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Quantitative Global Mineral-Resource Assessments

Project Overview

In response to the growing demand for information on the global mineral-resource base, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting the Quantitative Global Mineral Resource Assessment Project (GMRAP), an 8-year cooperative international project, begun in 2002, to assess the world's undiscovered nonfuel mineral resources. This project is described in USGS Fact Sheet FS-053-03.

Products

Recent Reports:

Cunningham,Charles G., Zappettini, Eduardo O., Vivallo S.,Waldo, Celada, Carlos Mario, Quispe, Jorge, Singer, Donald A., Briskey, Joseph A., Sutphin, David M., Gajardo M., Mariano, Diaz, Alejandro, Portigliati, Carlos, Berger, Vladimir I., Carrasco, Rodrigo, and Schulz, Klaus J., 2008, Quantitative Mineral Resource Assessment of Copper, Molybdenum, Gold, and Silver in Undiscovered Porphyry Copper Deposits in the Andes Mountains of South America: U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 2008-1253, prepared and published jointly by the geological surveys of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and the United States. Online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2008/1253 .

Charles G. Cunningham, Donald A. Singer., Eduardo O. Zappettini, Waldo Vivallo S., Carlos Mario Celada, Jorge Quispe, Joseph A. Briskey, David M. Sutphin, Mariano Gajardo M., Alejandro Diaz, Carlos Portigliati, Vladimir I. Berger, Rodrigo Darrasco, and Klaus J. Schulz, 2007, A Preliminary Quantitative Mineral Resource Assessment of Undiscovered Porphyry Copper Resources in the Andes Mountains of South America:  in Society of Economic Geologists Newsletter No. 71, Oct 2007, p. 1 + 8-13.

Stephen G. Peters, Stephen D. Ludington, Greta J. Orris, David M. Sutphin, James D. Bliss, and James J. Rytuba, eds., and the U.S. Geological Survey-Afghanistan Ministry of Mines Joint Mineral Resource Assessment Team, 2007,  Preliminary Non-Fuel Mineral Resource Assessment of Afghanistan 2007:  USGS Open-File Report 2007-1214, 810 pages, plus 1 CD-ROM and 1 DVD.  Online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1214/.     Prepared in cooperation with the Afghanistan Geological Survey under the auspices of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
 
Stephen G. Peters., 2007, Preliminary Assessment of Non-Fuel Mineral Resources of Afghanistan, 2007:  U.S.G.S. Fact Sheet 2007-3063, 4 p. 

Metallogenesis and Tectonics of Northeast Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1183,
edited by Warren J. Nokleberg, Leonid M. Parfenov, Gombosuren Badarch, Nikolai A. Berzin, Duk Hwan Hwang, Alexander I. Khanchuk, Mikhail I. Kuzmin, Alexander A. Obolenskiy, Masatsugu Ogasawara, Andrei V. Prokopiev, Sergey M. Rodionov, Alexander P. Smelov, Hongquan Yan, and Michael F. Diggles, 2007. Prepared in collaboration with Russian Academy of Sciences, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Korean Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources, Geological Survey of Japan/AIST, and Jilin University. Chapters:

• Chapter A. Parfenov, L.M., Badarch, G., Berzin, N.A., Hwang, D.H., Khanchuk, A.I., Kuzmin, M.I., Nokleberg, W.J., Obolenskiy, A.O., Ogasawara, M., Prokopiev, A.V., Rodionov, S.M., Smelov, A.P., and Yan, H., 2007, Introduction to regional geology, metallogenesis, and tectonics of Northeast Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1183-A, 58 p. Available at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1183/a/ .
  
• Chapter B. Nokleberg, W.J., Bundtzen, T.K., Dawson, K.M., Eremin, R.A., Goryachev, N.A., Khanchuk, A.I., Monger, J.W.H., Obolenskiy, A.A., Parfenov, L.M., Prokopiev, A.V., Ratkin, V.V., Rodionov, S.M., and Spikerman, V.I., 2007, Methodology of combined regional metallogenic and tectonic analysis: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1183-B, 43 p. Available at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1183/b/
  
• Chapter C. Obolenskiy, A.A., Rodionov, S.M., Ariunbileg, S., Dejidmaa, G., Distanov, E.G., Dorjgotov, D., Gerel, O., Hwang, D.H., Sun, F., Gotovsurven, A., Letunov, S.N., Li, X., Nokleberg, W.J., Ogasawara, M., Ratkin, V.V., Seminskiy, Z.V., Shpikerman, V.I., Goryachev, N.A., Smelov, A.P., Sotnikov, V.I., Spiridonov, A.A., Zorina, L.V., and Yan, H., 2007, Mineral deposit models for Northeast Asia: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1183-C 123 p. Available at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1183/c/
  
• Appendix A. Nokleberg, W.J.,Parfenov, L.M., Khanchuk, A.I., Kuzmin, M.I., Obolenskiy, A.A., Prokopiev, A.V., Rodionov, S.M., Smelov, A.P., Badarch, G., Yan, H.,Hwang, D.H., and Ogasawara, M., 2007, Appendix A - Description of Northeast Asia Project and Associated Products: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1183-Appendix A, 25 p. Available at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1183/appendix-a/
  
• Appendix B. Parfenov, L.M., Badarch, G., Berzin, N.A., Hwang, D.H., Khanchuk, A.I., Kuzmin, M.I., Nokleberg, W.J., Obolenskiy, A.A., Ogasawara, M., Prokopiev, A.V., Rodionov, S.M., Smelov, A.P., and Yan, H., 2007, Appendix B – Description of map units for Northeast Asia Summary Geodynamics Map: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1183-Appendix B, 26 p. Available at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1183/appendix-b/
  
• Appendix C. Rodionov,S.M., Obolenskiy, A.A., Distanov, E.G., Badarch, G., Dejidmaa, G., Hwang, D.H., Khanchuk, A.I., Ogasawara, M., Nokleberg, W.J., Parfenov, L.M., Prokopiev, A.V., Seminskiy, Z.V., Smelov, A.P., Yan, H., Davydov, Y.V., Fridovskiy, V.F., Gamyanin, G.N., Gerel, O., Kostin, A.V., Letunov, S.A., Li, X., Nikitin, V.M., Ratkin, V.V., Shpikerman, V.I., Sudo, S., Sotnikov, V.I., Spiridonov, A.V., Stepanov, V.A., Sun, F., Sun, J., Sun, W., Supletsov, V.M., Timofeev, V.F., Tyan, O.A., Vetluzhskikh, V.G., Wakita, K., Yakovlev, Y.V., and Zorina, L.M., 2007, Appendix C – Summary of Major Metallogenic Belts for Northeast Asia (Russian Far East, Yakutia, Eastern Siberia, Transbaikalia, Northern China, Mongolia, South Korea, and Japan): U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1183-Appendix C, 43 p. Available at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1183/appendix-c/
  

Regional Reports:

Primary Objectives

The Primary Objectives of GMRAP are: to outline the principal land areas in the world that have potential for selected undiscovered mineral resources, and to estimate the probable amounts of those mineral resources to a depth of 1 kilometer below the Earth's surface.

1. Provide a consistent, comprehensive level of information and analysis of global nonfuel mineral resources based on the most up-to-date information available. Assessments will be conducted on a regional multinational basis with the cooperative participation of interested national geologic institutions. Regional teams will compile and integrate a variety of existing information at scales of 1:1,000,000 or smaller using GIS technology, and including: databases and maps of the location, sizes, and geologic types of known mineral resources; maps and explanations of geology, geochemistry, and geophysics; and information about regional mineral exploration history.
   
   
2. Develop and/or improve methods for conducting large-region assessments, and new models and predictive tools for the analysis and application of global assessment results to issues of sustainable resource development and environmental management. Assessing undiscovered mineral resources of large regions presents many challenges for tract delineation, deposit estimation, and data analysis.
   
   
3. Advance understanding of the origin and evolution of mineralizing systems through integrated metallogenic and tectonic analysis.
   
   
4. Advance international cooperation between government, nongovernmental organizations, and industry through organization and sponsorship of various workshops, trade, and scientific and technical exchanges.