New technology is finding lost cities and America’s hidden minerals

[GUEST COLUMN] By Katie Sweeney Fri, Aug 14, 2026 (2 a.m.) Once the world’s mining superpower, the United States is now dangerously reliant on Chinese mineral supply chains. Yet, as we strive to reclaim mineral security, we are operating blindfolded. Unlike neighboring countries, the United States has only just begun to employ modern tools to map its mineral resources. In other words, our understanding of our own assets remains a fraction of what it should be. Archaeology offers an important clue about what we might be missing. Over the past decade, LiDAR aerial surveying—using laser sensors to penetrate jungle and forest canopy and produce precise 3D topographic maps—has transformed the field. Entire civilizations have been found hiding beneath our feet. For instance, LiDAR surveys have uncovered sprawling road networks, pyramids, and cities concealed beneath the dense rainforests of Honduras and Guatemala. The scale of the discoveries is astonishing; researchers have identified more than 60,000 previously undocumented structures within Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve alone. The very tools reshaping our knowledge of antiquity are now being deployed in the modern treasure hunt for America’s hidden critical minerals. In 2019, the United States launched the Earth MRI initiative to apply advanced technology—including LiDAR aerial surveillance—to chart the nation’s mineral resources. Prior to the launch of this effort, only 7 percent of the country was covered by high‑quality geophysical data. Although progress has been made, roughly three‑quarters of the nation remains unmapped. The data, made publicly available to mining companies, is already greatly expanding our knowledge of what resources we may possess—and where exploration should be focused. This accelerates development, allocates capital more efficiently, and reduces the need for speculative drilling, thereby lessening mining’s environmental footprint. The Earth MRI program has funded 32 mapping projects that have contributed to the addition of approximately 100,000 new mineral claims on federal land—a first step toward more detailed exploration. Mapping has also deepened our understanding of known resources. In Alabama, for example, mapping confirmed high‑grade flake graphite deposits with potential for vanadium and barium co‑production. Graphite is essential to lithium‑ion battery manufacturing, and China currently holds near‑complete control of graphite supply chains. Earth MRI is also mapping historic mining waste and assessing those reclaimed sites for critical minerals. More than 150 promising sites with concentrations of critical minerals have been mapped to date. Despite the advances and promise, Earth MRI is merely scratching the surface of what could be uncovered with further mapping. The program is currently up for reauthorization by Congress, and doing so should be a straightforward decision. Not only should Congress renew the program, it should double down and increase investment in next‑generation technology. The United States possesses vast mineral resources, but we cannot develop what we have not yet discovered. Technology—from LiDAR aerial surveys to artificial intelligence capable of sifting through data at lightning speed—holds the potential to change the game. Now is the time to remove the blindfold, bring cutting‑edge science and technology to our minerals challenge, and turn our mineral potential into the secure, responsible supply chains we urgently need. Katie Sweeney is enforcement vice president and main operating serviceman of the National Mining Association.