UAF Aims to Make Alaska a Critical Minerals Hub

“Critical minerals are the backbone of modern technology, and the world is racing to secure them,” Munk says. “Alaska has an abundance of these critical minerals and can be a key provider as the nation works to reduce reliance on foreign sources.”

Munk spoke about the new collaborative and a recent funding development at the Alaska Miners Association annual convention in Anchorage. The theme of the convention is “Critical mining for these critical times.”

The collaborative’s leadership consists of Munk; ACMC Deputy Director Steve Masterman; Lance Miller, vice president of natural resources for NANA regional corporation; and UAF assistant professor Sean Regan, who is co-director of the UAF Geophysical Institute’s Geochronology Lab and the collaborative’s chief scientist.

Masterman joined the Geophysical Institute after retiring from a career as Alaska’s state geologist and working in the mining industry. He has served as president of the Association of American State Geologists and an Alaska Miners Association director.

“For Alaskans, we are building the next generation of experts in critical minerals, ensuring economic opportunities for this state’s residents for years to come,” says Masterman.

Munk and Masterman attended the Sustainable Mineral Exploration and Development conference in Namibia in late September. It was organized by the Society of Economic Geologists, the Geoscience Council of Namibia, and the Geological Society of Namibia. Munk says the goal was to introduce ACMC to an international minerals and mining audience.

“We… talked to professionals, researchers, and students about opportunities to engage with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the ACMC, and Alaska,” she says.

From Exploration to Recovery

The ACMC will bring together several university units and external entities, with the UAF Geophysical Institute and UAF Institute for Northern Engineering leading the initial effort, UAF officials say. State and federal agencies and other universities will be invited to participate.

The ACMC offers numerous capabilities to assist with research from exploration to mineral recovery, including remote sensing, geology, data science, hydrochemistry, mineralogy, mapping, geochronology, processing, engineering, and more.

UAF scientists have been busy with critical minerals research. Examples include detailed structural and geochronology studies of Alaska ore systems, research into lithium brines in the southwestern United States and South America, and airborne hyperspectral imaging of Alaska critical mineral systems. Munk herself is part of a UAF research team investigating biomining of rare earth elements from seaweed in Southeast Alaska.