What are rare earth minerals?

Understanding what rare earth minerals are can help us appreciate their role in modern technology.

1. Rare Earth Elements (REEs)
   • Group of 17 elements (like Neodymium, Dysprosium, and Europium).
   • Used in smartphones, electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, and defence systems.
2. Precious Metals
   • Examples: Gold, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium.
   • Used in jewellery, electronics, and catalytic converters.
3. Strategic or Critical Minerals
   • Includes elements like Lithium, Cobalt, Tungsten, Tantalum, and Graphite.
   • Vital for batteries, aerospace, electronics, and military technologies.
4. Gemstones
   • Some are considered rare minerals, such as Tanzanite or Alexandrite.

What are rare earth minerals and their significance?

Exploring What are rare earth minerals and their applications

To delve deeper, one must explore what are rare earth minerals and their impact on our daily lives.

Mineral	Use
Lithium	Rechargeable batteries (phones, EVs)
Tantalite	Source of Tantalum for electronics
Cobaltite	Cobalt for high-strength alloys & batteries
Monazite	Source of rare earth elements These sources highlight why knowing what are rare earth minerals is essential for future innovations.
Zircon	Used in ceramics, nuclear fuel cladding
Beryl (Be)	Source of Beryllium (aerospace, X-ray tech)

 

Why are rare earth minerals important?

Many people ask, what are rare earth minerals, and why do they hold such importance in our society?

1. Critical for Modern Technology

Rare minerals are used in:

• Smartphones and computers (e.g., Tantalum, Neodymium)
• Televisions and LED lights (e.g., Europium, Yttrium)
• Magnets and speakers (e.g., Neodymium, Dysprosium)

Without rare minerals, modern electronics wouldn’t function properly.

In conclusion, what are rare earth minerals plays a crucial role in shaping technology and sustainability.

2. Key to Green Energy & Electric Vehicles

They are vital for building:

• Electric car batteries (Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel)
• Wind turbines (Rare earth magnets like Neodymium)
• Solar panels (Tellurium, Indium)

These minerals enable the shift to renewable energy and help fight climate change.

Understanding what are rare earth minerals can aid in recognising their value in combating climate change.

3. Essential for National Defence

Rare minerals are used in:

• Fighter jets and missile guidance systems
• Night vision devices
• Radar and communication systems

Governments often classify them as strategic minerals for defense.

Learning what are rare earth minerals can enlighten discussions about national security and technology.

4. Economic Importance

• High demand makes them valuable export resources.
• Countries rich in rare minerals can boost their economies.
• They support tech, manufacturing, and energy industries.

5. Limited Supply, High Risk

Few countries control most of the supply (e.g., China for rare earths, Congo for cobalt).

Hard to substitute: Many rare minerals have no good replacements.

Mining impacts: Extracting them can cause environmental harm or involve unethical labour practices.

Top 10 countries by rare‑earth element (REE) reserves, based on the latest data:

Curious minds often wonder, what are rare earth minerals, and how do they impact the global economy?

Country	Estimated REE Reserves (metric tons)
China	44 million – the world’s largest
Vietnam	~22 million – fast-growing, vertical supply chain
Brazil	~21 million – large clay deposit at Pela Ema
Russia	~10 million – fifth-largest globally
India	6.9 million – rich beach/sand sources
Australia	5.7 million – strong mining and projects
United States	~1.8 million – Mountain Pass mine active
Greenland	~1.5 million – developing large deposits
Tanzania	~0.89 million – emerging Ngualla project
Canada	~0.83 million – growing exploration

 

China holds nearly one-third of global reserves (~44 Mt) and remains the dominant producer and processor

Vietnam, Brazil, Russia, India, and Australia round out the top 6, each with 5–22 Mt of REE reserves

The U.S. has about 1.8 Mt, primarily from the Mountain Pass mine in California

Greenland, Tanzania, and Canada also boast reserves of nearly a million tons, with increasing mining interest

Be aware: these reserve figures represent amounts known to exist and are technically extractable, not current production levels.

How is China dominating in rare‑earth elements?

Ultimately, the question remains: what are rare earth minerals, and why do they matter?

Largest Rare Earth Reserves and Production

• Reserves: ~44 million metric tons – largest in the world.
• Production: Accounts for over 60–70% of global output (as of 2024).
• Major rare earth mining regions: Inner Mongolia (e.g., Bayan Obo), Sichuan, and Jiangxi.

Near-Monopoly on Processing

• China controls over 90% of global rare earth refining and processing capacity.
• Raw REEs must be separated chemically, a complex and environmentally hazardous process.
• Most countries export raw materials to China for processing, then import finished components back.

Refining is the bottleneck: Even if other countries mine REEs, they often rely on China to process them.

Vertical Integration

• China’s dominance isn’t just mining — it also:
  • Manufactures magnets, alloys, batteries, and other high-tech products.
  • Controls the entire supply chain, from mine to finished electronics or defence parts.

Strong Government Policy

• The Chinese government has heavily subsidized rare earth development since the 1980s.
• It:
  • Created state-owned mining giants.
  • Imposed export quotas (until WTO challenged it in 2014).
  • Enforced environmental rules selectively to consolidate control.

Low Costs and Environmental Trade-offs

• Historically, China offered cheaper rare earths by:
  • Allowing lax environmental enforcement (especially in small illegal mines).
  • Lower labour costs and large-scale mining.
• Other countries struggled to compete economically or ethically.

Global Dependency

• China is the primary supplier of rare earth materials to:
  • United States
  • Japan
  • Europe
  • South Korea
• Sectors affected: electric vehicles, wind turbines, smartphones, military tech, satellites, and medical devices.

Geopolitical Leverage

• China has used its dominance as a geopolitical tool:
  • In 2010, it restricted exports to Japan during a diplomatic dispute.
  • In recent years, it has threatened rare earth export controls during U.S. trade tensions.