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30 DECEMBER 2018





These elements are actually plentiful in layers of the Earth's crust, but are typically widely dispersed. Because of that, it is rare to find any substantial amount of the elements clumped together as extractable minerals, according to the USGS.

Currently, there are only a few economically viable areas where they can be mined and they're generally expensive to extract.

China has tightly controlled much of the world's supply of these minerals for decades. That has forced Japan – a major electronics manufacturer – to rely on prices dictated by their neighbour.

A new finding that could change the global economy

The recently discovered deposit is enough to "supply these metals on a semi-infinite basis to the world," the study's authors wrote in the paper.



The cache lies off of Minamitori Island, about 1,150 miles (1,850 km) southeast of Tokyo. It's within Japan's exclusive economic zone, so the island nation has the sole rights to the resources there.

"This is a game changer for Japan," Jack Lifton, a founding principal of a market-research firm called Technology Metals Research, told The Wall Street Journal.

"The race to develop these resources is well underway."




When Earth was formed, the minerals were incorporated into the deepest portions of the planet's mantle, a layer of rock beneath the crust.



The process of weathering - in which rocks break down into sediment over millions of years - spread these rare minerals all over the planet.


The process is expensive, so more research needs to be done to determine the cheapest methods, Yutaro Takaya, the study's lead author, told The Journal.



A version of this article was first published in April 2018.

This article was originally published by Business Insider.

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