Prospector Trails
Mining by country/North America
The United States is the world's largest mine producer of beryllium. It is in the world top three for molybdenum (#3), rare earths (#2), phosphate rock (#3). The story below follows its minerals from the ground to the economy, the export ports and the mines.
01 · What it digs
The United States mined 53% of the world's beryllium in 2025, ranking #1. Across the 34 minerals we track it holds a share of at least 0.5% in 14.
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, mine stage, latest year per mineral. Columns on the globe: every producer of beryllium.
02 · Mining in the economy
Mineral rents came to 0.1% of United States's GDP in 2021, higher than 67% of the countries the World Bank reports; ores and metals made up 3% of its merchandise exports in 2025. GDP was $30,770bn in 2025.
World Bank WDI: mineral rents (NY.GDP.MINR.RT.ZS) and ores and metals exports (TX.VAL.MMTL.ZS.UN). The globe shades every country by mineral rents.
03 · Six years of output
Mine production, beryllium, molybdenum, rare earths, zirconium (zircon), USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2022 to 2026 (each year as last reported).
04 · Where it goes
Its largest mineral export line in the trade data is gold: $12.2bn in 2024, led by Switzerland ($12.2bn).
CEPII BACI bilateral trade, by value; arcs run from United States to the buyer.
05 · Jurisdiction
The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators put United States at +0.79 on rule of law in 2025, higher than 77% of countries. These are perception-based estimates on a scale from −2.5 to +2.5; they describe the operating environment, not any company.
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators. The globe shades every country by rule of law.
06 · Mines and projects
40 mines in the United States have output figures in open mine databases; the largest by reported output are below. Listed companies hold 51 projects here, shown as dots.
What the United States mines: beryllium (53% of world output, #1), molybdenum (15% of world output, #3), rare earths (13% of world output, #2), zirconium (zircon) (8.3% of world output, #5). Below: 51 projects held by listed companies and 62 mines from open mine databases.
United States in numbers: the infographic
| Mineral | World share | World rank | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beryllium | 53% | 1 | 2025 |
| Molybdenum | 15% | 3 | 2025 |
| Rare earths | 13% | 2 | 2025 |
| Zirconium (zircon) | 8.3% | 5 | 2025 |
| Phosphate rock | 8% | 3 | 2025 |
| Lead | 6.2% | 4 | 2025 |
| Zinc | 5.2% | 6 | 2025 |
| Gold | 4.8% | 5 | 2025 |
| Copper | 4.3% | 6 | 2025 |
| Silver | 4.2% | 8 | 2025 |
| Platinum group metals | 3.3% | 5 | 2025 |
| Iron ore | 1.5% | 10 | 2025 |
| Titanium minerals | 1.1% | 11 | 2025 |
| Potash | 1% | 10 | 2025 |
| Project | Company | Minerals | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMG Vanadium Zanesville (Ohio) recycling plant | AMG Critical Materials | Vanadium | Producing |
| Cobre magnetite stockpile (Hanover-Fierro district) | Strategic Minerals | Iron ore | Producing |
| GAM Boyertown plant (Pennsylvania) - tantalum and niobium processing | Global Advanced Metals | Niobium, Tantalum | Producing |
| Blue Moon zinc-gold-silver-copper project (Blue Moon mine) | Blue Moon Metals | Baryte (barite), Copper, Gold, Lead, Silver, Zinc | Development |
| Empire Mine (open pit and deep sulphide) | Phoenix Copper | Copper, Gold, Lead, Silver, Tungsten, Zinc | Development |
| HyProMag USA - Dallas-Fort Worth magnet hub | Mkango Magnetic Materials | Rare earths | Development |
| Pilot Mountain | Guardian Metal Resources | Copper, Silver, Tungsten, Zinc | Development |
| Springer tungsten mine and mill (Sutton 1/2, George beds) | Blue Moon Metals | Bismuth, Copper, Gold, Molybdenum, Silver, Tungsten | Development |
| Western Milling LLC gravity mill, Sodaville (50% JV with Muletown Enterprizes) | Great Western Mining Corporation | Gold, Silver | Development |
| Alpine Tungsten Project | Viking Mines | Tungsten | Exploration |
| Apex germanium-gallium-copper mine | Blue Moon Metals | Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Silver | Exploration |
| Basin Project (Basin East, Basin East Extension, Basin North; formerly Burro Creek East) | Bradda Head Lithium | Lithium, Potash | Exploration |
| Basin West and Basin West Extension (Burro Creek West) | Bradda Head Lithium | Lithium, Potash | Exploration |
| Brunton Pass copper-gold | Tertiary Minerals | Copper, Gold | Exploration |
| Defender-Pine Crow Tungsten Project (Defender, Dough God, Pine Crow, Widowmaker historic mines) | Great Western Mining Corporation | Copper, Silver, Tungsten | Exploration |
| Eastside Mine / Tango copper porphyry (M8 prospect) | Great Western Mining Corporation | Copper, Gold | Exploration |
| Eureka Project (Spencer claims) | Bradda Head Lithium | Lithium | Exploration |
| Gage project (germanium-gallium district) | Blue Moon Metals | Gallium, Germanium | Exploration |
| Gentung Browns Lake Tungsten Project | Almonty Industries | Tungsten | Exploration |
| Horseshoe claims block (Horseshoe, White Knob, Blue Bird, Windy Devil) | Phoenix Copper | Copper, Gold, Lead, Silver, Tungsten, Zinc | Exploration |
| Hub Mines tungsten project | Blue Moon Metals | Copper, Gold, Lead, Silver, Tungsten | Exploration |
| Huntoon Copper Project: M2 skarn copper resource and M4 prospect (Black Mountain Group) | Great Western Mining Corporation | Copper, Gold | Exploration |
| IMA tungsten-silver mine (Ima Mine), incl. lower tailings impoundment | American Tungsten | Copper, Lead, Molybdenum, Silver, Tungsten, Zinc | Exploration |
| Linka Tungsten Project (Linka, Conquest, Hillside) | Viking Mines | Tungsten | Exploration |
| Long Tungsten Project | Viking Mines | Tungsten | Exploration |
| Mineral Jackpot (Silver Moon, Silver Bell, Ming Toy, Bass; "Cabin Rock") gold-silver | Great Western Mining Corporation | Gold, Silver | Exploration |
| Navarre Creek gold project | Phoenix Copper | Antimony, Gold, Silver | Exploration |
| Olympic Gold Project (OMCO Mine, Trafalgar Hill, Rhyolite Dome, West Ridge) | Great Western Mining Corporation | Gold, Silver | Exploration |
| Oregon Mine (Boulder County tungsten district) | Blue Moon Metals | Tungsten | Exploration |
| Pennsylvania oil-brine lease (Slippery Rock Township) | Bradda Head Lithium | Lithium | Exploration |
| Portfolio of 33 tungsten and antimony projects (Western US) | Blue Moon Metals | Antimony, Tungsten | Exploration |
| Radium Mountain (Rim Rock, Edna Mae) | Thor Energy | Copper, Uranium, Vanadium | Exploration |
| Ragged Tungsten Project | Viking Mines | Tungsten | Exploration |
| Red Star (Empire district) | Phoenix Copper | Copper, Gold, Lead, Silver, Zinc | Exploration |
| Redcastle and Bighorn cobalt properties | Phoenix Copper | Cobalt, Copper | Exploration |
| Rock House Group (Southern Alteration Zone) | Great Western Mining Corporation | Gold, Silver | Exploration |
| San Domingo Project (Midnight Owl, Jumbo, White Ridge, Morning Star, Dragon, Ruby Soho) | Bradda Head Lithium | Beryllium, Caesium, Lithium, Tantalum | Exploration |
| Tempiute | Guardian Metal Resources | Tungsten | Exploration |
| Terrell Tungsten Project | Viking Mines | Tungsten | Exploration |
| Texas oil-brine properties | Bradda Head Lithium | Lithium | Exploration |
| Turner copper-gold VMS deposit | Blue Moon Metals | Copper, Gold, Silver, Zinc | Exploration |
| Vanadium King | Thor Energy | Uranium, Vanadium | Exploration |
| Victory Tungsten Project | Viking Mines | Tungsten | Exploration |
| Wedding Bell (Groundhog, Section 23) | Thor Energy | Uranium, Vanadium | Exploration |
| West Huntoon gold-silver-copper (Huntoon Copper Project) | Great Western Mining Corporation | Copper, Gold, Silver | Exploration |
| Whistlejacket Lithium Project | Bradda Head Lithium | Caesium, Lithium, Niobium, Tantalum | Exploration |
| Wikieup Project | Bradda Head Lithium | Lithium | Exploration |
| Wildhorse Canyon tungsten project | Blue Moon Metals | Molybdenum, Tungsten | Exploration |
| Williams tungsten project | Blue Moon Metals | Tungsten | Exploration |
| Wilson Salt Flat (Wilson Flat) | Bradda Head Lithium | Lithium | Exploration |
| Yellow Peak porphyry copper target | Great Western Mining Corporation | Copper | Exploration |
| Mine | Minerals | Operator | Latest published output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bagdad | Copper, Molybdenum | 98,883 t (2019) | |
| Bald Mountain | Gold | Kinross Gold | 8.85 t (2018) |
| Barneys Canyon | Gold | Rio Tinto | 0.011 t (2014) |
| Bingham Canyon | Copper, Silver, Gold, Molybdenum | 203,900 t (2018) | |
| Carlin (Nevada Gold Mines) | Gold, Copper, Silver | Nevada Gold Mines (Barrick/Newmont) | 26.3 t (2018) |
| Carlin - Emigrant | Gold | ||
| Carlin - Exodus | Gold | ||
| Carlin - Gold Quarry | Gold | ||
| Carlin - Leeville | Gold | ||
| Carlin - Pete Bajo | Gold | ||
| Carlota | Copper | 3,200 t (2018) | |
| Chino | Copper | 79,379 t (2019) | |
| Climax | Molybdenum, Copper | Freeport-McMoRan | 7,711 t (2019) |
| Cortez (Nevada Gold Mines) | Gold, Copper, Silver | Nevada Gold Mines (Barrick/Newmont) | 32.9 t (2016) |
| Cripple Creek & Victor | Gold, Silver | 9.13 t (2019) | |
| Donlin Creek | Gold | ||
| Eagle | Nickel, Copper | 13,494 t (2019) | |
| East Boulder | Platinum group metals | ||
| Empire | Iron ore | ||
| Fort Knox | Gold | Kinross Gold | 4.8 t (2018) |
| Galena | Silver, Copper | 58.3 t (2005) | |
| Golden Sunlight | Gold | 2.12 t (2015) | |
| Goldrush - Fourmile | Gold | ||
| Goldstrike (Nevada Gold Mines) | Gold, Copper, Silver | Nevada Gold Mines (Barrick/Newmont) | 34.1 t (2016) |
| Greens Creek | Silver, Lead, Zinc, Gold | Hecla Mining | 245 t (2007) |
| Haile | Gold | 4.54 t (2019) | |
| Henderson | Molybdenum | 5,443 t (2019) | |
| Hibbing | Iron ore | ArcelorMittal S.A. | 4,875,000 t (2019) |
| Iluka Virginia | Iron ore, Titanium minerals, Zirconium (zircon) | 145,100 t (2015) | |
| Jerritt Canyon | Gold | 8.67 t (2003) | |
| Keetac | Iron ore | ||
| Kensington | Gold | 3.62 t (2019) | |
| Kettle River | Gold | Kinross Gold | 3.49 t (2016) |
| Long Canyon | Gold | 4.82 t (2018) | |
| Marigold | Gold | 6.85 t (2019) | |
| Miami | Copper | 6,804 t (2019) | |
| Midas | Gold, Silver | ||
| Minntac | Iron ore | ||
| Minorca | Iron ore | ArcelorMittal S.A. | 1,820,000 t (2019) |
| Northshore | Iron ore | ||
| Pend Oreille | Zinc, Lead | 29,700 t (2018) | |
| Phoenix | Copper, Gold | 14,515 t (2018) | |
| Phoenix - Lone Tree | Copper, Gold | ||
| Phoenix - Phoenix | Copper, Gold | ||
| Pinto Valley | Copper, Silver, Gold, Molybdenum | 53,356 t (2019) | |
| Pogo | Gold | 5.42 t (2020) | |
| Rawhide | Gold | 0.539 t (2009) | |
| Robinson | Copper, Gold, Molybdenum | 48,000 t (2018) | |
| Rochester | Silver, Gold | 106 t (2019) | |
| Rosemont | Copper | ||
| Round Mountain | Gold | Kinross Gold | 4.47 t (2018) |
| Ruby Hill | Gold | 0.311 t (2015) | |
| Safford | Copper | 49,895 t (2019) | |
| San Manuel | Copper | 6,300 t (2002) | |
| Sierrita | Copper, Molybdenum | 72,575 t (2019) | |
| Stillwater | Platinum group metals | Sibanye-Stillwater | 18.4 t (2018) |
| Tilden | Iron ore | ||
| Tohono | Copper | 907 t (2008) | |
| Twin Creeks Operation | Gold | 19.5 t (2018) | |
| Tyrone | Copper | 21,772 t (2019) | |
| United Taconite | Iron ore | ||
| Wharf | Gold | 2.38 t (2019) |
Antimony minesBismuth minesCobalt minesCopper minesGallium minesGermanium minesGold minesIron ore minesLead minesLithium minesMolybdenum minesNiobium minesPlatinum group metals minesPhosphate rock minesPotash minesRare earths minesSilver minesTantalum minesTitanium minerals minesTungsten minesUranium minesVanadium minesZinc minesZirconium (zircon) mines
World shares: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, latest year per mineral. Mineral rents, exports and governance: World Bank WDI and WGI. Trade: CEPII BACI. Projects: listed companies' announcements.