Priority 1: preservation and inventory of the OAK grove core rescue and preservation of historic mineral mine records digital gems conversion of the leonardtown 30 x 60-minute quadrangle priority 2:…

The Virginia Department of Energy's Mined Land Reclamation Division received a $297,589.19 Project Grant award from the U.S. Geological Survey under the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (CFDA 15.814), effective September 15, 2025 through September 14, 2027. The award supports three coordinated priorities focused on geological data preservation and critical minerals research. Priority 1 activities include cataloging and digitizing 166 boxes of rock core samples from the Oak Grove Core Hole in northeastern Virginia and rescuing historic mineral mining records currently archived on microfilm, with all materials integrated into the Registry of Scientific Collections (RESCiColl) and made publicly accessible via web platforms. Priority 2 involves modernizing the Mineral Resources of Virginia database by migrating legacy data to a GEMS Geographic Information Systems (GIS) platform, incorporating newly discovered mineral locations identified since 2000, and implementing improved safety storage infrastructure for radioactive rock samples through acquisition of lead-lined storage and display boxes.

Priority 3 extends ongoing geochemical analyses of whole rock and borehole samples to characterize critical minerals composition and establishes a strategic preservation plan for critical mineral mine waste samples designated for collection and storage over the subsequent several years. Collectively, these deliverables enhance Virginia's digital geoscience infrastructure, improve public access to geological and mining heritage data through web map services and online repositories, and advance the Commonwealth's capability to inventory and preserve critical minerals information in support of national resource security objectives.

Intended beneficiaries

These projects will enhance the accessibility and discoverability of their collections to the public, scientists and historians. The recipient will be able to safely store radioactive rock specimens and display them in out geologic library which is open to the public. The recipient will further analyze the critical mineral potential of existing samples, making these data available to the public.subrecipients: n a