Ancient process that created rare earth elements discovered — and it could help us locate desperately needed deposits

Aerial view of a rare earth minerals mine in the Mojave National Preserve in California.

Researchers may have found a new way to locate deposits of rare earth elements that are vital to the tech and energy industries.

Rare earth elements crystallize in Earth's mantle inside blobs of magma that are rich in alkali metals, such as sodium and potassium, and carbonate minerals, such as calcite and dolomite. In a new study, scientists found that these types of magma, known as alkaline and carbonatite magmas, form above ancient subduction zones, where one tectonic plate dives beneath another.