China on March 24 announced the discovery of a very large-scale light rare earth mine in Mianning County, Sichuan Province, which is considered the second largest in the world.
According to the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources, the new mine helps add 9.67 million tons of rare earth oxide to national reserves, an increase of more than 300%. This is an important resource, playing an essential role in many modern industrial sectors.
Rare earth oxides are widely used in the production of magnetic and fluorescent materials, becoming an indispensable component for the high-tech industry.
At the Mao Yuping mine also in Jianning County, China, many other large-scale resources have also been discovered. Including about 27.14 million tons of fluorite and 37.23 million tons of barite, both classified as super-large mines.
Fluorite is a key source of industrial fluorine, playing an important role for emerging industries as well as future development sectors. This is a non-renewable resource with strategic value in the industrial production chain.
Barite is also an important material thanks to its chemical inertiality, acid and alkaline resistance, along with high density and radiation absorption. This mineral is widely used in the oil and gas, chemical, pharmaceutical and construction industries.
The simultaneous discovery of many large-scale resources in the same area is assessed to be of great significance to China's raw material supply capacity in the coming time.
