Rare Earth Minerals mines

Jade,Rare earth minerals are a group of 17 chemical elements—scandium, yttrium, and the 15 lanthanides—that are vital for numerous high-tech applications, including magnets in electric vehicles and wind turbines, smartphone components, and medical devices. While not actually "rare" in abundance, they are called so because they are found in low concentrations, making extraction difficult and costly. China is the largest producer, but Australia, Vietnam, and other countries also have significant deposits.
What they are:
A group of 17 elements: This group includes all 15 lanthanide elements, plus scandium and yttrium.
Key properties: REEs have high density, high melting points, and high conductivity, which makes them suitable for various technologies.
Why they are important:
Essential for clean energy:
They are crucial for powerful permanent magnets used in electric vehicles and wind turbines.
Used in advanced electronics:
They are found in components for smartphones, computers, and other high-tech devices.
Critical for defense and medical applications:
REEs are used in military equipment and medical technologies like MRI machines.
Why they are called "rare" despite their abundance:
Low concentrations:
REEs are scattered widely across the Earth's crust, rather than being concentrated in large deposits.
Difficult to extract:
Isolating and concentrating these elements from other minerals is a complex and lengthy process.
Major uses:
Neodymium (Nd): Key for high-strength magnets in electric motors and wind turbines.
Dysprosium (Dy) and Terbium (Tb): Used in magnets and backlighting for displays, ensuring high performance and heat resistance.
Cerium (Ce): Found in catalytic converters, glass polishing, and lightbulbs.
Europium (Eu): Essential for color displays and LED lighting.
Yttrium (Y): Used in producing screen colors and in laser technology.
Availability and production:
Global deposits:
While China leads production, significant rare earth deposits are found in Australia, the U.S., Vietnam, and India, among others.
Strategic importance:
Their vital role in modern technology and national security makes rare earths a subject of intense global competition.

Rare Earth Elements
From sources across the web

Scandium
.
Sc

Neodymium
.
Nd

Cerium
.
Ce

Yttrium
.
Y
Lanthanum
.
La

Dysprosium
.
Dy
Samarium
.
Sm

Terbium
.
Tb

Praseodymium
.
Pr

Europium
.
Eu

Gadolinium
.
Gd

Ytterbium
.
Yb

Holmium
.
Ho

Lutetium
.
Lu

Thulium
.
Tm

Erbium
.
Er

Promethium