Domestic mineral exploration is currently in decline owing to intertwined market, legislative, environmental and political factors. Consequently many U.S. businesses, universities and government agencies involved in mineral resources are reassessing and readjusting their research and development priorities. Many research programs in economic geology and mining are being downsized or phased out, and the number of domestic students pursuing careers in economic geology is diminishing. Based on a recent survey, Prof. Marco Einaudi of Stanford University estmates that only about 80 Ph.D. candidates are now enrolled in the discipline of economic geology at North American universities [ M. T. Einaudi, pers. commun., 1994].
In spite of these trends, our national per capita consumption of mineral resources continues to grow and that of much of the rest of the world is rapidly catching up with ours. Those domestic mineral resources which we can still exploit must be extracted more delicately and their carcasses restored more carefully to an acceptable environmental state. We are increasingly dependent upon, and increasingly competing with, the developing nations for their mineral resources. Within many of these nations, political and environmental constraints on mineral exploration and development are likely to grow with time.
In light of these constraints, our need to understand metallogenesis and the occurrence of ore deposits, and our ability to exploit domestic and foreign mineral resources more efficiently and carefully, must remain a high national priority. Otherwise we risk becoming a vulnerable mineral-import dependent nation with no ability to exploit its own resources in times of strife and no ready supply of domestic professionals who can compete on the international scene. Unfortunately, our vulnerability is exacerbated by the fact that the average U. S. citizen has little appreciation of the critical role that mineral and energy resources play in their high standard of living. Efforts to correct this situation must begin early in the educational process, a fact that some government and industry agencies are now vigorously addressing.