WHAT ARE RARE EARTH METALS?
The Periodic Table of Elements contains chemical information on over 118 different elements and their various properties that can be found on Earth today. Out of these 118 elements, 17 of them are known as rare-earth metals (REMs) or rare-earth elements (REEs). They were first given the name “rare earths” because it was originally thought that there was a short supply of these elements on Earth. These elements are typically dispersed and rarely found in concentrated amounts, but further studies have shown that there is in fact an abundance of these elements in many workable deposits around the world. These metals were only deemed rare, because they were often found in very small concentrations at a time, meaning ore deposits are not commonly economically exploitable. Ideally, for a rare earth metal ore to be economically viable, it should contain more than 5 percent rare earths. If they are mined along with another product, such as iron, this allows economic recovery when concentrations are as low as 0.5 percent by weight.
The existence of these rare metals did not come to light until the 18th century. Swedish army Lieutenant Carl Axel Arrhenius found a unique black mineral in a small quarry in Ytterby, did a small town near Stockholm. The mineral was found to be a mixture of rare earths, and in 1803, cerium (Ce) was the first individual element to be isolated. The first commercially produced rare-earth element was later mined in the 1880s in Sweden and Norway, before moving to foreign production in Brazil in 1887, and then India in 1911.
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Revealed Doctor Yellow
Japan Railways' special lemony Shinkansen is a rare sight to behold
The Mighty Yellow
Over 5,000 kilometres long and flowing through nine provinces and autonomous regions, the Yellow River is China's second largest, after the Yangtze, while its basin is deemed the cradle of Chinese civilisation
Wildlife Big Yellow Beauty
The popular "amelanistic" form of the Burmese python is considered among the most beautiful snakes - if that's your sort of thing
All That Glitters Is Gold
From Turkey to China, the yellow metal plays a central role in cultural practices and is coveted as a symbol of affluence and status
Chengdu Hotel Spotlight TRIKA TSANG INTERNATIONAL HOTEL
For an authentic taste of Tibet in the heart of Chengdu, the most luxurious option is the majestic Trika Tsang International Hotel.
Conservation Yellow in Peril
While the demand for use in traditional Chinese medicine is putting seahorses under pressure, it is damaging non-selective fishing that is driving depletion
History Spiritual Rebirth
During the Spanish Golden Age, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan achieved the first European navigation to Asia via the Pacific, arriving in the Philippines in 1521 and claiming the islands for Spain. But by converting the first Filipinos to Catholicism, Magellan also instigated the Christianisation of the entire archipelago, a spiritual rebirth celebrated through the two most important festivals in the Philippines - Fiesta Señor and Sinulog.
Green Dreams
With its tea plantations and rice paddies, dense jungles and expansive forests, the region is well known as a green paradise. But many of the most impressive Asian landscapes have names you may never have heard of. Journey with us as we reveal just some of the incredible locations that make the rest of the world green with envy!
Life On The Edge
In the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, in the remote northern Russian Far East, indigenous ethnic groups like the Chukchi and the Yupik live in the most extreme conditions, hunting seals in their traditional kayaks as they have for millennia
The Karakoram Anomaly Decoded
For decades, scientists have believed that glaciers in the Karakoram Range are defying the trend of those across the globe-resisting glacial melt due to human-induced global warming. But as we trek up the Karakoram's second-longest glacier in July, as the United Nations announces the world's hottest ever month on record, does the melting ice beneath our feet suggest the so-called Karakoram Anomaly is slowing? Or is there a ray of hope it will continue to delay the inevitable?
