Japan finds rare earths in Pacific seabed

BBC : China currently produces 97% of the world’s rare-earth metals, which are used in industrial applications, green-energy technologies, and high-tech appliances. However, Yasuhiro Kato of the University of Tokyo and colleagues now say they have discovered deposits of the minerals in the sea mud of the Pacific Ocean floor. Kato estimates that one square kilometer of the deposits could provide 20% of the world’s annual consumption, with the deposits overall amounting to 80–100 billion tons. Their findings were reported in Nature Geoscience. The US Geological Survey had previously estimated global reserves at about 100 million tons, with most reserves located in China, Russia and other former Soviet countries, and the US.