Chinese geologists unearth novel minerals at world's largest rare-earth mine
BEIJING -- Chinese geologists have discovered two new minerals at the world's largest rare-earth mine in northern China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has announced.
The two new niobium-scandium minerals, named as Oboniobite and Scandio-fluoro-eckermannite, were discovered in the Bayan Obo deposit in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. The discovery was made through a collaboration between the CAS Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union Co., Ltd., Baotou Research Institute of Rare Earths, and Central South University, the CAS publicity office confirmed with Xinhua on Thursday.
Li Xianhua, a CAS academician, on behalf of the CAS Institute of Geology and Geophysics, announced the findings, noting that the International Mineralogical Association has confirmed their status as new minerals and approved their naming, according to a CAS press release.
Niobium and scandium are both extremely rare strategically critical metals. Niobium is mainly used in special steels, superconducting materials and aerospace industries, while scandium is widely used in aluminum-scandium alloys and solid oxide fuel cells.
