UAF aims to make Alaska a critical minerals hub

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has a new research unit that aims to make Alaska a global leader in research and development of critical minerals.

The Alaska Critical Minerals Collaborative, based at the UAF Geophysical Institute, brings together researchers and labs from across the university to help industry, Alaska Native corporations and government agencies accelerate critical mineral discovery, characterization and extraction in the state.

The ACMC is led by Lee Ann Munk, geosciences research professor at the Geophysical Institute. 

Munk, who holds a doctorate in geological sciences, has more than two decades of critical minerals research experience in North and South America. She is known for her contributions to developing ore deposit models for lithium and innovations in exploration for copper. She is part of a UAF team of researchers investigating biomining of rare earth elements in Southeast Alaska.

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

The United States defines critical minerals as those that are essential to economic and national security, have a supply chain vulnerable to disruption and are vital for manufacturing key products and technologies. 

The U.S. Geological Survey list of 50 critical minerals includes several present in Alaska: antimony, cobalt, graphite, lithium, nickel, tin, tungsten and platinum. Alaska also has abundant copper, which is critical to the transition to renewable energy.

“The science and engineering experts associated with the Alaska Critical Minerals Collaborative have access to world-class university research facilities and can help industry advance the discovery, characterization and recovery of critical minerals, whether in Alaska or anywhere else they can be found around the world,” she said.

Munk will talk about the new organization and a recent funding development at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the Alaska Miners Association annual convention in Anchorage. The convention theme is “Critical mining for these critical times.”

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

The Alaska Critical Minerals Collaborative offers numerous capabilities to assist with research from exploration to mineral recovery. These include 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, lithium brines research in the southwestern United States and South America and airborne hyperspectral imaging of Alaska critical minerals systems.

The collaborative’s leadership consists of Munk; Deputy Director Steve Masterman; Lance Miller, vice president of natural resources for NANA, an Alaska Native regional corporation; and UAF assistant professor Sean Regan, 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 is a director of the Alaska Miners Association.

“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,” Masterman said.

Munk and Masterman in late September went to Namibia, Africa, for the Sustainable Mineral Exploration and Development conference, organized by the Society of Economic Geologists, the Geoscience Council of Namibia and the Geological Society of Namibia.

Munk said the goal was to introduce the Alaska Critical Minerals Collaborative to an international minerals and mining audience. 

“We had an exhibit for three days and talked to professionals, researchers and students about opportunities to engage with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the ACMC and Alaska,” she said.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Lee Ann Munk, lamunk@alaska.edu 

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