Summary
Federal programs — Earth MRI, STATEMAP, and NGGDPP — are directly fueling Nevada’s mineral and geothermal industries.
- Generated a 100,000 claim increase on federal land since 2019, reflecting commodity prices and new precompetitive data.
- Supporting exploration across critical, base, and precious metals, as well as geothermal resources and mine waste recovery.
- Preserving and releasing legacy datasets that lower exploration risk and spur economic activity.
EARTH MRI & STATEMAP
- De-risking exploration by providing new geologic, geophysical, and geochemical frameworks.
- Opening new frontiers for:
- Critical minerals (REEs, lithium, etc.).
- Base and precious metals (copper, gold, silver).
- Geothermal exploration to expand renewable energy.
- Mine waste re-evaluation for secondary mineral recovery.
- Contributed to a surge of ~100,000 new mineral claims on federal lands since 2019, including placer claims tied to mine waste.
NGGDPP (Data Preservation)
- Preserving and digitizing legacy geologic, geophysical, and geochemical datasets.
- Public access to this data has been directly linked to exploration success in other regions and is now improving outcomes in Nevada.
- Ensures historic investments in data continue to support today’s exploration, hazard analysis, and resource planning.
Impact for Nevada:
- Strengthens Nevada’s position as the nation’s top mineral producer and a global leader in critical minerals and geothermal energy.
- Reduces exploration costs and risks while attracting new industry investment.
- Provides Nevadans with jobs, energy security, and economic growth tied to natural resource development.