Highlights
- Wyoming State Geological Survey and USGS collaborate on first-of-its-kind aerial survey to find new sources of critical minerals.
- Aeromagnetic and radiometric surveys will be used to identify potential locations of valuable metals and minerals up to 3,300 feet below the surface.
- High-resolution data from the survey will be made freely available to the public through the USGS website.
The Wyoming State Geological Survey has teamed up with the U.S. Geologic Survey to find new sources of minerals critical to the nation’s economic and national security, but don’t have a domestic source, making them vulnerable to disruption of supply reports Cowboy State Daily.
Similar efforts in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin also reported by Rare Earth Exchanges today.
In Wyoming, a state serious about accessing rare earth materials, the collaboration will use a geophysical prospecting method called aeromagnetic surveys. Scanning below, they look at the strength of the magnetic field from the earth’s subsurface to identify likely locations of valuable metals and minerals, reports Renée Jean.
Chris Doorn, (opens in a new tab) a Wyoming State Geologic Survey geologist informed Ms. Jean at Cowboy State Daily “Rocks have different properties, and these surveys can measure that.” Doorn continued “Rockdensity, magnetic strength, porosity, electrical conductivity, andthings like that. These geophysical surveys measure these properties.”
What’s the benefit of this approach of prospecting for rare earths?
According to the recent media entry the magnetic data can be measured as far as 3,300 feet below the surface of the earth from about 330 feet high in the air.
Also, they employ radiometrics (opens in a new tab) which can be used to look for natural radiation from elements like potassium, thorium and uranium, but only from the top few inches of ground surface.
The Rare Earth Metals
A “rare earthmineral” refers to the naturally occurring rock or ore that contains one or more rare earth elements, while a “rare earth metal” refers to the purified, isolated metallic form of a rare earth element, extracted from the mineral through processing; essentially, the mineral is the raw material, and the metal is the refined product ready for use in various applications.
The local Wyoming media differentiates rare earth elements and rare earth minerals. While the former gets a lot more attention than the latter in the press.
And much lie rare earth elements, so-called rare earth metals are not that rare. Abundant in the earth’s crust, Ms. Jean at Cowboy State Daily educates that often these metals are mixed in with other even more plentiful materials. Meaning the ensuing extraction, purification and overall processing process remains a real challenge.
What are some scarce rare metal examples?
| Rare Earth Metals | Summary |
|---|---|
| Tantalum | Present at the rate of one atom for every 181billion atoms of other element. It’s described as a blue-gray,hypoallergenic metal, and is less expensive than gold, yet very useful and valuable itself. This rare earth metal is corrosion resistant, and consequently is used in manufacturing of jet engines, nuclear reactors, and aerospace technology |
| Niobium | Common ingredient in stainless steel, as it contributes to strength of the steel supporting applications such as jet engines, rockets, oil and gas pipelines and beams and girders for skyscrapers and oil rigs. This rare earth metal is also used in superconductor, and often for particle accelerator magnetic resonance equipment |
| Vanadium | Silvery in color and corrosion resistant, this is often used to add to steel. Vanadium-steel alloys are extra tough and shock resistant. They’re used to manufacture things like armor plating, axles, tools, piston rods and crankshafts. It also finds some use as pigments for ceramics and glass and can be used to produce superconducting magnets. |
First Of Its Kind Survey in Wyoming
While the technology isn’t new, this is the first time a survey like this has been done in Wyoming reports the Wyoming reporter.
According to Doorn “The resolution is new,” as is the approach to collect the data, via the flying of both straight lines and zig zagging back and forth, 200 meters apart from each other.
The collected data gets put through computer analysis that produces very little. While the technology isn’t new, this is the first time a survey like this has been done in Wyoming. “The resolution is new,” Doorn said, as is the way the data is being collected by flying in straight lines and zig zagging back and forth, 200 meters apart from each other. The collected data gets put through computer analysis that produces very high-resolution data.
“This is the first time to have this high of resolution for data that will be available to the general public,” Doorn said. “It will be free and available from the USGS website.”
Funding for the surveys has come from both USGS and from Wyoming.
Follow the link to read the entire article at Cowboy State Daily (opens in a new tab).
Daniel
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