Ralph J. Roberts Center for Research in Economic Geology

The Ralph J. Roberts Center for Research in Economic Geology (CREG) is a partnership between the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, the Nevada mining industry, and the U.S. Geological Survey. The program is administered by the Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering and is directed by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology. These partners conduct research that is both fundamental in understanding the genesis of mineral deposits and applicable to the discovery and production of mineral deposits.

The mutually supportive goals of the CREG program are to: 1) Prepare well-educated professionals for careers in the mining industry and research by exposing them to a wealth of expertise within the School, the industry, and the USGS, and 2) Produce and publish high-quality research results on topics of critical interest to the Nevada mining industry.

The CREG program is a center of study and learning that is leading to a greater understanding of the geology, geochemistry, geophysics, genesis and exploration of mineral deposits, especially Nevada’s famous Carlin-type gold deposits, which make the U.S. one of the largest producers of gold in the world. CREG’s funding comes mainly from annual donations from mining and mineral exploration companies, as well as from the Steven A. Roberts endowment. The pooled resources within CREG are mainly used to fund graduate students to complete Masters and PhD theses in the Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering.