Norway just loosened China’s stranglehold on rare minerals critical to the global economy—and it’s a huge win for Europe and the U.S.

A man in a hard hat stands outside of a rare earth mineral mine. (Credit: Rodger Bosch—AFP/Getty Images)

Norway just struck a gold mine. Well, a rare mineral mine. 

The Norwegian mining company, Rare Earths Norway, just uncovered the largest deposit of rare earth elements in Europe. The discovery has major implications not just for the company, which is certainly poised for a windfall, but for global geopolitics.