2 thoughts on “Q: Is it good to start exploring for Rare Earth Minerals in the Central Andes or in the Pre-Cambrian area?”
Rare Earth Elements are actually not so rare. They are found in many different occurrences and have a wide distribution. Environmental subsidies by the Chinese state has kept global prices artificially low and made most other supplies uneconomic. This subsidy has been used by the China to force most downstream manufacturing to relocate to China to ensure steady and cheap supply of raw material. Only deposits that would actually be worked economically in such a distorted environment are where REEs are recovered as by-product. One such important occurrence are mineral sands in the Indian Ocean region where REE containing monazite can be recovered as a byproduct of ilmetite, zircon or garnet mining from beach sands.
Explore areas where there are Alkaline igneous rocks irrespective of the Geological Period they belong. Also check inland and Beach sands for Monozite or Xenotime mineral co tent.
Mineral Exploration Academy
Rare Earth Elements are actually not so rare. They are found in many different occurrences and have a wide distribution. Environmental subsidies by the Chinese state has kept global prices artificially low and made most other supplies uneconomic. This subsidy has been used by the China to force most downstream manufacturing to relocate to China to ensure steady and cheap supply of raw material. Only deposits that would actually be worked economically in such a distorted environment are where REEs are recovered as by-product. One such important occurrence are mineral sands in the Indian Ocean region where REE containing monazite can be recovered as a byproduct of ilmetite, zircon or garnet mining from beach sands.
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Explore areas where there are Alkaline igneous rocks irrespective of the Geological Period they belong. Also check inland and Beach sands for Monozite or Xenotime mineral co tent.
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