Rare Earth Minerals Discovered in Fossilized Fish Off Pacific Island
In the tiny isle of Minami-tori-shima, scientists have discovered a huge deposit of rare earth elements. The lode is not physically located on the island but in the clay sediment in the south of the seamount that the island sits on. The super deposits are bits of fish scales, teeth and bones that form the element traps. Scientists from Japan have calculated that the clay, which covers a 2500 km2 zone in the south of the island, can supply four of the earth’s rare elements’ requirements for hundreds of years. Rare earth elements have many uses in today’s world and…