Rare Earth Directory

Illinois · state page

Rare earth mines in Illinois: one historic deposit, none tracked

Illinois has no tracked rare earth mine, plant or company. The USGS describes one historic deposit here, Hicks Dome: a dome 14.5 km across over an alkaline intrusion in the Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar district, with a thorium and rare earth breccia at depth. No company reports rare earth work there. A fluorspar company bought mineral rights around the dome in Nov 2025 (company-reported), and the Illinois State Geological Survey is studying it with USGS funding.

The USGS record for Hicks Dome comes from its 2010 report and its 2002 database, and it records no rare earth production. The page below sets that record beside the activity found since 2024.

Verified through Oct 1, 2026

See the deposit All historic deposits
Hicks Dome: Historic or prospect Hicks Dome
The pin marks a USGS-described historic or prospect district, not a tracked project. Positions are those the USGS gives.
Tracked sites and companies
0None on the map or in the registry
USGS-described deposit
1Hicks Dome
USGS 2002 database records
1Site recorded in Illinois
Latest activity found
Nov 2025CleanTech Vanadium Mining (company-reported)

Which historic rare earth deposit is in Illinois?

Illinois has one principal historic or prospect deposit, Hicks Dome, in Hardin and Pope Counties, southern Illinois, in the Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar district. The USGS record below is set beside what has been found since 2024, which this directory classes as "claims or rights held".

Hicks Dome

Hardin and Pope Counties, southern Illinois, in the Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar district

Alkaline intrusion Claims held

The USGS record

Type
A dome 14.5 km across over an alkaline intrusion, with a thorium and rare earth breccia at depth
Minerals
Monazite and florencite (tentative), with fluorspar
How it was found
A hole drilled in the 1950s near the apex crossed mineralized breccia; airborne gamma-ray data later mapped its radioactivity.
USGS status, 2010
No exploration appeared active in 2010.
Production
None.
Resource figures
No USGS estimate in 2010. One drill hole crossed mineralized breccia from 490 m to 897 m deep; eight core samples held 0.1% to 0.99% yttrium and up to 0.18% thorium oxide. The USGS says the depth may limit the resource.

Found since 2024

  • Nov 18, 2025 CleanTech Vanadium Mining (TSXV: CTV): Closed the purchase of 37 fluorspar mineral-rights parcels (1,605 acres) around Hicks Dome for US$68,700, bringing its Illinois holdings to 2,846 acres. It says it is "intrigued" by possible rare earth discoveries nearby; no rare earth work is reported. Company-reported CleanTech Vanadium Mining: Illinois fluorspar acquisition around Hicks Dome (Nov 18, 2025)
  • Ongoing in 2025 and 2026 Illinois State Geological Survey: Studies Hicks Dome with Hicks Dome LLC in three phases funded by the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative: airborne surveys, more than 200 samples, then soil and regolith. It describes the heavy rare earth content as about ten times that of other notable US deposits. Agency Illinois State Geological Survey: Hicks Dome

A company holds claims or mineral rights; no rare earth work was found.

Hicks Dome on the historic deposits page · USGS 2010, page 56 · USGS 2002 record 35

What does the Illinois State Geological Survey say about Hicks Dome?

The survey estimates 12 to 65 million raw tons of critical minerals ore at the dome and says its heavy rare earth content is about ten times that of other notable US deposits. That is the survey's own estimate, not a resource under a modern reporting code.

  • The survey's estimate The Illinois State Geological Survey estimates between 12 and 65 million raw tons of critical minerals ore within various deposits at Hicks Dome, and says its heavy rare earth concentrations are about an order of magnitude above other notable US deposits. It says the dome is unusually rich in dysprosium, scandium and yttrium. The figure is for critical minerals ore in general, not a rare earth oxide tonnage. Illinois State Geological Survey: Hicks Dome
  • Three phases of study Phase I was airborne surveys by the USGS. In phase II the survey collected more than 200 new samples and found isolated carbonatite veins enriched in light rare earths. Phase III looks at shallow soil, regolith and fluorspar occurrences. The survey works with Hicks Dome LLC, with grants from the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative. Illinois State Geological Survey: Hicks Dome
  • The fluorspar district around it Hicks Dome sits inside the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District, which the survey says produced over 90% of the nation's fluorspar until the late 20th century. The USGS record says the depth of the mineralized breccia may limit the resource. Illinois State Geological Survey: Hicks Dome
  • Other rare earth work in Illinois The survey's Illinois Basin CORE-CM initiative evaluates strategic elements in coal, coal-based resources and waste streams from coal use. Its Earth MRI studies also cover rare earth-bearing phosphorites and metalliferous black shales. The survey gives no dates or results for these on its page. Illinois State Geological Survey: critical minerals

Who licenses thorium-bearing rare earth material in Illinois?

Illinois's state radiation control program does, not the NRC. Illinois is an Agreement State: it has signed an agreement under which the state licenses and inspects source material, which is uranium, thorium or ore with 0.05% or more of either by weight. Unrefined and unprocessed ore is exempt, so the question arises when ore is processed.

Agreement State

The USGS says eight core samples from Hicks Dome held up to 0.18% thorium oxide. Thorium is why a licensing question arises if rare earth ore from the dome is ever processed.

The NRC and Agreement State page explains the 0.05% and 0.25% limits and how the decision runs.

Which neighboring states have rare earth projects?

Indiana borders Illinois and has tracked rare earth sites, companies or pilots. Missouri borders it and has a page for a historic deposit only.

All states: rare earth mines, projects and companies by US state. A tracked state has a mine, plant, company or pilot in the directory; a state marked H has a page for a historic deposit only.

Questions about rare earth in Illinois

Does Illinois have rare earth mines?

No. Illinois has no tracked rare earth mine, plant or company, and the only active primary rare earth mine in the United States is Mountain Pass in California. The USGS describes one historic deposit here, Hicks Dome, and records no rare earth production there.

Is Hicks Dome being developed for rare earths?

No. A fluorspar company holds mineral rights around Hicks Dome and says it is intrigued by possible rare earth discoveries nearby, but no rare earth drilling or program is reported. The Illinois State Geological Survey is studying the dome with USGS funding.

What rare earth minerals occur at Hicks Dome?

The USGS 2002 database lists xenotime, bastnäsite and churchite at Hicks Dome. Its 2010 report describes monazite and florencite (tentative), with fluorspar. This site has pages on xenotime and bastnaesite.

How much rare earth does Hicks Dome hold?

This directory found no estimate under a modern reporting code. The USGS 2002 database lists 14.7 million tonnes at 0.42% rare earth oxide (1978). Its 2010 report gives no estimate. The Illinois State Geological Survey estimates 12 to 65 million raw tons of critical minerals ore, which is not a rare earth oxide tonnage. None of these figures is comparable to the tracked projects; see how to read resource estimates.

Is Illinois an NRC Agreement State?

Yes. Illinois has signed an agreement under which the state, not the NRC, licenses and inspects source material, which is uranium, thorium or ore with 0.05% or more of either by weight. Unrefined and unprocessed ore is exempt. See NRC and Agreement State licensing for rare earth projects.

Is there rare earth or scandium processing in Illinois?

Not as a tracked project. The USGS says scandium was not commercially mined or recovered in the US in 2025, and lists more scandium capacity under development in Urbana, Illinois, without naming a company in its summary. See yttrium and scandium producers in the US.

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

Related: historic and prospect deposits, rare earth mines in the US, rare earth companies in the US, the map of tracked sites, and the mineral pages on xenotime and bastnaesite. The NRC and Agreement State page covers licensing.