China Discovers New Rare Earth Mineral - Yuchuanite-(Y)

A new rare earth mineral has been discovered in China and named after senior Chinese mineralogist Chen Yuchuan. According to the official website of the Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences(CAGS), the new mineral is named yuchuanite-(Y) in English, and was discovered by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, the Department of Geology at Northwest University(NWU), and the State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, led by Associate Professor Liu Peng, at the Yushui copper mine in northeastern Guangdong Province.

(Picture source: Official website of Northwest University)

The new mineral was jointly submitted to the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association by the research team from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and Northwest University, and has been assigned the international mineralogical society number IMA2022-120.

Yuchuanite-(Y) is a rare water-containing carbonate heavy rare earth mineral. Under the microscope, it appears transparent and bright gray, with plate-like or vein-like crystals ranging from 30 to 300 micrometers, coexisting with xenotime-(Y), fluorcarbonate-yttrate, chalcopyrite, bornite, sphalerite, galena, and gypsum.

The discovery of yuchuanite-(Y) enriches the formation types of rare earth minerals and provides evidence for further exploration of rare-earth mineral resources in southwestern China, according to the research team.

Rare earth elements are crucial for high-tech and green applications and are considered important strategic resources. China is a global leader in rare earth production and refining technology, accounting for 58% of global production in 2020, down from about 90% four years ago due to increasing production by the United States and Australia, according to the US Geological Survey.

(Picture source: Aclara Resources)

In 2021, China established the China Rare Earth Group by merging several major rare earth mineral producers, indicating that it intends to use this valuable resource for more strategic industries, such as semiconductors.

Amid growing geopolitical tensions, some countries including the United States and the European Union are mulling means to reduce their reliance on China's rare-earth products. However, experts say that it will be difficult to break away from this dependence, given the various advantages China possesses, such as relatively cheap raw materials and labor costs, leading separation technology, and a wide range of products.

Reference: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202302/1285430.shtml

https://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2023/2/493767.shtm

• < Prev
• Next >