Hurtworld v2 large ore deposits image
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The location of elements varies based on the minerals of which they are part and the rocks that contain those minerals. Locations of minable elements can be determined by the deposits of the associated rocks and minerals which, when deposited in significant and refinable concentrations, are called ores. Strategic elements are found as either major or minor constituents within the crystal lattice of minerals. Rocks are composed of minerals, which are solid substances with a regular crystalline structure. Private funding will continue to be focused on junior exploration companies in an effort to increase known reserves. Although many additional deposits of REEs have been discovered - and their economic feasibility debated by many countries - it will continue to become important to find new deposits. However, these mines are not the only locations of REE deposits.Īs the demand for REEs increases, it will become both necessary and more economically feasible to mine in other locations. These other mines are Mountain Pass in the United States, Mount Weld in Australia, Lovozero in Russia, and Kerala in India. There are only four REE-specific mines that exist outside of China, two of which opened in the past year (other mines worldwide only produce REEs as a byproduct). In 2010, Bayan Obo and other REE mines in China provided approximately 97% of the global supply (Humphries, 2012)Ĭhina no longer accounts for all of the global REE supply due to increased production in the rest of the world. The largest REE mine in the world, Bayan Obo, alone provides 40-50% of all REEs. However, an important part of our plan is to develop technologies that increase mining yield.Ĭurrently, there are only a few mines that supply the entire world's demand for REEs and most of them are located in China. Locating more deposits to open new mines is more practical. To alleviate the approaching shortage of many strategic elements, we suggest two approaches opening new mines and increasing the productivity of existing mines.
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Global Reserves (tonnes = t, kilograms = kg)Īs an example, here is the REE demand breakdown by element in 2012 (Shaw, 2012) For other elements, such as uranium, the rare metals, phosphorus and platinum group elements (PGEs), production is less of a concern (Vaccari, 2009).Ĭurrent Demand Rates Varying by Element Group (Table 1): Element Current mines are not sufficient to meet demand for all the metals, particularly dysprosium and neodymium (Vaccari, 2009) (see REE demand breakdown figure below). For some elements, such as the rare earth elements (REEs), the problem is production. Demand for elements varies by element group (see Table 1) and the variety of strategic elements results in a similar variety of supply problems. Additionally, reserve projections often underestimate the contents of the earth's crust because lower ore grade deposits may not be considered a reserve (World Nuclear Association, 2012). This lack of understanding means that reserve estimates often grow as more mines are opened: "in just 1 year, from 2009 to 2010, the USGS, increased its estimate of lithium resources from 13.8 to 25.5 Mt (1 Mt = 1 million tons)" (Gruber, 2011). In some cases, the concern about a lack of resources stems from government's inaccurate assessments of their own mineral resources. The US Geological Survey (USGS) predicts that many strategic metals will be in critical demand within the next 100 years and some within the next 30 years. Finding and defining strategic mineral deposits