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Rare Earth Minerals/Elements/Metals/Oxides: Important Topics for UPSC Exams

What?

Rare earth elements (REE) are a group of seventeen chemical elements that occur together in the periodic table also known as rare earth metal (REM) because all of them are metals.

Scandium and Yttrium also included in the REM?
Because they are found in the same ore deposits as the lanthanides and show similar chemical properties.

All are Metals and have many similar properties which often cause them to be found together in geologic deposits.
They are also referred to as "rare earth oxides" because many of them are sold as oxide compounds.
They are extremely important for many modern technologies, including consumer electronics, computers and networks, communications, clean energy, advanced transportation, health care, environmental mitigation, national defense etc.
Due to their unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical properties, they help in technologies perform with reduced weight, reduced emissions, and energy consumption; therefore give them greater efficiency, performance, miniaturization, speed, durability, and thermal stability.
They are not rare in quantity however their extraction is very difficult therefore they are called rare and further they are in plenty in nature.

Lanthanum night	vision goggles
Neodymium	laser range-finders, guidance systems, communications
Europium	fluorescents and phosphors in lamps and monitors
Erbium	amplifiers in fiber-optic data transmission
Samarium	permanent magnets that are stable at high temperatures
Samarium	precision-guided weapons
Samarium	"white noise" production in stealth technology

They are being used in anything and everything that comes out as innovative product nowadays for example from I-phones to I-TV and many other devices that people use every day such as computer memory, DVDs, rechargeable batteries, cell phones, catalytic converters, magnets, fluorescent lighting and much more.
As catalysts, phosphors, and polishing compounds.
These are used for air pollution control, illuminated screens on electronic devices, and the polishing of optical-quality glass.

Currently China has control over 94% in producing and mining REMs and further china has very high natural reserves for these. As per some recent reports China is even buying these reserve in others countries and regions to have a monopoly over production for a very long time. And due to these very reasons it has become very critical metal for India since India is not having enough resources and it further suffers technological constraints in mining its own reserves of REEs.
A study, conducted by the think-tank Council on Energy Environment and Water, identifies 12 minerals out of 49 that were evaluated as ‘most critical’ for India’s manufacturing sector by 2030. These are beryllium, chromium, germanium, limestone, niobium, graphite, rare earths, rhenium, strontium, tantalum and zirconium. Other minerals like limestone and graphite, while currently abundantly available in India, are deemed ‘critical’ because extractable resources could be scarce in the future.
For others, the report says, India is 100 per cent import-dependent for seven out of 12 identified critical minerals and does not have any declared resources for them, except light rare earths (found along with monazite sands) and beryllium

The global demand for automobiles, consumer electronics, energy-efficient lighting, and catalysts is expected to rise rapidly over the next decade.
Rare earth magnet demand is expected to increase, as is the demand for rechargeable batteries (for example in electric vehicles).
New developments in medical technology are expected to increase the use of surgical lasers, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography scintillation detectors.
Rare earth elements are heavily used in all of these industries, so the demand for them should remain high