JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 8, 2025 – Missouri includes known deposits of more than half of the critical minerals identified by the United States Geological Survey as vital to the economy and national security. The USGS released the list Nov. 7, after expanding it to include 60 critical minerals. Of this total, 36 are present within Missouri.
“Missouri is strategically positioned to become a national leader in developing the domestic supply chains we need to guarantee a reliable source of these critical minerals,” said Kurt Schaefer, director of the Department of Natural Resources. “The department’s Missouri Geological Survey is working with the USGS, Missouri S&T and other partners to study Missouri’s critical mineral potential. We’ll report our findings once they’re available to support the responsible production of these materials for our economy and national security.”
Based on the previous 2022 USGS list, Missouri included 30 of 50 of critical minerals. The 2025 list is expanded to 60 entries with 10 new additions. Missouri contains five of these new additions, including copper, lead, phosphate, silicon and silver, and has also added scandium, based on recent geochemical analyses. Among the other critical minerals in Missouri are barite, cobalt, gallium, germanium, manganese, zinc and a variety of rare earth elements.
“We have several ongoing projects taking place right now with geologists working both in the field and in the laboratory to study Missouri’s critical mineral potential,” said State Geologist and Missouri Geological Survey Director Carey Bridges. “Our goals include not only leading the way toward better understanding the occurrence and location of these minerals, but also improving the state’s capacity to discover, preserve and access the physical and digital geologic information that are essential to these efforts, now and in the future.”
Critical minerals are vital for modern devices and making crucial technological systems function, but their availability is susceptible to supply chain disruptions. Missouri’s potentially viable deposits of critical minerals may provide a domestic resource and create new opportunities for mineral processing and manufacturing in the United States.
Visit dnr.mo.gov/land-geology/geology/rocks-minerals-fossils/critical for more information on critical minerals in Missouri.