Japan finds rich rare earth deposits on seabed
- Published: 21 Mar 2013 at 18.49
- Online news: Asia
Japanese researchers said Thursday they have found a rich deposit of rare earths on the Pacific seabed, with reports suggesting it could be up to 30 times more concentrated than Chinese reserves.
Rare earths undergoing processing in large steel pipes are cooled off with dripping water at a privately-owned factory on the outskirts of Baotou city in Inner Mongolia, northwest China on April 21, 2011.
Mud samples taken from 5,800 metres (19,000 feet) below the waves contained highly concentrated amounts of the precious minerals, which are vital for high-tech manufacturing and used in products including wind turbines and iPods.
This article is older than 60 days, which we reserve for our premium members only.You can subscribe to our premium member subscription, here.
