USGS Finds Critical Minerals Left in Legacy Mining Operations

July 28, 2025--Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--With the race to secure more domestic resources of critical minerals in high gear, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said it was investigating the potential in leftover material in mining waste. The USGS said multiple studies have found critical minerals are often left behind in legacy mining operations. Mining operations near Picher, Oklahoma., contain left-over amounts of zinc and germanium, while Utah's Bingham Canyon copper mine holds significant amounts of tellurium, used in defense technologies.