Earth and Society

As part of Colorado's 150th anniversary celebrations in 2026, a team of Colorado School of Mines students will be resurveying the famed Mile High Marker on the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.

The 2025 State of Critical Minerals Report from the Payne Institute for Public Policy at Colorado School of Mines underscores opportunities to strengthen U.S. mineral security through smarter investment in refining, processing, byproduct recovery and recycling.

The outsized role critical minerals play in defense and renewable energy applications fuels much of the attention on this sector now. China has raced ahead of the rest of the world in mining, refining

Student researchers in Mines' Mineral and Energy Economics Program are delving into topics from geopolitics and supply chain risks to artisanal mining and responsible sourcing related to the global critical minerals landscape.

At Colorado School of Mines, researchers are transforming mine tailings into construction materials, creating new possibilities for recovering critical minerals and reducing mining’s environmental impact.

A new state-of-the-art facility on the Colorado School of Mines campus opening in 2027 will unite researchers from USGS and Mines to advance critical minerals and energy research vital to national priorities.

With expertise in critical minerals mining, policy, economics and community engagement, researchers at Colorado School of Mines are helping chart a path to strengthened national resilience and resource independence.

The findings, published in the journal Science, show that improved recovery of critical minerals such as cobalt, lithium and rare earth elements currently being discarded as tailings of other mineral streams could meet the U.S. demand for energy, defense and technology applications.

Mines experts explain wildfire impact from emergency notification to debris flows to snowpack loss, highlighting post-fire recovery.

Mines students competed at the ASCE national finals in June after being named Overall Symposium Champions at the Region 7 Rocky Mountain Symposium in April.