How rare earths shape the global supply chain

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“Rare earth elements are not rare.” So goes the much-quoted adage, and while true, it doesn’t quite explain all the fuss around the group of 17 elements that are crucial in the manufacturing of high-tech products. So what gives? While abundant, rare earths are hard to find in high concentrations, and they are often exploited as byproducts of another mining process, making it difficult to identify, explore, and develop viable rare earths mining projects. And then there are the complicated separation and processing stages necessary to get the high purity individual rare earth elements for use in high-tech applications powering...