Here is the link - http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/332099/title/Rare_earth_elements_plentiful_in_ocean_sediments
Hi everyone, today I will be commenting on an article about Rare Earths being found in the ocean floor.
So, basically what is a rare earth? Essentially, it is a group of 17 chemical elements found in the periodic table. Contrary to their name, rare earths are no that rare. Ironically, they are rather abundant, with cerium (one of the rare earths) having the same volume as copper.
However, rare earths are not found concentrated together and in economically-exploitable forms. As a result, they are given the name - Rare Earths.
Now, enough of the description and on to the present crisis surrounding rare earths. We might remember the epic saga caused by China last year when it decided to clamp down on rare-earths exports, possibly to conserve the rare earths and also to be enviromentally-friendly.
As a result of this, other countries began to look worldwide for other sources of rare earths. This includes countries such as America, India and Vietnam. However, the mines in these places were shut down when China became extremely competitive in the 1990s and slashed rare earth prices, causing the rest of the companies to close down.
As a result, reopening the mines now would cost time and money, and would most probably take a few years to reopen.
The news of rare earths being found in the seabed gives nations, such as Japan, a chance to mine their own rare earths and not rely on any country to import it's rare earths from.
This would in turn make the economy better and would also create new jobs for people. The ocean, being a relatively un-explored area of the Earth, if opened up through new technology, would allow humans to make entirely new careers out there.
But there is for the future, and when new tachnology comes we do not know. Until then, the world has to rely on a single country to mine rare earths for them.
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