0:38
Matt Heller
64:38 - 65:16
"Mining and processing of heavy mineral sands has resumed in Virginia, and industry stakeholders have expressed gratitude for this foundational data."
“Mining and processing of heavy mineral sands has resumed in Virginia, and industry stakeholders have expressed gratitude for this foundational data.”
- Speaker
- Matt Heller
- Timestamp
- 64:38 – 65:16
- Community
- Alaska News
- Captured at
- July 21, 2026
From the transcript
2 Of our completed projects have investigated areas with heavy mineral sand deposits that are important sources of titanium, zirconium, and rare earth elements. For these projects, we have created maps showing the geology of 600 square miles, and we've collected more than 100 samples for geochemical analysis. Our work has identified the formations that are more likely to host valuable sand deposits and the potential bedrock sources of these minerals. The resulting maps and reports are published as pre-competitive data that encourages private sector exploration. Mining and processing of heavy mineral sands has resumed in Virginia, and industry stakeholders have expressed gratitude for this foundational data.
Related Coverage
Earth MRI mapping program set to expire; two House bills would extend it and add quantum sensing
The federal geological mapping program that nearly doubled Alaska's publicly available subsurface data expires at year end. Two House bills heard Tuesday would reauthorize it through 2031 and layer quantum gravity sensing onto the effort, with Alaska's unmapped interior at the center of the case for both.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1d ago2 min readAIAlaska
