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| The principal economic sources of rare earths are the minerals bastnasite, monazite, and loparite and the lateritic ion-adsorption clays (table 2). The rare earths are a relatively abundant group of 17 elements composed of scandium, yttrium, and the lanthanides. The elements range in crustal abundance from cerium, the 25th most abundant element of the 78 common elements in the Earth's crust at 60 parts per million, to thulium and lutetium, the least abundant rare-earth elements at about 0.5 part per million. The elemental forms of rare earths are iron gray to silvery lustrous metals that are typically soft, malleable, and ductile and usually reactive, especially at elevated temperatures or when finely divided. The rare earths' unique properties are used in a wide variety of applications. |
Publications
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Annual Publications
- Rare Earths
PDF Format:
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | - Yttrium
PDF Format:
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | - Appendixes
- Rare Earths
PDF Format:
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
XLS Format:
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | - Archive
| 1932-1993 |
Special Publications
- Historical Statistics for Mineral and Material Commodities in the United States
Data Series 140 - Metal Prices in the United States through 1998
- Rare Earths (PDF)
- Rare Earth Elements—Critical Resources for High Technology
FS-087-02 - Statistical Compendium
Contacts
- USGS Mineral Commodity Specialist
James B. Hedrick
Phone: 703-648-7725
Fax: 703-648-7757
Email: jhedrick@usgs.gov
- USGS Mineral Resource Specialists
