Gold LEAF Institute Course Catalogue

In-Person and Hybrid

This course will discuss critical and rare earth minerals, their distribution globally, and their importance to society and a low-carbon future. Also discussed will be the occurrence of these deposits in Maine and controversies over potential mining.

January 21, 2026

2:30 - 4:00 pm

Location: The Landing, Olsen Learning Center, Lower Level

John Slack is a retired geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, where he worked for 42 years. He holds a Ph.D. in economic geology from Stanford University (1976) and is on the editorial boards of three scientific journals. Over the past decade, John's research has focused on critical and rare earth minerals, especially in Maine.