Have you ever heard of California’s Mountain Pass Mine? This American town started out as a bit of a disappointment, but ended up being highly attractive to miners. It all began in the 1940s when prospectors went looking for uranium.  Unfortunately, the ore samples the miners collected proved to be poor in uranium; however, they were rich in rare earth elements (REE). The site contained high concentrations of REEs. At the time, this wasn’t a very lucrative find, but rare-earths are valued today for their use in high-tech manufacturing and more. Cut to current day — Mountain Pass, CA hosts the largest rare earth element mine in the country. 

Why Here?

No one is certain why there is such a large collection of rare earth metals in Mountain Pass. What we do know is that beneath the mine, there are rock layers that were formed between 1.6 and 1.8 billion years ago. Some of the ancient rocks here were exposed to a level of heat and pressure that significantly and fundamentally changed their structure. Then, roughly 1.4 billion years ago, volcanic material beneath those ancient layers pushed the rare earth metals (namely bastnaesite) closer to the surface of the Earth, hence the current-day mine.

How are the Rare Earth Metals Used?

The rare-earth elements within the ancient rocks have many valuable uses in today’s society. Here are examples:  
  • Hybrid automobiles
  • Wind turbines
  • Magnets in speakers
  • Microphones
  • Vibration monitors in mobile phones
Rare Earth Magnets Two of the most common types of rare earth magnets are neodymium and samarium cobalt, both of which we offer at Apex Magnets. If you want guidance on how to use our magnets in your business, call us at 1-304-257-1193. Yes, you’ll speak with a real person! For other questions, feel free to reach out through our contact page.