume alluvial REE-thorium deposits known in the United
States. The geology and estimated monazite resources of these
districts have been well described by Staatz and others (1979,
the North and South Carolina placer deposits, p. 3339) and
Staatz and others (1980, the Idaho stream placers, p. 918, and
the Florida beach deposits, p. 39); numerous references cited
therein provide more detailed information on these deposits.
Thus, here we only briefly summarize the findings of these
earlier studies.
Figure 18. Heavy-mineral layers (black sand) in a quartz beach sand, Chennai, India. A penny
provides a scale. (Photograph by Mark A. Wilson, Department of Geology, The College of Wooster,
Wooster, Ohio; used with permission.)
Placer Rare Earth Elements Deposits 85
References Cited
Bhola, K.L., Chatterji, B.D., Dar, K.K., Mahadevan, C.,
Mahedevan, V., Mehta, N.R., Handi, N., Nanhi, H., Narayandas, G.R., Sahasrabudhe, G.H., Shirke, V.G., and Udas, G.R.,
1958, A survey of uranium and thorium occurrences in India,
in Proceedings of the Second United Nations International
Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, Geneva,
Switzerland, September 113, 1958Volume 2, Survey of
raw material resources: Geneva, United Nations Publication,
p. 100102.
Mahadevan, V., Narayana Das, G.R., and Nagaraja Roa, N.,
1958, Prospecting and evaluation of beach placers along
the Coastal Belt of India, in Proceedings of the Second
United Nations International Conference on the Peaceful
Uses of Atomic Energy, Geneva, Switzerland, September
113, 1958Volume 2, Survey of raw material resources:
Geneva, United Nations Publication, p. 103106.
Circular 824, 32 p.
IdahoPlacer Deposits
Location: At least 11 monazite-bearing placer districts exist
in the valleys of a region extending north of Boise,
Idaho, and along the western flank of the Idaho batholith.
WGS84
Deposit type and basic geology: Monazite-bearing alluvial
stream deposits (placers) exist in the valleys of a region
that extends north of Boise, Idaho along the western flank
of the Idaho batholith. The primary source of the resistant
rare earth elements (REE)thorium-bearing minerals in
the Idaho placers is thought to be the Idaho batholith,
in particular the quartz monzonite and pegmatite phases
of the batholith (Mackin and Schmidt, 1957). The most
common heavy minerals in the alluvial deposits (in generally decreasing amounts) are ilmenite, magnetite, sphene,
garnet, monazite, euxenite, zircon, and uranothorite
(uranium-rich thorite). In addition to REE and thorium
from monazite and euxenite, the Idaho placer deposits
(and the abandoned historic dredge waste piles) contain
coproducts of titanium (in ilmenite), and niobium and
tantalum (in euxenite).
Status: Currently (2010), there is no active exploration in this
district.
Production: In the 1950s, two areas of west-central Idaho
were mined by dredges for monazite, Long Valley and
Bear Valley. Beginning in September 1950, Long Valley
was worked by three dredges that had earlier been used
to recover gold but later were converted (with assistance
from the U.S. Bureau of Mines under the sponsorship of
the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission) to recover monazite. The history of these dredging operations is described
by Argall (1954) and Staatz and others (1980, p. 916,
and references cited therein). During this 5-year period,
Staatz and others (1980) estimated that the three dredges
recovered 6,430 metric tons (7,085 tons) of monazite
containing 269 metric tons (297 tons) of thorium oxide.
Dredging ended here in mid-1955, when the government
stockpile order was fulfilled. The Bear Valley placers
were worked by first one dredge in 1955, then a second
in 1956, with the intent to recover Nb and Ta for another
Federal government contract. According to Staatz and
others (1980, p. 10), from alluvium of Bear Valley, 2,049
short tons [1,858 metric tons] of euxenite, 83.5 tons [75.7
metric tons] of columbite, and 54,862 tons [49,760 metric
tons] of ilmenite were recovered. No records of monazite
recovery were kept.
Estimated resources: U.S. Geological Survey geologists
(Staatz and others, 1980) extensively reviewed results of
the 1950s government dredging program in central Idaho.
They determined that the five most important monazite
districts are Long Valley, Bear Valley, the Boise Basin,
the Burgdorf-Warren area, and the Elk CityNewsome
area. The reported thorium oxide contents of monazite in

the Idaho placer deposits range from 2.2 to 6.24 percent.
The few analyses of REE in monazites from Idaho placers
indicate that these monazites contain 63 percent total REE
oxides Staatz and others (1980). Staatz and others (1980)
calculated thorium reserves for each of the five major
placer districts individually; in total, the five districts have
total reserves of about 9,130 metric tons (10,060 tons) of
thorium oxide. The REE resources of the five placer districts would presumably be at least ten times the thorium
resource, because the typical monazite contains about 63
percent total REE oxides and 2.26.24 percent thorium
oxide.
Detailed Discussion
At least 11 monazite-bearing placer districts exist in
the valleys of a region extending north of Boise, Idaho, and
along the western flank of the Idaho batholith (fig. 19). Monazite was first recognized here in 1896 as the heavy, yellow
to brownish-yellow mineral that collected with other heavy
minerals and gold within the sluice boxes of gold placer
operations in the Boise Basin near Idaho City, Centerville,
and Placerville (Lindgren, 1897). In 1909, a mill designed to
capture the monazite was built by the Centerville Mining and
Milling Co. Only a small amount of monazite concentrate
was produced for its thorium content before the mill burned
down in a forest fire in 1910.
In the 1950s, two areas of west-central Idaho were mined
by dredges for monazite recovery, Long Valley and Bear
Valley (figs. 19 and 20). Beginning in September 1950, Long
Valley was worked by three dredges that were earlier used to
recover gold but later were converted (with assistance from
the U.S. Bureau of Mines under the sponsorship of the U.S.
Atomic Energy Commission) to recover monazite. The history
of these dredging operations is described by Argall (1954) and
Staatz and others (1980, p. 916, and references cited therein).
The heavy minerals recovered in the Long Valley district
were dominated by ilmenite (84 percent of heavy minerals),
followed by monazite (8 percent), garnet (5 percent), and
zircon (3 percent). During this 5-year period, Staatz and others
(1980) estimated that the three dredges recovered 6,430 metric
tons (7,085 tons) of monazite containing 269 metric tons
(297 tons) of thorium oxide. The dredging ended here in mid1955, when the government stockpile order was fulfilled.
Rare earth elements (REE) and thorium were also
unintentionally recovered within the minerals euxenite and
monazite from the Bear Valley placers. The Bear Valley placers were worked by first one dredge in 1955, then a second
in 1956, with the intent to recover Nb and Ta for another
Federal government contract. According to Staatz and others
(1980, p. 10), from alluvium of Bear Valley, 2,049 short
tons [1,858 metric tons] of euxenite, 83.5 tons [75.7 metric
tons] of columbite, and 54,862 tons [49,760 metric tons] of
ilmenite were recovered. No records of the monazite
recovery were kept.
IdahoPlacer Deposits 87
117
49
EXPLANATION
116
Monazite placer districts

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
48
115
47
Long Valley
Bear Valley
Boise Basin
Burgdorf Warren area
Elk CityNewsome area
Dixie-Florence area
Stanley Basin
Clearwater River
Salmon River
Rock CreekCamp Creek area
Dismal Swamp
3 Placer locality and number

Approximate boundary of
Idaho batholith
46
114
45
113
112
2
3
44
11
IDAHO
10
Boise
43
42
0
0
50
50
100 MILES
100
150 KILOMETERS
Figure 19. Generalized map of known monazite placer districts in Idaho. From Staatz
and others (1980).
Figure 20. Porter Brothers dredge in Bear Valley, Idaho, worked columbium (now called niobium)-tantalum placer deposits. This dredge operated from 1955 to 1960; exact date
of photograph is unknown. Monazite was produced as a byproduct from these placer deposits. (Photograph from Savage (1961, fig. 13); used with permission of Idaho Geological
Survey.)
IdahoPlacer Deposits 89
Most of the Idaho monazite resource data used by Staatz
and others (1980) came from a 1950s program in which the
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission funded the U.S. Bureau of
Mines to identify new domestic monazite reserves (Storch and
Holt, 1963). The USGS (Staatz and others, 1980) extensively
reviewed results of this program, as attested by U.S. Bureau
of Mines literature, interviews with former dredge companies, and field reconnaissance and sampling of the major
monazite placer districts in Idaho. They determined that the
five most important monazite districts are Long Valley, Bear
Valley, the Boise Basin, the Burgdorf-Warren area, and the Elk
CityNewsome area. The reported thorium oxide contents of
monazite in the Idaho placer deposits range from 2.2 to 6.24
percent. The few analyses of REE in monazites from Idaho
placers indicated that these monazites contain 63 percent total
REE oxides Staatz and others (1980). Staatz and others (1980)
calculated thorium reserves for each of the five major placer
districts individually; in total, the five districts have total
reserves of about 9,130 metric tons (10,060 tons) of thorium
oxide. The REE resources of the five placer districts would
presumably be at least 10 times the thorium resource, because
the typical monazite contains about 63 percent total REE
oxides and 2.26.24 percent thorium oxide.
The primary source of the resistant REE-thorium
bearing minerals in the Idaho placers is thought to be the
Idaho batholith, in particular the quartz monzonite and pegmatite phases of the batholith (Mackin and Schmidt, 1957).
The most common heavy minerals in the alluvial deposits (in
generally decreasing amounts) are ilmenite, magnetite, sphene,
garnet, monazite, euxenite, zircon, and uranothorite (uraniumrich thorite). In addition to REE and thorium from monazite
and euxenite, the Idaho placer deposits (and the abandoned
historic dredge waste piles) contain coproducts of titanium (in
ilmenite), and niobium and tantalum (in euxenite).
References Cited
Argall, G.O., Jr., 1954, New dredging techniques recover
Idaho monazite: Mining World, v. 16, no. 2, p. 2630.
Lindgren, W., 1897, Monazite from Idaho: The American
Journal of Science, Fourth Series, v. 4, p. 6364.
Mackin, J.H., and Schmidt, D.L., 1957, Uranium and
thorium-bearing minerals in placer deposits in Idaho:
Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology, Mineral Resources
Report 7, 9 p.
Savage, C.N., 1961, Economic geology of central Idaho blacksand placers: Idaho Bureau of Mines and Geology Bulletin
17, 160 p.
Circular 824, 32 p.
Storch, R.H., and Holt, D.C., 1963, Titanium placer deposits

of Idaho: U.S. Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations
No. 6319, 69 p.
North and South CarolinaPlacer

Deposits
Location: The high-grade monazite placers of the Piedmont of
North Carolina and South Carolina are deposited between
the Catawba River in the northeast and the Savannah River
in the southwest, along a belt that extends from eastcentral Virginia southwestward into Alabama. Latitude:
Deposit type and basic geology: Monazite-bearing alluvial
stream deposits (placers) exist in the valleys of the Piedmont of North Carolina and South Carolina. The streamsediment deposits in this region are generally consistent
in character; the heavy-mineral concentrations are greatest
in the headwaters areas. The alluvium is deposited in flat
valleys, forming well-bedded, poorly graded layers of
unconsolidated sediment. Stacked layers contain gravel,
sand, clay, and clayey silt, at an average total thickness
of about 4.5 m (15 ft) (Staatz and others, 1979). Monazite typically is found in all units, but it is generally most
abundant in the basal gravel layers and least abundant in
the clay layers. According to Staatz and others (1979),
the heavy-mineral content of the placer deposits of the
Piedmont region ranges from 0.15 to 2.0 percent; monazite makes up about 3.513 percent of the heavy minerals.
Other parts of the heavy-mineral fraction include ilmenite,
2070 percent; garnet, 250 percent; rutile, 0.37 percent;
zircon, trace to 14 percent; and sillimanite and kyanite
together, trace to 20 percent. In some placers, additional
heavy minerals include epidote, magnetite, xenotime,
tourmaline, sphene, staurolite, andalusite, and an unidentified black radioactive mineral (Staatz and others, 1979).
Analysis of 52 samples of alluvial monazite from this
region (Mertie, 1975) found that the monazite contains
6063 percent total rare earth elements (REE) oxides and
2.57.8 percent thorium oxide content, with a mean value
of 5.67 percent thorium.
Status: Currently (2010), there is no reported exploration in
this region.
Production: In 1887, a few short tons of monazite were
produced from stream deposits in the Piedmont region of
North and South Carolina, giving this region the distinction of being the worlds first supplier of thorium (Olson
and Overstreet, 1964). Monazite-bearing placers of this
region were worked by small-scale sluice operations from
1887 to 1911 and 1915 to 1917; they produced a total of
4,973 metric tons (5,483 tons) of monazite (Overstreet
and others, 1968). Monazite mining ended here in 1917
because beach deposits in India and Brazil were producing thorium at lower cost.
Estimated resources: For the 13 largest placer deposits of
the Piedmont region of North and South Carolina, Staatz
and others (1979) estimated total reserves of about 4,800
metric tons (5,300 tons) of thorium oxide and potential

thorium resources seven times as high. Using mean concentrations of REE oxides (6063 percent) and thorium
oxide (5.67 percent) found in monazite from these placer
deposits, a REE resource of roughly 53,000 metric tons
(58,400 tons) of REE oxide is suggested.
Detailed Discussion
In 1887, a few short tons of monazite were produced
from stream deposits in the Piedmont region of North and
South Carolina, giving this region the distinction of being the
worlds first supplier of thorium (Olson and Overstreet, 1964).
Monazite-bearing placers of this region were worked by
small-scale sluice operations from 1887 to 1911 and 1915 to
1917; they produced a total of 4,973 metric tons (5,483 tons)
of monazite (Overstreet and others, 1968). Monazite mining
ended here in 1917, not because reserves had been exhausted
but rather because the beach deposits of India and Brazil were
producing thorium at lower cost.
The high-grade monazite placers of the Piedmont of
North Carolina and South Carolina are deposited between the
Catawba River in the northeast and the Savannah River in the
southwest (fig. 21), along a belt that extends from east-central
Virginia southwestward into Alabama (Mertie, 1975). The
stream-sediment deposits in this region are generally consistent in character; the heavy-mineral concentrations are greatest
in the headwaters areas. The alluvium is deposited in flat valleys, forming well-bedded, poorly graded layers of unconsolidated sediment. Stacked layers contain gravel, sand, clay, and
clayey silt, at an average total thickness of about 4.5 m (15 ft)
(Staatz and others, 1979). Monazite typically is found in all
units, but it is generally most abundant in the basal gravel layers and least abundant in the clay layers.
The Piedmont region is underlain by crystalline, highgrade metamorphic rocks intruded by quartz monzonite and
pegmatite. The monzonite and pegmatite intrusions may be
monazite bearing or monazite free. Overstreet (1967) suggested that the primary source of the alluvial monazite was
the high-grade metamorphic rocks, particularly sillimanite
schist. Other metamorphic rocks in the area include mica and
hornblende gneisses, amphibolites, and additional varieties
of schist (Mertie, 1975). Other igneous country rocks include
diorite, rhyolite with associated pyroclastic rocks, gabbro,
diabase, ultrabasic rocks, and several kinds of granite, such as
monzonite, quartz monzonite, and granodiorite.
Various rivers carried monazite and other heavy minerals
eastward from the Piedmont region, such that all the regions
in the Coastal Plain may have also received various amounts
of heavy minerals (Staatz and others, 1979). In particular,
the Late Cretaceous Tuscaloosa Formation received a large
amount of monazite, albeit widely dispersed. Although
this area has not been as well explored as the Piedmont, it
is known that the Tuscaloosa directly overlaps the crystalline rocks of the Piedmont and that streams in the area have
reworked the Tuscaloosa sand so that in places heavy-mineral
North and South CarolinaPlacer Deposits 91

82o
83o
36o
SE
S
NE
TE
80o
81o
IN
CA
Ca
ba
taw
TH
OR
L
RO
Asheville
Charlotte
Shelby
Pacole
ve
Ri
Gaffney
er
g
Ty
35o
NORTH CAROLINA
Ri
ve
SOUTH CAROLINA
ad
uda
Sal
Anderson
Bro
ve
River
Ri
ee
or
En
Greenville
Laurens
River
Ri
ve
NE
LI
va
Sa
Columbia
FA
L
ah
nn
34o
GEORGIA
Ri
r
ve
Monazite placers
rse
Ho eek
Cr
Aiken
0
0
50 MILES
80 KILOMETERS
Figure 21. Map of monazite placers of North Carolina and South Carolina. Modified from Staatz and others (1979).

placers containing monazite have been identified (Staatz and
others, 1979). The best-known placer is Horse Creek, which
is southwest of Aiken, South Carolina, and was the site of
the first large-scale mining of stream placers for monazite
and other heavy minerals in the Carolinas. Dredging in this
area between the summers of 1955 and 1958 (Williams,
1967) found heavy-mineral contents of about 11.5 percent,
of which fraction monazite formed about 8 percent (Mertie,
1975). Overall, these dredging operations recovered monazite,
ilmenite, rutile, zircon, and staurolite (Williams, 1967).
According to Staatz and others (1979), the heavy-mineral
content of the placer deposits of the Piedmont region ranges
from 0.15 to 2.0 percent, and monazite forms about 3.513
percent of the heavy minerals. Other parts of the heavymineral fraction contain ilmenite, 2070 percent; garnet, 250
percent; rutile, 0.37 percent; zircon, trace to 14 percent; and
sillimanite and kyanite together, trace to 20 percent. In some
placers, additional heavy minerals include epidote, magnetite, xenotime, tourmaline, sphene, staurolite, andalusite, and
an unidentified black radioactive mineral (Staatz and others,
1979). Analysis of 52 samples of alluvial monazite from this
region (Mertie, 1975) found that the monazite contains 6063
percent total REE oxides and 2.57.8 percent (mean, 5.67
percent) thorium oxide.
The Fall Line is the sharp topographic break that marks
the boundary between the Piedmont and the Coastal Plain
(fig. 21). East of the Fall Line, the heavy-mineral distribution
in two deposits (the only ones for which data are available)
shows several differences from that of the Piedmont. First,
the abundance of staurolite increases to 7 and 38 percent of
the two deposits (Kline and others, 1954, p. 27; Mertie, 1975,
p. 27). Rutile and zircon are also more abundant in these
deposits than in the Piedmont placers; rutile makes up 15 and
10 percent of the heavy-mineral content and zircon 19 and 11
percent. However, monazite concentrations are similar to those
in placers in the Piedmont.
For the 13 largest placer deposits of the Piedmont region
of North and South Carolina, Staatz and others (1979) estimated total reserves of about 4,800 metric tons (5,300 tons)
of thorium oxide, with potential thorium resources seven
times as high. However, using the mean concentrations of
REE oxides (6063 percent) and thorium oxide (5.67 percent)
found in monazite from these placer deposits, a REE resource
of roughly 53,000 metric tons (58,400 tons) of REE oxide
is suggested. The estimate of Staatz and others (1979) was
based on regional monazite resource studies by Overstreet
and others (1959) and Overstreet (1967), and on studies of
individual drainage basins by several others (see Staatz and
others, 1979, p. 37). Future exploration for monazite placer
deposits in the Mid-Atlantic region can be aided by regional
stream-sediment geochemistry datasets assembled by the
USGS (Grosz, 1993).
References Cited
Grosz, A.E., 1993, Use of geochemical surveys in Ti-Hf-REETh-U placer explorationA mid-Atlantic-States example
(Chapter R), in Scott, R.W., Jr., Detra, P.S., and Berger,
B.R., eds., Advances related to United States and international mineral resourcesDeveloping frameworks and
exploration technologies: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin
2039, p. 181188.
Kline, M.H., Griffith, R.F., and Hansen, L.A., 1954, Hollow
Creek monazite placer, Aiken County, South Carolina: U.S.
Atomic Energy Commission Report RME3127, 29 p.
Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1975, Monazite placers in the southeastern
Atlantic States: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1390, 41 p.
Olson, J.C., and Overstreet, W.C., 1964, Geologic distribution
and resources of thorium: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin
1204, 61 p.
Overstreet, W.C., 1967, The geologic occurrence of monazite:
U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 530, 327 p., 2
plates.
Overstreet, W.C., Theobald, P.K., Jr., and Whitlow, J.W., 1959,
Thorium and uranium resources in monazite placers of the
western Piedmont, North and South Carolina: Mining
Engineering, v. 11, no. 7, p. 709714.
Overstreet, W.C., White, A.M., Whitlow, J.W., Theobald,
P.K., Jr., Caldwell, D.W., and Cuppels, N.P., 1968, Fluvial
monazite deposits in the southeastern United States: U.S.
Geological Survey Professional Paper 568, 85 p., 9 plates.
Williams, Lloyd, 1967, Heavy minerals in South Carolina:
Columbia, S.C., South Carolina State Development Board,
Division of Geology, Bulletin No. 35, 35 p.
Florida-GeorgiaBeach Placer Deposits 93
Florida-GeorgiaBeach Placer
Deposits
Location: Monazite accumulations are situated in the modern
and raised Pleistocene and Pliocene beach deposits of
northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia. Latitude:
Deposit type and basic geology: The modern and raised
Pleistocene and Pliocene beach deposits of northeastern
Florida and southeastern Georgia host low-grade but
persistent concentrations of monazite. Heavy minerals
constitute a small part of the modern beach sands, and
monazite forms a small part of the heavy minerals. However, because of the large tonnage of suitable beach-sand
deposits and the ease of mining and processing this material, these beach deposits represent a potential rare earth
elements (REE) and thorium resource. The most abundant
heavy mineral in the southeastern United States shoreline
deposits is ilmenite, which in many places forms more
than 50 percent of the heavy-mineral fraction; monazite
forms a minor part of the heavy-mineral fraction, usually
less than 1 percent (Staatz and others, 1980). Monazite
from the Florida beach placers contains about 5060
percent total REE oxides (Kremers, 1958; Staatz and others, 1980) and 45 percent thorium oxide (Calver, 1957).
Small amounts of uranium, averaging 0.55 percent, are
also present in the monazite (Calver, 1957).
Status: Currently (2010), there is no reported exploration in
this district.
Production: Some of the former heavy-mineral operations
in the Pleistocene beach deposits of Florida were once
domestic suppliers of monazite. Staatz and others (1980,
p. 3) reported, During 1978 monazite was produced
from two of the three operating heavy-mineral deposits
in Florida: Titanium Enterprises at Green Cove Springs
and Humphrey Mining Corp. at Boulogne recovered
monazite as a byproduct. Trace amounts of monazite
were also mined from the large Trail Ridge orebody south
of Jacksonville in 1949 by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and
Company. Overall, these deposits were mined primarily
for titanium (in ilmenite and rutile), which was used by
the pigment industry. Other minerals sold from the three
deposits include kyanite, sillimanite, staurolite, garnet,
zircon, and the host sand itself. Mining ceased in this area
in late 1978 because of increasing environmental regulations that made mining operations more costly.
Estimated resources: Staatz and others (1980) estimated
that the beach placer deposits of this region contain total
reserves of about 198,000 metric tons (218,000 tons) of
rare earth elements oxides, 14,700 metric tons (16,200
short tons) of thorium oxide, and 1,490 metric tons (1,640
tons) of uranium oxide, all of which are hosted in 330,000
metric tons (364,000 tons) of monazite.
Detailed Discussion
The modern and raised Pleistocene and Pliocene beach
deposits of northeastern Florida and southeastern Georgia host
low-grade but persistent concentrations of monazite (figs. 22
and 23). Heavy minerals constitute a small part of the modern
beach sands, and monazite forms a small part of the heavy
minerals. However, because of the large tonnage of suitable
beach sand deposits and the ease of mining and processing
this material, these beach deposits represent a potential rare
earth elements (REE) and thorium resource. Staatz and others
(1980) estimated that the beach placer deposits of this region
contain total reserves of about 198,000 metric tons (218,000
tons) of REE oxides, 14,700 metric tons (16,200 short tons) of
thorium oxide, and 1,490 metric tons (1,640 tons) of uranium
oxide, all of which are hosted in 330,000 metric tons (364,000
tons) of monazite.
Some of the heavy-mineral operations in the Pleistocene beach deposits of Florida were once domestic suppliers
of monazite (fig. 23). Staatz and others (1980, p. 3) noted,
During 1978 monazite was produced from two of the three
operating heavy-mineral deposits in Florida: Titanium Enterprises at Green Cove Springs and Humphrey Mining Corp.
at Boulogne recovered monazite as a byproduct. Trace
amounts of monazite were also mined from the large Trail
Ridge orebody south of Jacksonville in 1949 by E.I. du Pont
de Nemours and Company. The Boulogne orebody underlies
an area of about 4 km2 (1.5 mi2) and was mined to a depth of
4.6 m (15 ft), whereas the Trail Ridge deposit has been traced
for about 29 km (18 mi) (Staatz and others, 1980).
Overall, these deposits were mined primarily for titanium
(in ilmenite and rutile), which was used by the pigment industry. Other minerals sold from the three deposits include kyanite,
sillimanite, staurolite, garnet, zircon, and the host sand itself.
Mining ceased in this area in late 1978 because of increasing environmental regulations that made mining operations
more costly. Steep increases in coastal real-estate values also
influenced the situation, such that the heavy-mineral concentrations in the modern beaches became much less valuable than
the real estate they occupy. Nonetheless, while the modern
beaches hosted most of the early heavy-mineral operations, the
older inland beaches are larger, have more uniform distribution
of heavy minerals, and are not as vulnerable to severe storms,
which made them favorable before the real estate market skyrocketed (Overstreet, 1967, p. 125). Staatz and others (1980, p.
34, and references cited therein) describe the mining history
of the heavy-mineral beach placers of the northeastern Florida
and southeastern Georgia area in greater detail.
In general, the monazite-bearing sands in the raised
Pleistocene and Pliocene beach deposits lie as much as 80
km (50 mi) inland, making them deposits of former shorelines. These relict shorelines, which lie 333 m (10108 ft)
above the sea level, have been noted in the outer coastal plain
region from Maryland to Florida. Once referred to as marine
terraces, the relict shorelines were divided into different
levels on the basis of elevation and tectonic stability and then

8120'
P1
B1B9
R1R6
S1S9
P1P8
S1
P2
Beach sands
River sands
Silver Bluff sands
Pamlico sands
S2
Silver Bluff shoreline

Pamlico shoreline
S3
P3
P4
3120'
P6
River
aha
R1
R4
Alta
S4
S5
S6
B1
B2
B3
P5
S7
R6
R5
R3
R2
ATLANTIC OCEAN
EXPLANATION
B4
B5
B6
0
20 MILES
P7
P8
S8
S9
B4
B8
B9
Jekyll
Island
Figure 22. Map of Recent and Pleistocene sands of Georgia. Modified from Neiheisel (1962).
correlated with interglacial stages (MacNeil, 1950; Doering,

1960). Further investigation revealed that the relict shorelines
more closely resembled barrier islands, suggesting that the
coastal plain was warped during the Pleistocene (Winkler and
Howard, 1977). Because monazite contains radioactive thorium, future monazite exploration in the eastern United States
coastal plain areas can benefit from several aeroradiometric
maps that were compiled and interpreted by the USGS (Force
and others, 1982; Grosz, 1983; Grosz and others, 1989; Owens
and others, 1989).
The monazite and associated heavy minerals in the
relict shoreline deposits of the southeastern United States
were eroded from crystalline rocks of the Piedmont province (Mertie, 1953), carried towards the Atlantic Ocean by
streams and rivers, and eventually redeposited by coastal
processes. The natural concentration of heavy minerals in the
shoreline area is a multistage process that involves transport
by longshore drift; gravity separation by specific gravity,
particle size, and shape; differential chemical weathering
(Neiheisel, 1962); wave action; and, in some parts of the
coastal environment, the actions of tides. All of these forces
rework the sediments in the shoreline environments through
time and naturally concentrate the heavy minerals (see Force,
1991, p. 7384).
Although the most abundant heavy mineral in the southeastern United States shoreline deposits is ilmenite, which in
many places composes more than 50 percent of the heavymineral fraction, monazite usually forms less than 1 percent of
the heavy-mineral fraction (Staatz and others, 1980). Zircon
generally composes 1020 percent of the heavy minerals.
Monazite from the Florida beach placers contains about 5060
percent total REE oxides (Kremers, 1958; Staatz and others,
1980) and 45 percent thorium oxide (Calver, 1957). Small
amounts of uranium are also present in the monazite, averaging 0.55 percent (Calver, 1957).
Despite the low concentrations of monazite (and thus,
REE and thorium) in the typical coastal placer deposit of the
southeastern United States, these deposits have three distinct
advantages as potential sources of REE and thorium: they are
relatively easy to excavate; it is relatively easy to separate the
heavy-mineral fraction onsite; and they contain several salable
mineral products. Mining in both beach placers and on relict
shorelines is possible using open-pit methods, and overburden is
rarely greater than 45 m (1316 ft) thick. In addition, groundwater in Florida and Georgia is shallow enough that monazite
and other heavy minerals can be mined by a dredge floating on
a pond (Staatz and others, 1980). However, at present the Boulougne and Jacksonville deposits are essentially mined out.
Florida-GeorgiaBeach Placer Deposits 95

8220'
8200'
8140'
Blackshear
3115'
Nahunta
Waycross
Brunswick
3100'
Woodbine
Folkston
Okefenokee
Swamp
St. M
arys
Riv
er
Fernandia
GEORGIA
FLORIDA
Jacksonville
x
St. Johns Ri
ver
MacClenny
Green Cove Springs
3000'
Starke
x
Monazite-bearing
No monazite
X Mine
St. Augustine
0
25 MILES
Figure 23. Sample and mine locations of monazite in southeastern Georgia and northeastern
Florida. Modified from Mertie (1975).
References Cited
Calver, J.L., 1957, Mining and mineral resources: Florida
Geological Survey Bulletin 39, 132 p.
Winkler, C.D., and Howard, J.D., 1977, Correlation of tectonically deformed shorelines on the southern Atlantic coastal
plain: Geology, v. 5, no. 2, p. 123127.
Doering, J.A., 1960, Quaternary surface formations of southern part of Atlantic Coastal plain: Journal of Geology, v. 68,
no. 2, p. 182202.
Force, E.R., 1991, Geology of titanium-mineral deposits:
Geological Society of America Special Paper 259, 112 p.
Force, E.R., Grosz, A.E., Loferski, P.J., and Maybin, A.H.,
1982, Aeroradioactivity maps in heavy-mineral explorationCharleston, South Carolina, area: U.S. Geological
Survey Professional Paper 1218, 19 p., 2 plates.
Grosz, A.E., 1983, Application of total-count aeroradiometric
maps to the exploration for heavy-mineral deposits in the
Coastal Plain of Virginia: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1263, 20 p., 5 plates.
Grosz, A.E., Cathcart, J.B., Macke, D.L., Knapp, M.S.,
Schmidt, Walter, and Scott, T.M., 1989, Geologic interpretation of the gamma-ray aeroradiometric maps of central
and northern Florida: U.S. Geological Survey Professional
Paper 1461, 48 p., 5 plates.
Kremers, H.E., 1958, Commercial thorium ores: Society of
Mining Engineers of American Institute of Mining Engineers preprint 589A18, p. 114.
MacNeil, F.S., 1950, Pleistocene shore lines in Florida and
Georgia: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 221F,
p. 95107, 7 plates.
Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1953, Monazite deposits of the southeastern
Atlantic States: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 237, 31 p.,
1 plate.
Mertie, J.B., Jr., 1975, Monazite placers in the southeastern
Atlantic States: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1390, 41 p.
Neiheisel, James, 1962, Heavy-mineral investigation of Recent
and Pleistocene sands of Lower Coastal Plain of Georgia: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 73, no. 3, p. 365374.
Overstreet, W.C., 1967, The geologic occurrence of monazite:
U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 530, 327 p.,
2 plates.
Owens, J.P., Grosz, A.E., and Fisher, J.C., 1989, Aeroradiometric map and geologic interpretation of part of the Florence
and Georgetown 1 x 2 quadrangles, South Carolina: U.S.
Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map
I1948B, 1 sheet, scale 1:250,000.
regions in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 824, 32 p.
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Denver Publishing Service Center
For more information concerning this publication, contact:
Center Director, USGS Western Mineral and Environmental Resources
Science Center
2255 North Gemini Drive
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
(928) 556-7084
Or visit the Western Mineral and Environmental Resources Science
Center Web site at: http://minerals.usgs.gov/west/index.htm
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Edited by Mary-Margaret Coates (Contractor, ATA Services)

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The Principal Rare Earth Elements Deposits of the

United StatesA Summary of Domestic Deposits

Scientific Investigations Report 20105220

U.S. Department of the Interior