Researchers from Missouri S&T are using rock core samples collected in the past to find the best areas for the future mining of critical minerals.

The research team, led by Dr. Marek Locmelis, an associate professor of geosciences and geological and petroleum engineering and faculty fellow in research and innovation, was recently awarded $485,000 from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to support their work.
 
“We will examine petrographic core samples dating back to the 1950s or earlier, as well as samples from more recent times,” Locmelis say. “DNR has an extensive collection of samples available in the McCracken Core Library, which is located in Rolla and not far from S&T. This project will help us better understand how the deposits in Missouri were formed and are linked together.”

Regan Swain, a master’s student in geology and geophysics and graduate research assistant from Chaffee, Missouri, says the team will analyze samples under a microscope and assess their mineral chemistry and isotopic composition. They will focus on iron-oxide apatite and iron-oxide-copper-gold deposits, as these deposits could potentially include critical minerals such as rare earth elements and cobalt.

The Energy Act of 2020 defines critical minerals as non-fuel minerals vital to the nation’s economic or national security, and Swain says many of the materials are necessary for modern-day technology.

“These are the resources that we need to continue finding to keep our society moving forward,” she says. “So many types of technology require critical minerals — even everyday devices like smartphones and tablets.”

Once the S&T researchers complete the study, they will provide the information to DNR, and it will then be part of the public domain. From there, mining companies could potentially use the information along with mapping from DNR to consider future sites for their operations.

Swain says this project is personal to her since it could benefit small towns similar to where she calls home.

“The samples we will examine will be from rural areas, and this could lead to a large boost in local economies,” Swain says. “Coming from Chaffee, which is a small community near Cape Girardeau, I appreciate that and see how this could really help people living in these areas. Plus, it should ultimately benefit the entire country since it could help create another environmentally and socially sustainable source for these important resources.”

Missouri S&T has been a leader in the fields of mining, mineral processing and extractive metallurgy for over 150 years. The university leads the Critical Minerals and Materials for Advanced Energy Tech Hub — one of only 31 groups to receive the Tech Hub distinction from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.

Missouri’s 2024 budget allocated $16 million for the Missouri Department of Economic Development to support S&T’s work focused on critical minerals.

For more information about Missouri S&T’s critical minerals research efforts, visit criticalminerals.mst.edu.

More about Missouri S&T

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.