An additional 9.67 million metric tons of rare earth oxides were discovered in Mianning county, Sichuan province, raising total reserves to 11.46 million tons, the Ministry of Natural Resources said. The increase makes the county’s Maoniuping deposit the world’s second-largest in-production source of light rare earth elements, behind the Bayan Obo site in Inner Mongolia. In the Maoniuping mining area, 27.14 million tons of fluorite and 37.23 million tons of barite were also discovered, both classified as ultra-large deposits of strategic importance. Light rare earth elements – including seven of the 17 rare earth elements – are relatively abundant in oxide form compared with heavy rare earth elements. Often dubbed the “vitamins” of industry, these are widely used in magnetic and fluorescent materials and are indispensable to modern industry and high-end manufacturing.
Ming Tianxue, Researcher at the Yunnan Geological Survey, said that China is rich in light rare earth resources. The Maoniuping rare earth deposit has been exploited since it was first discovered in the 1980s. This exploration, which targets deep-seated ores, represents breakthroughs in both metallogenic theory and exploration technology, Ming said. “The new discovery is of great significance for securing national strategic reserves, adding that China now has a relatively complete industrial chain spanning the extraction, processing and manufacturing of light rare earth elements. To address challenges, artificial intelligence algorithms are used in mineral exploration.
Zhao Wen, Associate Professor at China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, Hubei province, stressed the strategic importance of the discovery, saying that the additional 9.67 million tons of rare earth oxides are equivalent to about 36 years of China’s current consumption of light rare earth elements. “This discovery has the potential to reshape the global rare earth supply landscape. China now has two world-class light rare earth reserves, greatly enhancing the resilience of its supply chain,” Zhao said. He also highlighted the economic and strategic value of the associated minerals, fluorite and barite. Fluorite, a non-renewable resource, is a key source of industrial fluorine essential to the chipmaking and new energy industries. The raw ores are estimated to be worth CNY100 billion. Barite, which is known for its chemical inertness, resistance to acids and alkalis, high density and radiation absorption properties, is widely used in natural gas exploration and extraction, the China Daily reports.
