What are the 15 rare earth metals?

The group consists of yttrium and the 15 lanthanide elements (lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium).

What are the 7 rare earth elements?

The 17 rare earth elements are: lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu), scandium (Sc), and yttrium (Y).

What are REEs used for?

Rare-earth elements (REEs) are used in the components of many devices used daily in our modern society, such as: the screens of smart phones, computers, and flat panel televisions; the motors of computer drives; batteries of hybrid and electric cars; and new generation light bulbs.

What are the characteristics of rare earth metals?

The rare earths are silver, silvery-white, or gray metals. The metals have a high luster but tarnish readily in air. The metals have high electrical conductivity. The rare earths share many common properties.

Which country has most rare earth?

1. China. Unsurprisingly, China has the highest reserves of rare earth minerals at 44 million MT. The country was also the world’s leading rare earths producer in 2020 by a long shot, putting out 140,000 MT.

Does Canada have rare earth metals?

Canada is home to an estimated 830,000 tonnes of rare earths reserves, and explorers in nearly every province have identified a potential deposit that could be mined.

Does the US have rare earth metals?

The United States has only one operational rare earths mine, in Mountain Pass, Calif. The site was acquired out of bankruptcy in 2017 by MP Materials, an American company that is working to refurbish a processing facility there that dates to the 1950s.

What are REEs?

The rare-earth elements (REEs) are a group of 17 elements (atomic numbers 57-71) that exhibit a range of unique electronic, optical and magnetic properties. Some rare earths are in fact more abundant than other better known elements. For example, there is more of the rare earth element neodymium than there is of gold.

Why are rare earth metals so rare?

Although originally thought to be rare, many of the minerals are actually common in the Earth’s crust. However, due to the difficulties in extracting the metal from the ore, rare is a fitting term. These elements rarely exist in pure form; they are usually found within other minerals, making them costly to mine.

Where do most rare earth metals come from?

Rare-earth ore deposits are found all over the world. The major ores are in China, the United States, Australia, and Russia, while other viable ore bodies are found in Canada, India, South Africa, and southeast Asia.