## Breadcrumb

-  Publications 
-  Articles 

#           Rock-to-metal ratios of the rare earth elements      

      March 27, 2023    

The relative quantities of ore mined and waste rock (i.e., overburden) removed to produce the rare earth elements—their rock-to-metal ratios—were calculated for 21 individual operations or regions covering nearly all mine production in 2018. The results indicate that the rock-to-metal ratios for the total rare earth elements ranged from a low of 1.6 × 101 to a high of 3.6 × 103, with operations in Brazil and Russia having the lowest ratios and ion-adsorption clays operations in China and Myanmar having the highest. For comparison, the global average rock-to-metal ratio for the total rare earth elements (9.8 × 102) fell between that of cobalt (8.6 × 102) and tungsten (1.1 × 103). Driven by their relative abundance in the ore and unit prices that were used in the economic allocation of the environmental burdens, the global rock-to-metal ratio for individual rare earth elements was lowest for cerium (2.3 × 101) and lanthanum (7.7 × 101) and highest for dysprosium (1.7 × 104), terbium (3.7 × 104), and lutetium (6.4 × 104). Like the rock-to-metal ratios for the total rare earth elements, rock-to-metal ratios for individual rare earth elements varied by roughly two orders of magnitude among the various operations examined. An alternative perspective of only accounting for the overburden that is physically removed in ion-adsorption clays in-situ operations yielded global rock-to-metal ratios that were an order of magnitude lower or less for many of the rare earth elements.

## Citation Information

## Related Content

                  -              Science           
                  -              Connect           

link

January 3, 2022

####                 MinFrame - Methodological infrastructure needed for resource assessment, modeling, and evaluation              

Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

link

January 3, 2022

####   MinFrame - Methodological infrastructure needed for resource assessment, modeling, and evaluation

Learn More

#### Nedal T Nassar

##### Chief, Materials Flow Analysis Section

National Minerals Information Center

nnassar@usgs.gov

703-648-7725

#### Graham W. Lederer, Ph.D.

##### Physical Scientist

Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

glederer@usgs.gov

703-648-7719

## Related Content

link

January 3, 2022

####                 MinFrame - Methodological infrastructure needed for resource assessment, modeling, and evaluation              

Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

link

January 3, 2022

####   MinFrame - Methodological infrastructure needed for resource assessment, modeling, and evaluation

Learn More

#### Nedal T Nassar

##### Chief, Materials Flow Analysis Section

National Minerals Information Center

nnassar@usgs.gov

703-648-7725

#### Graham W. Lederer, Ph.D.

##### Physical Scientist

Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center

glederer@usgs.gov

703-648-7719

### Contact

####               National Minerals Information Center          

988 National Center12201 Sunrise Valley DriveReston, VA20192United States

nmicrecordsmgt@usgs.gov

703-648-4995

### Explore Search

                  - Geology
                  - Minerals
                  - Rare Earth Elements

View All **