New Delhi: Researchers from Australia have determined that extinct volcanoes are likely to be abundant with rare earth elements. Rare earth elements are widely used in consumer electronics, including smartphones, flat screen televisions, and air purifiers. They are also used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, trains and missiles. The rare earth elements are not actually rare, and are as abundant as copper or lead. However, they are encased within minerals, and extracting them and refining them is what makes them expensive. China has the biggest deposits of rare earth elements on the planet, while Europe has large deposits in Sweden.
Specifically, a type of iron-rich magma that only wells up within extinct volcanoes have been identified as likely to be abundant in rare earth elements. Such iron-rich magma has never been observed erupting from active volcanoes, but have been observed on some extinct volcanoes that are millions of years old. This form of iron-rich magma is particularly efficient at concentrating rare earth elements. Rare earth elements are particularly in demand by the green and renewable energy sector, which is expected to increase five-fold by 2030. The new research indicates that extinct volcanoes may be excellent locations to prospect for rare earth elements.
Time to prospect within extinct volcanoes
The researchers simulated eruptions in a lab environment using rocks found within iron-rich extinct volcanoes. These rocks were heated to high temperatures in a pressurized furnace to learn about the compositions of the elements within. The researchers discovered an abundance of rare earth elements within the iron-rich volcanic rocks. A paper describing the finding has been published in Geochemical Perspective Letters. One of the authors of the study, Michael Anenburg says, “Our findings suggest that these iron-rich extinct volcanoes across the globe, such as El Laco in Chile, could be studied for the presence of rare earth elements.”
