Neb. mine find to challenge China’s dominance of vital rare minerals

Geologist Matt Joeckel displays a core sample of carbonatite rock containing niobium and rare-earth elements, which was taken from a deposit near Elk Creek, Neb., in early February. (Associated Press)

Elk Creek, Neb. (population 112), may not be so tiny much longer. Reports suggest that the southeastern Nebraska hamlet may be sitting on the world’s largest untapped deposit of “rare earth” minerals, which have proved to be indispensable to a slew of high-tech and military applications such as laser pointers, stadium lighting, electric car batteries and sophisticated missile-guidance systems.

Canada-based Quantum Rare Earths Developments Corp. last week received preliminary results from test drilling in the area, showing “significant” proportions of “rare earth” minerals and niobium.

The only people more excited than Quantum? The residents of Elk Creek, where nearly one in seven people live under the poverty line, but whose economy has been booming ever since the company showed up late last year to start laying the groundwork for a possible mining bonanza.

“It’s been a very, very positive experience for our community,” said state Sen. Lavon Heidemann, an Elk Creek farmer. “When Quantum came in here, they put money in the local community. And any time you have money flowing in a small town, that’s a positive.”

The potential mining operation, the first in the U.S. in a decade, could have an international impact as well. U.S. officials and lawmakers in Congress have been eager to break the near monopoly on global production of the 17 rare-earth .....

I think China kinda messed up. The rare-earth minerals are really not that rare. What you need is a concentration of the minerals AND a willingness to extract them. Pollution is a major byproduct of extracting the minerals and China has for a long time been willing to ignore the consequences. Now there will be economic incentive to find and extract these minerals from around the world.

The problem isn't in finding the so-called "rare earths" ~ it's been known for decades that they are quite commonly found EVERYWHERE.

At the same time they are found in mineable quantities in a limited number of spots ~ a good dozen are in New Mexico alone (just for example).

Because of the concentrations of the rare earths mixed together in the ore bodies the resulting processing for extraction is quite complex. Then there's this problem with THORIUM ~ which is mildly radioactive ~ and as the processing proceeds it gets "concentrated" and next thing you know it's a "radioactive waste" product.

Just busting up these ore bodies at the mechanical crushing stage releases radioactive materials ~ so most mines treat it all initially as posing some degree of radioactive danger to people ~ EXCEPT IN CHINA.

You might want to read this piece to get an idea of the problems faced in mining, processing, extracting and working with the rare earths, et al. http://geology.com/usgs/ree-geology/

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