Science Geologists make valuable discovery in remote Texas ranch - A new natural resource rush is underway

Geologists make valuable discovery in remote Texas ranch​

The property is currently leased for ranching, grazing, and hunting.​

By Ariana Garcia, Assistant News Editor June 27, 2025

Rare earth minerals have been discovered on a remote West Texas ranch.
SeventyFour/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Beneath the rugged desert terrain of a remote West Texas ranch, state officials have confirmed the presence of rare earth minerals—critical components in everything from smartphones to missile systems.

A geological survey conducted on the 353,785-acre property in Brewster County revealed the existence of these strategically valuable elements, according to the Texas General Land Office (GLO), which purchased the land in late 2024. The discovery positions the state-owned site as a potential player in the U.S. push for domestic sources of rare earths, which are currently dominated by foreign suppliers.

"A survey was completed that shows the presence of rare earth minerals," a GLO spokesperson told The Big Bend Sentinel. "Given the rugged terrain and remote location, any exploration or extraction would require significant planning; however, the GLO is open to exploring these options in the future." The agency has not identified specific minerals or locations.
The property is currently leased for ranching, grazing, and hunting. Local officials said they had not been informed of the mineral discovery.

Rare earth minerals were recently discovered on a ranch in Brewster County purchased by the Texas General Land Office in fall 2024.
Laurence Parent

"I don't get the sense that rare earth is one of their plans," Brewster County Judge Greg Henington told The Big Bend Sentinel. "If it was, it's probably years away, just because of the difficulty of getting in there and getting [rare earth minerals] out, and what do you do with them? Who can process them?"

Interest in rare earth development is already underway elsewhere in West Texas. In neighboring Hudspeth County, USA Rare Earth is working to develop the Round Top mine near Sierra Blanca. That project has drawn environmental opposition from residents concerned about potential impacts from open pit mining and heap leaching.
"Keep in mind, this is a highly toxic project that uses lots of water and does lots of surface destruction because they'd be doing open pit mining using dangerous chemicals," environmental activist Bill Addington, who has spoken out against the Round Top site, told The Big Bend Sentinel. "My community is real opposed to that."
Meanwhile, the U.S. Geological Survey, through its Earth Mapping Resources Initiative, continues aerial surveys across the region to identify additional mineral-rich zones along the alkaline igneous belt stretching from Mexico to Colorado.

Link (Archive)

 

[Troonos]

Great, now the federal government will use eminent domain to steal a state's property and its resources.

 

[Dante Alighieri]

God has a special providence for fools, drunkards, and the United States of America.

 

[ZsaZsaBinks]

God has a special providence for fools, drunkards, and the United States of America.

And China too. Their rare Earth mining has caused pollution and illnesses.

 

[Diana Moon Glampers]

Rare earth minerals are present in many places. The only reason they tend to be mined in the most godforsaken places on Earth is that the requirements for mining them are environmentally destructive, with working conditions that are difficult to raise to first-world, litigious society standards.

What this really means is that we're at a moment in the history of the United States where starting actually mining these resources at home is a real possibility. People are worried about war and no longer feel comfortable with distributed global supply chains for necessary raw materials. The POTUS is actively pro-development and pro-industry, as well as pro-domestic sourcing for resources vital to national security. If Trump wanted to have leverage against China: "actually, we have our own rare earth minerals mining, we have the most beautiful, the most productive, the most modern mines in the world, far better than yours, not that yours are terrible, but this thing in Texas is something totally beyond anything China has ever seen."

Someone who previously knew this existed, but also knew the red tape would tie up the project for decades and possibly stop it before it ever off the ground, now strikes while the iron is hot. Honestly, hope it works. I would like to bring tech manufacturing back home, and this kind of mining is one of several preliminary prerequisites.

 

[Buttigieg2020]

Rare earth minerals are present in many places.

They’re basically everywhere, it’s just a matter of finding a location with a financially viable concentration of them.

The only reason they tend to be mined in the most godforsaken places on Earth is that the requirements for mining them are environmentally destructive, with working conditions that are difficult to raise to first-world, litigious society standards.

Absolutely true, but there have been advancements in cleaner refining for these materials.

What this really means is that we're at a moment in the history of the United States where starting actually mining these resources at home is a real possibility.

It’s been a big goal of the last two administrations. The US used to produce the majority of the world’s refined rare earths. The only reason we stopped is because we wanted to outsource the environmental impact to China.

 

[Audit]

Great, now the federal government will use eminent domain to steal a state's property and its resources.

A geological survey conducted on the 353,785-acre property in Brewster County revealed the existence of these strategically valuable elements, according to the Texas General Land Office (GLO), which purchased the land in late 2024. The discovery positions the state-owned site as a potential player in the U.S. push for domestic sources of rare earths, which are currently dominated by foreign suppliers.

It's more suspicious how this magically appears in the property of the state of Texas right as it's deemed to be useful. I'd say glowies were all over this a decade ago. Feds won't expropriate shit. They already control it through their state-based intermediary. I'm just waiting to see a lot more ranchers sell off their properties at shockingly opportune times and for the government or its trusted assets to snatch it all up.

 

[mindlessobserver]

It's more suspicious how this magically appears in the property of the state of Texas right as it's deemed to be useful. I'd say glowies were all over this a decade ago. Feds won't expropriate shit. They already control it through their state-based intermediary. I'm just waiting to see a lot more ranchers sell off their properties at shockingly opportune times and for the government or its trusted assets to snatch it all up.

Probably more that the original owners of the property knew too and also knew they had no way to actually exploit it themselves. This is the gold mine problem. Sure, you might own a Gold Vein 500 meters below your property.

But it's useless too you. Because you yourself are not going to dig through 500 meters of dirt and rock, find the ore, refine the ore, and then make a profit. The era of wildcat mining is long since gone, since that relied on surface level shit you could literally pick up off the ground.

 

[Skeletonized Cow]

Literally every time. Now we just need to rebuild the industry to properly.exploit it.

 

[Angry Alt Right Nerd]

Suddenly everyone on kiwifarms has shifted from geopolitical military strategists to national industry development consultants

 

[Snekposter]

View attachment 7577900
Literally every time. Now we just need to rebuild the industry to properly.exploit it.

It would appear our continuing superiority is the source of some controversy.

 

[BobbyBriggs69420]

Suddenly everyone on kiwifarms has shifted from geopolitical military strategists to national industry development consultants

My grandpa and the men before him did just fine without any faggy "rare earth minerals", sounds like something only some queer with a 20-syllable Starbucks order would like. (I wouldnt fuck AOC with a stolen dick btw, she's so ugly)

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

Doesn't matter, the government would make any use of it several times higher through regulation.