Japan has reportedly found hundreds of years'
worth of rare earth minerals under the seabed
near one of its islands far out in the Pacific.
The discovery could help reduce the world's
dependence on China for those elements, which
are used in many high-tech products.
Hong Yoo has more.
Japanese researchers have found more than
16 million tons of rare earth deposits …under
the seabed near the island of Minami-Torishima,
…some 18-hundred kilometers from the country's
mainland.
Rare earths include dozens of minerals used
in high-tech products, from smart phones to
electric vehicles.
According to the study released on Tuesday
in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers
collected samples of the elements in 25 locations
on the seabed …across a 25-hundred square-kilometer
area.
The analysis found 730 years' worth of dysprosium,
used for the magnets in hybrid cars, and 780
years' worth of yttrium, used in the manufacture
of lasers, based on estimated demand.
The discovery of the deposits could help ease
the world's dependence on China, …which
accounts for nearly 90 percent of all rare
earths production.
Beijing's dominant position has resulted in
price spikes and shortages in the past.
The researchers say they have also come up
with the technology to allow the resources
to be extracted efficiently.
The method can boost the density of rare earth
minerals to 20 times that of the deposits
in mainland China.
The researchers plan to work with private
companies to recover the rare earth minerals.
Hong Yoo, Arirang News.
