Rare Earth Directory

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Rare earth mines in the US: every operating, developing and exploration-stage project (2026)

Mountain Pass, in San Bernardino County, California, is the only active primary rare earth mine in the United States. MP Materials owns it and produced 12,983 t of rare earth oxide there in Q1 2026 (OSTI review, Jul 2026; MP Materials).

This page tracks 14 mines, projects and mills: 1 producing, 5 in development, 7 in exploration and 1 processing mill.

Verified through Oct 1, 2026

See all 14 sites Download CSV
Bokan Mountain: Exploration, Alaska Bokan Mountain Sheep Creek: Exploration, Montana Sheep Creek Lemhi Pass: Exploration, Idaho / Montana Lemhi Pass Diamond Creek: Exploration, Idaho Diamond Creek La Paz: Exploration, Arizona La Paz Colosseum: Exploration, California Colosseum Silicon Ridge: Exploration, Utah Silicon Ridge Brook Mine: Development, Wyoming Brook Mine Round Top: Development, Texas Round Top Halleck Creek: Development, Wyoming Halleck Creek Bear Lodge: Development, Wyoming Bear Lodge Elk Creek: Development, Nebraska Elk Creek White Mesa Mill: Processing / manufacturing (operating), Utah White Mesa Mill Mountain Pass: Producing rare earths, California Mountain Pass
Mines and projects ProducingOther commodityDevelopmentExploration Plants operatingbuildingplanned
Active primary mine
1Mountain Pass, California
Sites tracked
14in 9 states
In development
5Resource defined, permitting or financing under way
In exploration
7No feasibility-grade resource yet
US mine output, 2025
51,000 tRare earth oxide equivalent (USGS)

The directory

Which rare earth mines and projects does the US have?

The US has 14 tracked rare earth mines, projects and mills in 9 states. The table lists each one with its status, owner, resource and next milestone; filter by status, search by owner or state, or click a column to sort.

Status
14 of 14 shown
US rare earth mines, projects and the one tracked processing mill. Verified through Oct 1, 2026.
Name Status State Owner Resource Next milestone Confidence
Mountain Pass Carbonatite; bastnaesite Producing California MP Materials NYSE: MP 1.9 Mt TREO 5.98% grade Heavy rare earth (Dy and Tb) output expected later in 2026 High
Brook Mine Coal-hosted unconventional deposit Development Wyoming Ramaco Resources Nasdaq: METC About 1.7 Mt TREO, high case (ash basis; company-reported) Interim revised economics by end of 2026; pre-feasibility study in 2027; first production targeted 2031 Medium-High
Round Top Peralkaline rhyolite; yttrofluorite and xenotime; heavy-rare-earth rich Development Texas USA Rare Earth Nasdaq: USAR 359 Mt at 639 ppm REO (older estimate; heavy-rich) Definitive feasibility study due Q4 2026; commercial production target 2028 High
Halleck Creek A-type granite; allanite Development Wyoming American Rare Earths ASX: ARR 8.7 Mt TREO 0.33% grade Pre-feasibility study targeted Q3 2026; permit-to-mine filing late 2026 Medium-High
Bear Lodge Carbonatite; bastnaesite Development Wyoming Rare Element Resources OTCQB: REEMF 0.50 Mt TREO* 3.05% grade Federal permitting scheduled to finish Mar 2028 (FAST-41) High
Elk Creek Carbonatite; niobium-scandium-titanium with magnet rare earths Development Nebraska NioCorp Nasdaq: NB 1.0 Mt TREO 0.30% grade Construction start targeted Dec 2026, subject to EXIM financing Medium-High
Bokan Mountain Peralkaline complex; allanite, bastnaesite, monazite, xenotime; heavy-rare-earth rich Exploration Alaska Ucore Rare Metals TSXV: UCU 0.03 Mt TREO* 0.58% grade No mine schedule; Ucore focuses its near-term US effort on a Louisiana processing complex Medium-High
Sheep Creek Carbonatite; bastnaesite, allanite, monazite Exploration Montana US Critical Materials private No resource estimate Forest Service review of a reduced plan filed Jun 12, 2026; decision estimated Jul 2027 Medium
Lemhi Pass Thorium-rare earth vein district Exploration Idaho / Montana Idaho Strategic Resources NYSE American: IDR No resource estimate Permitting and drill targeting for 2026 and beyond; no resource estimate Medium
Diamond Creek Thorium-rare earth belt; yttrium-rich Exploration Idaho Idaho Strategic Resources NYSE American: IDR No resource estimate Bulk sampling and mineralogical studies in H2 2026; no resource estimate Medium
La Paz Allanite-bearing; low grade Exploration Arizona American Rare Earths ASX: ARR 0.07 Mt TREO* 0.04% grade Historic-data and metals-potential review continues through 2026 Medium
Colosseum Gold-first project with rare earth potential Exploration California Dateline Resources ASX: DTR No resource estimate Court hearing on stay motions Oct 26, 2026; injunction in force since Aug 10 Medium
Silicon Ridge Halloysite-hosted ion-adsorption clay Exploration Utah Ionic Mineral Technologies private, Provo, UT No resource estimate Further drilling and studies; no rare earth grade published for the maiden estimate Medium
White Mesa Mill Monazite separation and uranium mill Plant operating Utah Energy Fuels NYSE American: UUUU; TSX: EFR No resource estimate Heavy rare earth expansion under construction since Jul 29, 2026; Tb and Dy circuits due end of 2027 High

Contained TREO is as published (OSTI review or company resource statements); * marks a figure computed from tonnage and grade. Estimates use different reporting standards and dates. Pin positions on the map are approximate. Confidence grades are explained on the methodology page.

Data CSV JSON Free to use with a link back to this page.

How many rare earth mines does the US have?

The United States has 1 active primary rare earth mine: Mountain Pass in California. White Mesa Mill in Utah is a processing mill, not a mine. The other 12 tracked projects, including Brook Mine in Wyoming, are in development or exploration.

Rare earths are mined as a primary product only at Mountain Pass (USGS). The US produced an estimated 51,000 t of rare earth oxide equivalent in mineral concentrates in 2025, against 270,000 t in China.

Brook Mine broke ground in July 2025, and officials described it as the first new US rare earth mine in about 70 years. It is a coal deposit that contains neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium, but it has not produced coal or rare earths commercially, and Ramaco's Jul 2026 study targets first production in 2031. This directory labels it "Development".

OSTI counts only 2 US sites with commercial rare earth separation: Mountain Pass and White Mesa Mill. A mill separates mined concentrate into oxides; it does not mine ore, so White Mesa is not counted as a mine.

Tracked sites by status

Producing Development Exploration Plant operating

Who owns the only rare earth mine in the US?

MP Materials (NYSE: MP) owns Mountain Pass. In July 2025 the US Department of Defense invested $400M in MP Materials convertible preferred stock, which converts into up to about 15% of the company, and agreed a $110/kg NdPr price floor.

MP Materials bought the mine in 2017 and resumed operations in 2018. The mine was discovered in 1949, closed in 2002 after a spill, and passed through the 2015 bankruptcy of its former owner, Molycorp.

Mountain Pass holds 33 Mt of ore at about 5.98% TREO, or 1.9 Mt of contained oxide, which makes it the highest-grade US deposit. MP Materials produced 917 t of NdPr oxide in Q1 2026 and 840 t in Q2 2026, and its heavy rare earth separation circuit was mechanically complete in May 2026, with terbium and dysprosium expected later in 2026.

Mountain Pass: location, owner, status and timeline and MP Materials: what it does, projects, funding and status carry the full records.

Where is the largest rare earth deposit in the US?

Halleck Creek in Wyoming is the largest known US rare earth deposit by contained oxide, at about 8.7 Mt TREO (OSTI, 2026). Mountain Pass has the highest grade at 5.98% TREO, and Bear Lodge ranks second at 3.05%. Mountain Pass is also the only producer.

0.01% 0.01 Mt 0.1% 0.1 Mt 1% 1 Mt 10% 10 Mt Grade (% TREO, log scale) Contained TREO (million tonnes, log scale) Bigger and richer Smaller and leaner Mountain Pass: 33 Mt at about 5.98% TREO (OSTI review, 2026) Mountain Pass 1.9 Mt at 5.98% Halleck Creek: JORC 2.63 billion tonnes at 3,292 ppm TREO; about 8.7 Mt TREO (OSTI review, 2026) Halleck Creek 8.7 Mt at 0.33% Bear Lodge: 16.3 Mt at 3.05% TREO (OSTI review, 2026); contained TREO computed from tonnage and grade Bear Lodge 0.50 Mt at 3.05%* Elk Creek: 360 Mt with 1.04 Mt TREO at about 0.30% (OSTI review, 2026) Elk Creek 1.0 Mt at 0.30% Bokan Mountain: Ucore Apr 2026 estimate: 5.15 Mt at about 0.58% TREO (0.4% cut-off), about 29,900 t contained; totals summed from the published categories (OSTI review earlier listed 5.23 Mt at about 0.65%) Bokan Mountain 0.03 Mt at 0.58%* La Paz: JORC 2012 (Aug 2021): 170.6 Mt at 391 ppm TREE (35.2 Mt indicated, 135.4 Mt inferred); contained TREE computed from tonnage and grade La Paz 0.07 Mt at 0.04%*
Bubble size shows tonnes of mineralized material. * Contained TREO computed from tonnage and grade. Estimates use different reporting standards and dates (JORC, OSTI-cited figures, conceptual-stage estimates), so compare with care. La Paz's grade is reported as total rare earth elements (TREE), which reads lower than an oxide figure for the same rock. Deposits without a published tonnage and grade, including Round Top, are not plotted.

Which US rare earth projects will open next?

Round Top (2028) and Brook Mine (2031) are the only development-stage projects with a stated production target in the sources tracked here. Elk Creek targets construction start in Dec 2026, Halleck Creek targets a permit filing in late 2026, and Bear Lodge's federal permitting runs to Mar 2028.

Next milestones for the projects closest to production
ProjectNext milestoneWhenStated production date
Halleck Creek Pre-feasibility study; Wyoming permit-to-mine filing Q3 to Q4 2026 None stated
Round Top Definitive feasibility study completes Q4 2026 2028 (company target)
Elk Creek Construction start, subject to EXIM financing Dec 2026 None stated
Brook Mine Interim revised economics, then a pre-feasibility study End of 2026; PFS in 2027 2031 (company target)
White Mesa Mill Terbium and dysprosium circuits of the heavy rare earth expansion End of 2027 End of 2027 (company target)
Bear Lodge Federal permitting scheduled to finish (FAST-41) Mar 2028 None stated

A US mine takes 19 years on average to begin operation (S&P Global, cited by OSTI), so dates in this table are targets and not commitments. See the full list of upcoming milestones and the guide to reading project stages.

What do the status labels mean?

This directory gives every mine and project one of 5 statuses, defined once and used the same way everywhere, plus the "operating plant" label for the one tracked mill. A site is "Producing rare earths" only if it sells rare earth material today; plans, studies and permits never count as production.

Producing rare earths 1
Mining or processing rare earth material for sale today.
Other commodity with rare earth by-product or plan none now
An operating mine of another commodity (coal or titanium sands, for example) that yields a rare earth mineral as a by-product or has a rare earth recovery plan that is not yet commercial.
Development 5
Resource defined; feasibility, permitting or financing under way; no commercial rare earth output.
Exploration 7
Drilling or sampling; no feasibility-grade resource, or no rare earth resource estimate yet.
Historic or prospect soon
Known occurrence in USGS data without a current development program.
Processing / manufacturing (operating) 1
A plant that separates, refines, alloys, magnetizes or recycles, with commercial output under way.

Plants and facilities use 3 labels in total (operating, building and planned); the building and planned labels appear in the companies directory. Every status is explained on the methodology page, and the glossary defines TREO, NdPr, PFS and DFS.

Go deeper

How can I browse US rare earth mines by stage?

Each stage has its own page with a comparison table and a definition, and the map shows every site together.

Which states have rare earth mines and projects?

The 14 tracked sites sit in 9 states. Wyoming has the most with 3 (Brook Mine, Halleck Creek and Bear Lodge); California, Idaho, Montana and Utah have 2 each. Rare earth occurrences are reported in 19 states (DOE, cited by OSTI).

Which companies own the US rare earth mines?

The 14 tracked sites belong to 12 companies. MP Materials, Energy Fuels and Ramaco operate production or processing sites today; the other owners are developing or exploring.

Next in the supply chain

Rare earth companies in the US

A mine is only the first step. See the companies that separate, refine, alloy and magnetize rare earths, who owns them and what the government has funded.

Explore the companies

Government support tracker ยท Mine to magnet guide

Questions about US rare earth mines

Is Round Top a rare earth deposit in Texas?

Yes. Round Top is a heavy-rare-earth-rich deposit in Hudspeth County, Texas, near Sierra Blanca. USA Rare Earth owns 100% of it after closing its Texas Mineral Resources acquisition in Aug 2026. Round Top is in development, with a definitive feasibility study due in Q4 2026.

Is there a rare earth mine in Wyoming?

Wyoming has 3 tracked rare earth projects, all in development. Brook Mine is a coal deposit that has not produced commercially, Halleck Creek is the largest known US deposit by contained oxide, and Bear Lodge is in federal permitting through Mar 2028. None produces rare earths today.

Why is Mountain Pass the only active rare earth mine in the US?

Mountain Pass is the highest-grade US deposit, at about 5.98% TREO, and MP Materials restarted it in 2018. A new US mine takes 19 years on average to begin operation, and project capital costs run from $300M to $1.6B (S&P Global, cited by OSTI).

Where are US rare earths processed?

Two US sites separate rare earths commercially: Mountain Pass in California and White Mesa Mill in Utah (OSTI review, Jul 2026). White Mesa produced about 38 t of NdPr oxide in 2024, while Mountain Pass produced 917 t in Q1 2026 alone.

How many US states have rare earth deposits?

Rare earth occurrences are reported in 19 states (DOE, cited by OSTI), and USGS describes more than 200 districts and occurrences. This directory tracks 14 sites in 9 states that have an active development or exploration program.

Sources and verification

Each profile lists its sources, a confidence grade and a verification date. Order of authority: official records (SEC filings, agency documents), company documents and technical reports, research papers, then independent press. Syndicated copies and reference works are labeled and are never the only source for a number. Company-reported figures are labeled as such, and non-binding deals are labeled "letter of intent" or "conditional".

Tags show what kind of source each link is. How sources are ranked