Rare Earth Materials Locations

 

Rare earth materials (REEs) aren’t actually rare—they’re just scattered and hard to mine economically. Here’s a clean, global snapshot of where the major rare earth element deposits are located 🌍

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🌐 Major Rare Earth Material Locations (by region)

🇨🇳 China (Global Leader)

• Inner Mongolia – Bayan Obo (world’s largest REE deposit)
• Sichuan, Jiangxi, Guangdong
• Dominates mining and processing/refining (the real choke point)

Key REEs: Neodymium, Praseodymium, Dysprosium, Terbium

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🇺🇸 United States

• Mountain Pass, California (largest in the US)
• Mining restarted; processing capacity still ramping up

Key REEs: Light rare earths (Neodymium, Cerium, Lanthanum)

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🇦🇺 Australia

• Mount Weld, Western Australia (one of the richest-grade deposits globally)
• Lynas Corp is a major non-Chinese supplier

Key REEs: Neodymium, Praseodymium

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🇷🇺 Russia

• Kola Peninsula
• Siberian regions

Key REEs: Mixed light & heavy REEs
(Strategically important, geopolitically sensitive)

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🇮🇳 India

• Coastal monazite sands (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha)
• Large untapped potential

Key REEs: Thorium-associated REEs, light REEs

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🇧🇷 Brazil

• Amazon basin
• Araxá (Minas Gerais)

Key REEs: Niobium-linked REEs, light REEs

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🇻🇳 Vietnam

• Northern Vietnam (Lai Châu, Lào Cai)
• One of the largest undeveloped reserves

Key REEs: Heavy rare earths

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🇨🇦 Canada

• Northwest Territories
• Quebec & Saskatchewan

Key REEs: Neodymium, Dysprosium

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🇿🇦 South Africa

• Bushveld Complex
• Steenkampskraal

Key REEs: Neodymium, Praseodymium

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🇲🇾 Malaysia

• Not a major miner, but a key processing hub
• Hosts Lynas refining facilities

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🌊 Other Notable Sources

• Greenland – large untapped deposits
• Japan – deep-sea muds rich in REEs (future tech-dependent)
• Afghanistan – significant deposits, largely undeveloped

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🧲 Why Rare Earths Matter

They’re critical for:

• EV motors & wind turbines
• Military systems (radar, missiles)
• Smartphones & semiconductors
• Space & aerospace tech

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If you want, I can:

• 📊 Rank countries by reserves vs production
• 🧲 Break down light vs heavy rare earth locations
• 🗺️ Create a world map infographic
• 💼 Connect this to EVs, defense, or stock picks

Just tell me which angle you want to go next.