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The Not-So-Rare Earths

It surprises most people to learn that several of the so-called rare earth elements are not actually that rare compared to much more familiar elements. Neodymium, praseodymium, samarium, gadolinium, dysprosium, erbium, and ytterbium are all more abundant than more familiar elements like bromine, uranium, or tin. Europium, holmium, terbium, lutetium, and thulium are more abundant than iodine, silver, or mercury. Yet few people have even heard of most of the rare earths. The reason is that rare earths tend not to concentrate in large ore deposits in the way that better known metals do. Historically there have been fewer profits to be made from mining rare earth elements, and there have been fewer applications developed for them in industry. [Pg.169]

That situation has changed in recent years, however. The discovery of major deposits of rare earths in China has led to extensive research into their properties and the development of applications in technologies such as magnets and hybrid vehicles. [Pg.169]

Between 1965 and 1995 the Mountain Pass Mine in southern California supplied most of the rare earth metals used around the world. Competition from China, however, led to the closure of the mine. In recent years the worldwide demand for rare earths has become so great that the Mountain Pass Mine reopened in 2011. [Pg.170]


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