The data were obtained in support of studies aimed at assessing prospective granite-derived regolith in the southeastern United States for the potential for rare earth element resources, such as the regolith-related REE, or REE-ion adsorption clay type deposits. Regolith-hosted REE deposits, also known as “ion-adsorption” clay-hosted REE deposits are currently mined only in South China. This deposit type supplies virtually all heavy (Gd-Lu) REE and a significant portion of light (La-Eu) REE to global markets (Foley and Ayuso, 2015); thus, discoveries of highly prospective US domestic resources of this type are of great societal value. Associated references: Foley, N.K., and Ayuso, R.A., 2013, REE mobility in high-alumina altered metavolcanic deposits, South Carolina, USA. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 133, 50-67. Foley, N.K., Ayuso, R.A., Bern, C.R., Hubbard, B.E., Vazquez, J.A., 2014, REE Distribution and Mobility in Regolith formed on Granite Bedrock of the Southeast United States: Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition), vol. 88, suppl. 2; 14th Quadrennial International Association on the Genesis of Ore Deposits Symposium, Mineral Resources: Discovery and Utilization, Kunming, China, p. 428-431. Foley, N.K., Ayuso, R.A., 2015, REE enrichment in granite-derived regolith deposits of the Southeastern United States: Prospective source rocks and accumulation processes. In: Simandl, G.J., Neetz, M. (Eds.), Symposium on Strategic and Critical Materials Proceedings, British Columbia Geological Survey Paper 2015-3, p. 131-138. Foley, N.K., Ayuso, R.A., Hubbard, B., Bern, C., Shah, A., 2015, Geochemical, remote sensing, geophysical, and mineralogical characteristics of REE in granite-derived regolith of the southeastern United States: 13th Biennial Meeting, Proceedings of the Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits, v. 2, p. 725-730.
