A recently discovered enormous source of niobium — a metal that's essential for much of today's technology — appears to have formed when the supercontinent Rodinia ripped apart around 830 million years ago, according to a new study.
The niobium-rich carbonatites, which could be one of the world's largest sources of the metal, have come from deep within the Earth's mantle, scientists reported in a study published Sept. 2 in the journal Geological Magazine.
