New Trends on Critical Mineral Mining

May 15, 2026

In this issue of Trends, we provide several articles on the topic of critical mineral mining.

Our first article gives an overview of the importance of critical minerals to the United States (US) mining industry and the current regulatory landscape.  The second article discusses the limited information available about rare earth elements and their potential risks to human health.  The third article examines the ecological challenges posed by critical mineral mining and ways to mitigate potential impacts.  Our fourth article explores deep-sea mining of critical minerals as an alternative to land-based mining in the face of expanding global demand.

Gradient contributors to this Trends issue include Drs. Leonard Ancuta, Steven Boomhower, Tim Verslycke, and William Dowd; Meghna Swamy, M.S.; Jerry Hu, M.S.; David Dodge, M.S., DABT, CIH; and Sarah Zahn, M.S.

Articles:

• Critical Minerals Move to the Forefront of United States Mining
• Occupational Health Risks from the Mining of Critical Rare Earth Elements
• Building the Energy Transition Without Undermining Nature
• Critical Minerals: A Deep Dive to the Ocean Floor
• What’s New at Gradient