Rare Earth News

Rare earths hold place as kings of electronic industry

Some of the world's most vital electronics, including optical fibers, lasers and capacitors, are dependent on one or more of the rare earth elements, New Electronics reports.

In total, there are 17 rare earth elements, all of which are used in the electronics industry in some way. And despite their name, certain metals, such as cerium, are actually bountiful. The trick lies in commercially exploiting the precious minerals.

Only small amounts of rare earths are used in their respective products, but the fact that China has until recently claimed a monopoly on mining for rare earth has caused some alarm regarding where the minerals may come from if China discontinued its exports, the news provider stated.

If there were a shortage of neodymium, one of the most widely used elements, hybrid cars could not be built, while laptops would lose their main component for mass storage in a small space. 

But new rare earth mining companies are cropping up in many countries. Canada, for example, has seen many new mining operations. One exploration in British Columbia has found major deposits of niobium, lanthanum, neodymium and titanium that are currently be excavated.