Why China rare earth breakthrough in icy northeast could cement global dominance

A new type of deposit in Heilongjiang and Jilin promises easier, cheaper mining than in southern clay-rich areas, say scientists

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A rare earth mine at Bayan Obo, in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region of China, seen in 2011. Photo: VCG via Getty Images

Published: 1:00pm, 18 May 2026Updated: 3:23pm, 18 May 2026

Scientists in China have identified a new type of rare earths formation in the frigid northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin – a discovery that could challenge assumptions about how rare earths occur across the country.

Unlike the clay-heavy deposits of southern China – which require chemical leaching to release the elements – the northern formations consist of loose sand and gravel formed by natural freeze-thaw cycles. This difference could make extraction more efficient, less costly and better for the environment.

The find could help China further secure its global dominance in rare earths production, just as Western countries – including the US – scramble to secure supply chains for the critical elements.

The discovery of the new deposits “could potentially rewrite the ‘heavy in the south, light in the north’ pattern of rare earth resources in China”, a team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ (CAS) Institute of Geology and Geophysics and the Heilongjiang Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources said in a paper published in the Chinese journal Acta Petrologica Sinica last month.

Rare earth elements are a group of 17 critical minerals – including cerium, neodymium and dysprosium – that are used to produce electronics, large magnets, superconductors, and green and defence technologies.

As the world’s largest producer and consumer of rare earths, China handles nearly 90 per cent of global processing of the critical minerals.

The CAS-Heilongjiang team said that while rare earths were abundant in China, the places they were found did not always follow the patterns geologists would have predicted from rock types like alkaline granite.

Why China rare earth breakthrough in icy northeast could cement global dominance

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A new type of deposit in Heilongjiang and Jilin promises easier, cheaper mining than in southern clay-rich areas, say scientists

A new type of deposit in Heilongjiang and Jilin promises easier, cheaper mining than in southern clay-rich areas, say scientists