Elements That Power Our World Are Alarmingly Elusive. Scientists Have a Treasure Map to Lead Us Right to Them.

Deep in Earth, there could be troves of a type of undiscovered treasure more valuable than any diamond or ruby or sapphire: rare earth elements. REEs, as they’re also called, could be nestled in deposits far below Earth’s surface—and there’s now a treasure map that could lead us right to them.

Elements That Power Our World Are Alarmingly Elusive. Scientists Have a Treasure Map to Lead Us Right to Them.. Deep in Earth, there could be troves of a type of undiscovered treasure more valuable than any diamond or ruby or sapphire: rare earth elements. REEs, as they’re also called, could be nestled in deposits far below Earth’s surface—and there’s now a treasure map that could lead us right to them. Led by igneous petrologist Emilie Bowman from Cambridge University, an international team of researchers created a map that highlights bizarre volcanic rocks that might contain rare earth elements. These elements are actually scattered everywhere in Earth’s crust, but hardly ever occur in deposits large enough to be mined. Not only are they used in modern tech gadgets (like the neodymium in your smartphones), they’re also already fueling n...