Large rare earths deposit found in C China
WUHAN. October 7. KAZINFORM Geologists have discovered a large reserve of rare earths, which are vital for production of many high-tech products ranging from iPods to hybrid cars, in Central China's Hubei province, local authorities confirmed Thursday; Kazinform refers to China Daily.
The newly-found deposit sits at the foot of Mt. Laoyin in Longba Township of Zhuxi County, in Shiyan City, a spokesman with the Hubei Provincial Land and Resources Department said.
"Geologists are investigating the make-up, structure, quality, size of the reserve," the spokesman said.
Before the discovery, geologists had also found deposits of rare earths in 12 places in Zhushan, another county in Shiyan, he said.
Local authorities were yet to tap the rich geological resources.
"We are drawing up plans and measures to prevent the rare earths resources from being illegally mined," the spokesman added.
Rare earths, a class of 17 chemical elements that include minerals such as dysprosium, terbium, thulium, lutetium and yttrium, are widely used in the fields of the most sophisticated science and technologies like electronics, aviation, atomic energy, and mechanical manufacturing; Kazinform cites China Daily.
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