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#           Multi-Resource Integrated Assessments (MRIA) and the Critical-Mineral Potential of Legacy Mine Above-Ground Resources      

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      By Alaska Science Center      May 23, 2024    

            -              Overview           
            -              Publications           

Interest in revitalizing domestic production of critical minerals and continued interest in reclamation of legacy mine sites have raised the question of whether above-ground materials at mine sites in Alaska may be reprocessed to recover critical minerals. The goal of this study is to implement a multi-resource integrated assessment (MRIA) approach to evaluate benefit and risk scenarios within and around previously mined regions of Alaska.  The MRIA will be one component of prospectivity analysis used across the state and will take into consideration geologic, environmental, and societal attributes.

MRIAs are structured approaches to interdisciplinary analysis of multiple, often spatially overlapping physical, biological, and societal resources for evaluating the effect of developing or conserving one or more resources in relation to others (Jenni, 2018). MRIAs are iterative and capable of continuous incorporation of data as it becomes available. For this project the MRIA is designed to synthesize resource, conservation and development information, to aide decision-making, and systematically evaluate potential impacts and alternative scenarios.

**Return to****Geology****>>****AK Mine Waste**

The USGS is developing MRIA approaches to energy and mineral resources that will consider the natural resources in both their social and environmental context to provide a more robust and integrated decision support framework. This project is using the MRIA approach to assess critical mineral potential of above-ground resources from processed mine-materials on a regional scale for Alaska rather than singular mine sites.  The MRIA considers resource potential, conservation, and development information to systematically evaluate critical mineral prospectivity and possible environmental change resulting from critical mineral recovery.

Key Project Components Are:
                                -  Model development
                                -  Characterization of the above-ground resource and regional mineral system
                                -  Identification mining disturbance features and characterization of surficial geology and surrounding environmental 
                                -  Identification and characterization of socioeconomic factors (completed by the Western Geographic Science Center)
                                - Assessment
                                - Tool development and implementation (completed by the Western Geographic Science Center). 

This project is a collaborative effort with the Western Geographic Science Center. The USGS will provide bulk of the geoscientific information and data. The Western Geographic Science Center will provide expertise related to the socioeconomic inputs and impacts.

### Study Area

### Contacts

#### Bronwen Wang, Ph.D.

##### Research Geologist

Alaska Science Center

bwang@usgs.gov

907-786-7110

### Explore Search

                      - Geology
                      - Minerals
                      - Earth MRI
                      - Mine Waste
                      - critical minerals
                      - critical elements

View All **

January 1, 2020

####                 Systems-deposits-commodities-critical minerals table for the earth mapping resources initiative              

Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)

August 16, 2018

####                 Multi-Resource Analysis—Methodology and synthesis              

Science and Decisions Center

November 16, 2016

####                 GIS-based identification of areas that have resource potential for critical minerals in six selected groups of deposit types in Alaska              

Alaska Science Center

Interest in revitalizing domestic production of critical minerals and continued interest in reclamation of legacy mine sites have raised the question of whether above-ground materials at mine sites in Alaska may be reprocessed to recover critical minerals. The goal of this study is to implement a multi-resource integrated assessment (MRIA) approach to evaluate benefit and risk scenarios within and around previously mined regions of Alaska.  The MRIA will be one component of prospectivity analysis used across the state and will take into consideration geologic, environmental, and societal attributes.

MRIAs are structured approaches to interdisciplinary analysis of multiple, often spatially overlapping physical, biological, and societal resources for evaluating the effect of developing or conserving one or more resources in relation to others (Jenni, 2018). MRIAs are iterative and capable of continuous incorporation of data as it becomes available. For this project the MRIA is designed to synthesize resource, conservation and development information, to aide decision-making, and systematically evaluate potential impacts and alternative scenarios.

**Return to****Geology****>>****AK Mine Waste**

The USGS is developing MRIA approaches to energy and mineral resources that will consider the natural resources in both their social and environmental context to provide a more robust and integrated decision support framework. This project is using the MRIA approach to assess critical mineral potential of above-ground resources from processed mine-materials on a regional scale for Alaska rather than singular mine sites.  The MRIA considers resource potential, conservation, and development information to systematically evaluate critical mineral prospectivity and possible environmental change resulting from critical mineral recovery.

Key Project Components Are:
                                -  Model development
                                -  Characterization of the above-ground resource and regional mineral system
                                -  Identification mining disturbance features and characterization of surficial geology and surrounding environmental 
                                -  Identification and characterization of socioeconomic factors (completed by the Western Geographic Science Center)
                                - Assessment
                                - Tool development and implementation (completed by the Western Geographic Science Center). 

This project is a collaborative effort with the Western Geographic Science Center. The USGS will provide bulk of the geoscientific information and data. The Western Geographic Science Center will provide expertise related to the socioeconomic inputs and impacts.

### Study Area

### Contacts

#### Bronwen Wang, Ph.D.

##### Research Geologist

Alaska Science Center

bwang@usgs.gov

907-786-7110

### Explore Search

                      - Geology
                      - Minerals
                      - Earth MRI
                      - Mine Waste
                      - critical minerals
                      - critical elements

View All **

January 1, 2020

####                 Systems-deposits-commodities-critical minerals table for the earth mapping resources initiative              

Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)

August 16, 2018

####                 Multi-Resource Analysis—Methodology and synthesis              

Science and Decisions Center

November 16, 2016

####                 GIS-based identification of areas that have resource potential for critical minerals in six selected groups of deposit types in Alaska              

Alaska Science Center