Typical lead-acid ignition batteries in automobiles 

contain about 10 kilograms of lead and need to be 

replaced every 4 to 5 years. Lead-acid batteries 

also supply standby power for computer networks 

and telecommunications systems and energy 

storage for wind and solar energy systems and 

hybrid-electric vehicles.

As part of a broad mission to 

conduct research and provide 

information on nonfuel mineral 

resources, the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS) supports science 

to understand

• How and where lead 

resources form and 

concentrate in the 

Earth’s crust

• How lead resources 

interact with the environment 

to affect human and 

ecosystem health

• Trends in the supply of 

and demand for lead 

in the domestic and 

international markets

• Where future lead resources 

might be found

Why is this information 

important? Read on to learn 

about lead and the important 

role it plays in the national 

economy, national security, and 

lives of Americans every day. 

Lead is a corrosion-resistant dense metal that is easily molded and shaped. The chemical symbol 

for lead, Pb, is an abbreviation of the Latin word plumbum, meaning soft metal. Archeological research 

indicates that lead has been used by humans for a variety of purposes for more than 5,000 years. Water 

pipes that date back to the Roman Empire, glazes on prehistoric ceramics, and the cosmetic kohl, 

used by ancient Egyptians to darken their eyelids, are a few examples of ancient uses of lead. Today, 

lead, which has been mined on all continents except Antarctica, is one of the most important metals to 

industrialized economies.

Lead is rarely found in native form in nature but it combines with other elements to form a variety 

of interesting and beautiful minerals. Galena, which is the dominant lead ore mineral, is blue-white in 

color when first uncovered but tarnishes to dull gray when exposed to air. 

Scientific research demonstrating how accumulated ingested lead is toxic to human health and how 

accumulations of lead in the soil, air, and water are toxic to ecosystems is changing both how lead is 

used and how it is disposed of after use.

How Do We Use Lead?

Prior to the early 1900s, lead was used in the 

United States primarily in ammunition, burial vault 

liners, ceramic glazes, leaded glass and crystal, paints 

or other protective coatings, pewter, and water lines 

and pipes. Following World War I, the demand for 

lead increased because of growth in the production 

of motorized vehicles, many of which use lead-acid 

batteries to start their engines. The use of lead as 

radiation shielding in medical analysis and video 

display equipment and as an additive in gasoline also 

contributed to an increase in the demand for lead.

According to the U.S. Agency for Toxic 

Substances and Disease Registry, environmental levels 

of lead have increased more than 1,000-fold over the 

past three centuries as a result of human activity. The 

greatest increase took place between 1950 and 2000 

and reflected the increased use of leaded gasoline 

worldwide. During this period, the U.S. Government established Federal regulations and made 

recommendations to limit lead emissions to protect public health in the United States. 

By the mid-1980s, a significant shift in the uses of lead had taken place in the United States as a 

result of compliance with environmental regulations and the substitution of other materials for lead in 

nonbattery products, such as gasoline, paints, solders, and water systems. By the early 2000s, 88 percent 

of apparent U.S. lead consumption was in lead-acid batteries, which was a substantial increase from 

1960 when only 30 percent of global lead consumption was in lead-acid batteries. Today, the other 

significant uses of lead are in ammunition, oxides in glass and ceramics, casting metals, and sheet lead.

Where Does Lead Come From?

Research to better understand the geologic processes that form mineral deposits, including those 

containing lead, is an important component of the USGS Mineral Resources Program. Lead commonly 

occurs in mineral deposits along with other base metals, such as copper and zinc. Lead deposits are broadly 

classified on the basis of how they are formed. Lead is produced mainly from three types of deposits: 

sedimentary exhalative (Sedex), Mississippi Valley type (MVT), and volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS).

Sedex deposits account for more than 50 percent of the world’s lead resources. They are formed 

when metal-rich hot liquids are released into a water-filled basin (usually an ocean) or in basin 

sediments, which results in the precipitation of ore-bearing material within basin-floor sediments.

MVT deposits are found throughout the world and get their name from deposits that occur in 

the Mississippi Valley region of the United States. The deposits are characterized by ore mineral 

replacement of the carbonate host rock; they are often confined to a single stratigraphic layer and 

extend over hundreds of square kilometers. MVT deposits were a major source of lead in the United 

States from the 19th century through the mid-20th century.

Lead pipes, such as 

these discovered in 

Bath, England, were 

used for plumbing 

by ancient Romans.

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Fact Sheet 2011–3045

May 2011

USGS Mineral Resources Program

Lead—Soft and Easy to Cast
Did you know... The English words plumbing, plumber, plumb, and plumb-bob derive from the Latin word for lead.

Did you know... Lead levels in ambient air are currently 92 percent lower than they were in 1980 owing to 

 changes resulting from the Clean Air Act of 1970. 

Did you know... In 2009, with a 96 percent recycling rate, the standard lead-acid car battery was the most 

 recycled product in the United States. 

The Viburnum Trend in southeastern Missouri contains the 

largest concentration of lead in North America. The Buick 

mine is one of six underground mines that currently produce 

lead in the Viburnum Trend ore district.

Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Galena is the 

dominant lead ore mineral. Lead is a 

corrosion-resistant, dense, ductile, and 

malleable metal with a low melting point.

Among the industrialized countries, lead 

ranks fifth in the tonnage of metal consumed 

after iron, aluminum, copper, and zinc.

In contrast to Sedex and 

MVT deposits, VMS deposits 

have a clear association 

with submarine volcanic 

processes. They also can 

contain significant amounts 

of copper, gold, and silver, 

in addition to lead and zinc. 

The “black smoker” sea 

vents discovered during 

deep ocean expeditions are 

examples of VMS deposits 

being formed on the sea 

floor today.

How Do We Ensure Adequate Supplies of Lead for the Future? 

To help predict where future lead supplies might be located, USGS scientists 

study how and where identified lead resources are concentrated in the Earth’s crust 

and use that knowledge to assess the likelihood that undiscovered lead resources 

exist. Techniques to assess mineral resource potentials have been developed and 

refined by the USGS to support the stewardship of Federal lands and to better 

evaluate mineral resource availability in a global context.

In the 1990s, the USGS conducted an assessment of U.S. lead resources 

and concluded that about as much lead remained to be found as had already been 

discovered. Specifically, the USGS found that 92 million metric tons of lead had 

been discovered and estimated that about 85 million metric tons of lead remained 

undiscovered in the United States.

Mineral resource assessments are dynamic. Because they provide a snapshot 

that reflects our best understanding of how and where resources are located, the 

assessments must be updated from time to time as better data become available 

and new concepts are developed. Current research by the USGS involves updating 

mineral deposit models and mineral environmental models for lead and other 

important nonfuel commodities and improving the techniques used to assess for 

concealed mineral resource potential. The results of this research will provide new information and decrease the amount of uncertainty in 

future mineral resource assessments.

For More Information

• On production and consumption of lead:

http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/lead/

• On the assessment of undiscovered deposits of gold, silver, 

copper, lead, and zinc in the United States:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-198/

• On Mississippi Valley-type lead-zinc deposit model:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2010/5070/a/

• On sedimentary exhalative zinc-lead-gold deposit model:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1209/

• On volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit model:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1235/

The USGS Mineral Resources Program is the sole Federal provider 

of research and information on zinc and other nonfuel mineral 

resources. For more information, please contact:

Mineral Resources Program Coordinator

U.S. Geological Survey

913 National Center

Reston, VA 20192

Telephone: 703–648–6100

Fax: 703–648–6057

E-mail: minerals@usgs.gov

Home page: http://minerals.usgs.gov

Text prepared by S.J. Kropschot and Jeff L. Doebrich.

Worldwide Supply of and Demand for Lead

Currently, approximately 240 mines in more than 40 countries 

produce lead. World mine production was estimated to be 

4.1 million metric tons in 2010, and the leading producers were 

China, Australia, the United States, and Peru, in descending order 

of output. In recent years, lead was mined domestically in Alaska, 

Idaho, Missouri, Montana, and Washington. In addition, secondary 

(recycled) lead is a significant portion of the global lead supply.

World consumption of refined lead was 9.35 million metric 

tons in 2010. The leading refined lead consuming countries were 

China, the United States, and Germany. Demand for lead worldwide is expected to grow largely because of increased consumption 

in China, which is being driven by growth in the automobile and 

electric bicycle markets.