Historic mine waste in New Mexico

New Mexico has a long history of mining, with hundreds of mining districts across the state, many of which contain inactive operations with legacy tailings and waste rock. Many of these wastes contain substantial mineral resources that could be used to support domestic demand for critical minerals. We are characterizing the microbial communities that have developed in these tailings and waste rock, which impact biogeochemical cycling in the deposits and may represent importance resources for future bioremediation or metal recovery efforts.