[_Jim]

WHERE did we get rare earths - before China?

[Waverunner]

The Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine is an open-pit mine of rare-earth elements on the south flank of the Clark Mountain Range, just north of the unincorporated community of Mountain Pass, California, United States.
The mine once supplied most of the world's rare-earth elements.
Today, it is owned by MP Materials, and is the country's only rare earth mining and processing facility.
.
Affiliates of two U.S. investment fund advisors, JHL Capital Group LLC and QVT Financial LP and Shenghe Resources Holding Co., a Chinese minority shareholder, acquired Mountain Pass in July 2017 with the goal of reviving America’s rare earth industry.
The venture does business under the name MP Materials (www.mpmaterials.com).
MP Materials resumed mining and refining operations in January 2018.[

[butlerweave]

WHERE did we get rare earths - before China?

(cough) The United States

[SomeCallMeTim]

WHERE did we get rare earths - before China?

Largely from the US (Nevada). Also some in France and Russia. China drove EVERYONE out of business with low pricing. Now, we're all very dependent.

Yes.. there are massive supplies in various places around the world, but... it will take a LONG TIME to develop them. In the meantime, prices for many things we all use daily (like, cell phones) will rise sharply.

When China restricted exports of rare earth minerals a decade ago, the price of Cerium (a key ingredient in many catalysts my company makes) spike from $4/lb to $120/lb in just a few WEEKS. It caused a major disruption in our business.

For a time, we were looking for ANY work-around. We even joked about smuggling Cerium in Yak caravans over the Himalayas! Once we figured out a method, we made a LOT of money. Such disruptions are tremendous opportunities for agile companies.