Periodical mineral commodity summaries online usgs minerals information. Zinc statistics and information usgs mineral resources. Special issue on rare earths united nations conference. Mine planning and equipment selection supply chain of rare earth elements rees authors.
The elements range in crustal abundance from cerium, the 25th most abundant element of the 78 common elements in the earths. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, government programs, tariffs, and 5year salient statistics for over 90 individual minerals and materials. Geological survey mineral commodity summaries 2016. The usgs mineral resources program has investigated domestic and selected foreign ree resources for many decades, and this report summarizes what has been learned from this research. In conclusion, academics, students, and practitioners should consider this contribution as an excellent overview of the topic of export restrictions that is not limited to a presentation of the current disciplines, but that also offers an insight into the future by explaining how these disciplines might develop. Geological survey, min eral commodity summaries, rare earths. Group 3 is a group of elements in the periodic table. They have special chemical, catalytic, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties and are, therefore, widely used in traditional sectors, including agriculture, petrochemicals, metallurgy, and textiles, as well as in strategic emerging industries such as hybrid cars and wind turbines 1,2,3. You will be sent email requesting confirmation, to prevent others from gratuitously subscribing you. Table 1 provides the usgss estimates of production rate and reserves of several countries.
All current and many past publications are available in pdf format and some are. Mineral commodity summaries published on an annual basis, this report is the earliest government publication to furnish estimates covering nonfuel mineral industry data. Mineral commodity summaries 2017 minerals make life. Mineral commodity summaries 2012 minerals make life. Location, geologic and mineral economic data for world rare earth mines, deposits, and occurrences compiled from published and nonpublished sources. Subscribers to this list will receive an email notification when a new publication is posted to the usgs national minerals information center nmic rare earths statistics and information web page. Rare earths re are critical minerals that are used for economic development. Zinc is necessary to modern living, and, in tonnage produced, stands fourth among all metals in world production being exceeded only by iron, aluminum, and copper. Recent international media attention to the very rapid rates of economic and industrial growth particularly in china and india, relative to europe, north america, and japan, indicates that the emerging economies and their global influence are also gaining. Mineral commodity summaries online library of congress.
The countrys thorium reserves make up 25 per cent of the global reserves. Geological survey usgs mineral commodity summaries mcs includes information on events, trends, and issues for each mineral commodity as well as discussions and tabular presentations on domestic industry structure, government programs, tariffs, 5year salient statistics, and world production and resources. China not only is the largest consumer of the rare earth elements but it holds more reserves than the other countries. Rare earth elements in north dakota lignite coal and. The emergence and growth of several foreign economies have been of interest to u. Sphalerite, zinc sulfide, is and has been the principal ore mineral in the world. The principal economic sources of rare earths are the minerals bastnasite, monazite, and loparite and the lateritic ionadsorption clays. Apr 09, 2018 according to the usgs 2017 mineral commodity summary report, china accounted for about 83% of the total global ree supply in 2016, down from about 95% prior to 2010.
Jan 25, 2018 european industry is dependent on the import of raw materials. Rare earth elements mineralprocessing flow sheet for the mountain pass mine, california 8 current sources and domestic reserves 3. Published annually, this government report contains estimates covering nonfuel mineral industry structure, government programs, tariffs, and 5year salient statistics for about 90 individual mineral commodities. The principal rare earth elements deposits of the united statesa summary of domestic deposits and a global perspective. However, the distribution of re in the world is uneven. Rareearthelementmineral formation in parental magma sources. Background, oversight issues, and options for congress congressional research service, march 31, 2011. Mine planning and equipment selection supply chain of rare earth elements rees. Soil commonly contains an average of around 6 parts per million ppm of thorium.
Us geological survey usgs publishes a mineral commodity summaries annually. There are two sets of estimates that define world thorium reserves, one set by the united states geological survey usgs and the other supported by reports from the oecd and the international atomic energy agency the iaea. Thorium is found in small amounts in most rocks and soils. Mineral commodity summaries 1 book annually january. Thorium is mined in conjunction with uranium, so much that estimates of reserves for these elements are made based off of uranium content. The principal rare earth elements deposits of the united states. The rare earths are a relatively abundant group of 17 elements composed of scandium, yttrium, and the lanthanides. Scandium is a chemical element with the symbol sc and atomic number 21. Mitigating the effects of the shortage in rare earths depends in large part on the ability of mines. Joseph gambogi, united states geological survey, mineral commodity summaries, 2017. Geological surveys mineral resources external research program funded several initiatives related to rare earths.
Rare earth elements in north dakota lignite coal and lignite. Geological survey usgs mineral commodity summaries mcs includes information on events, trends, and issues for each mineral commodity as well as discussions and tabular presentations on domestic industry structure, government programs, tariffs, 5year salient statistics, and world. Higher uranium prices and geopolitical developments have enhanced the economic potential for recovering these. Present knowledge of the distribution of thorium resources is poor because of the relatively lowkey exploration efforts arising out of insignificant demand. The name originated from their discovery in the 18th century, where at the time they were discovered with a class of oxides called earths and the. Rare earth element references 1 rare earth elements critical resources for high technology. Personal technology demand outlook, 20102015 million units. Mine planning and equipment selection supply chain of rare. Chinas 21st century gold rush, bbc news june 2010 infographic examining chinas role in the rare earths market. Rare earths re are important mineral resources for economic growth, clean energy development and national defense due to their specific chemical and physical properties mclellan et al. Book printed material the new york mining directory. Usgs united states geological survey row rest of the world reo rare earth oxides brics brazil, russian federation, india, china, south africa. Geographic coordinates are provided for 577 of the 799 deposits described here.
Mineral commodity summaries online other title usgs minerals information. At the final conference of the european rare earths competency network, kingsnorth stated that china admitted a 40% share of illegal magnetic re supply moores, 2014. The elemental forms of rare earths are iron gray to silvery lustrous metals that are typically soft, malleable, and ductile and usually reactive, especially at elevated temperatures or when finely divided. Geological survey, 2010, mineral commodity summaries. Chinas dominant position as the producer of over 95 percent of the world output of rareearth minerals and rapid increases in the consumption of rare earths owing to the emergence of new cleanenergy and defenserelated technologies, combined with chinas decisions to restrict exports of rare earths, have resulted in heightened concerns about.
An overview of the usefulness and strategic value of rare. Minerals free fulltext sustainability of rare earths. This group, like other dblock groups, should contain four elements, but it is not agreed what elements belong in the group. Jackson wd, christiansen g 1993 international strategic minerals inventory summary reportrareearth oxides. Nmic commodityspecific publications consist of minerals yearbooks and mineral commodity summaries on an annual basis, monthly or quarterly mineral industry surveys for certain mineral commodities. Because it has become increasingly important and widely used, the resource tax has been implemented to solve the negative externality of re exploitation in china.
Chinas rare earth deposits account for 80 percent of identified global reserves, you can compare the status of these reserves to that of oil. This communication addresses supply and substitution options for selected critical raw materials. Minerals free fulltext sustainability of rare earthsan. United nations conference on trade and development n special issue on rare earths commodities at a glance printed at united nations, geneva ge. This publication is available only as a pdf document. Unctad secretariat from mineral commodity summaries. Zinc is the 23 rd most abundant element in the earths crust. For an overview of usgs information products, including maps, imagery, and publications.
Geological survey minerals information introduction. Geological survey minerals information introduction and background overview for the useu workshop on. Rare rareearth industry overview and defense applications by james b. Prepared as a cooperative effort among earthscience and mineralresource agencies of australia, canada, the federal republic of germany, the republic of south africa, the united kingdom, and the united states of america. Jan 10, 2011 the rare earth elements ree are fifteen elements with atomic numbers 57 through 71, from lanthanum to lutetium lanthanides, plus yttrium 39, which is chemically similar to the lanthanide elements and thus typically included with the rare earth elements. Other deposits include hematitebreccia complex deposits, magmatichydrothermal uranium in ironoxide cuau deposits and quartzpebble conglomerate deposits world nuclear, 2010. Rareearth elements usgs publications repository usgs. Ruth 1998 indicators of dematerialization and the materials intensity of use. Commodities at a glance special issue on rare earths. Industrial applications and economic dependency of europe. This book is a guide to the primary commodity universe, an increasingly crucial part of the world economy. Geological survey usgs mineral commodity summaries mcs includes information on events. Rare earths re have been the focus of much attention in recent years as a consequence of a number of converging factors, prominent among which are. Material use factsheet center for sustainable systems.
An analysis of iron ore prices during the latest commodity boom. A directory to all the mining corporations represented in new york. Ree rare earth elements metals, minerals, mining, uses. These publications cover mineral commodities and are published annually. Usgs minerals information history and future directions. A large amount of uranium is in rare earths deposits, and may be extracted as a byproduct. Annual illegal production is estimated to be 40,000 t xinhua, 2014. Geological survey usgs mineral commodity summaries mcs includes information on events, trends, and issues for each mineral commodity as well as discussions and tabular presentations on domestic industry structure, government programs, tariffs, 5year salient statistics, and world production and.
These publications are now the responsibility of the minerals information team mit. The rare earth elements ree are fifteen elements with atomic numbers 57 through 71, from lanthanum to lutetium lanthanides, plus yttrium 39, which is chemically similar to the lanthanide elements and thus typically included with the rare earth elements. The mineral commodity summaries publication is part of the core function of the minerals information activities transferred from the u. Despite this focus, re supply chain sustainability has not been. Geological survey usgs is charged by the department of the interior doi to respond to evolving national priorities with sound, unbiased scientific advice doi, 2011. The first six chapters are devoted to rare earth elements rees because of the unprecedented interest in these elements during the past several years. A silverywhite metallic dblock element, it has historically been classified as a rareearth element, together with yttrium and the lanthanides. Rare earth element mines, deposits, and occurrences. Ongoing international scientific activities at the usgs. Rare earths have a unique place among mineral resources. Ree are quite abundant within the earths crust, falling in approximately the 50th percentile of elemental abundances, and in fact are about 200 times more abundant than gold. A handbook of primary commodities in the global economy by.
Listed below are links to chapters from the minerals yearbook volume i. Thus australias national system is compatible with the jorc code and remains comparable to the usgs system as published in the annual usgs mineral commodity summaries. Data sheets with information on the domestic industry structure, government programs, tariffs, and 5year salient statistics for more than 90 nonfuel mineral commodities. Uranium from rare earths deposits world nuclear association. Chinas total rare earths exports declined by 77% in 2010, according to chinese industry magazine jiancai fazhan daoxiang building materials development guide, and global prices quadrupled. The term rare earth elements is actually a misnomer. This is a hidden list, which means that the list of members is available only to the list administrator. China cut back exports of all ree from the 35,000 t level in 2010, and banned exports of terbium and dysprosium. Rare earths us geological survey, mineral commodity summaries 2018. Rare earth element mines, deposits, and occurrences usgs. The european commission has recognized that some raw materials are crucial for the function of the european economy and show a high risk of supply shortage. I, metals and minerals sotoviruet, yadira, and others, 20, an exploration in mineral supply chain mapping using tantalum as an example usgs openfile report 201239.
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