Major Find By Japanese Scientists May Threaten Chinese Rare Earth Hegemony 189
cold fjord writes "It looks like deep sea exploration may pay off big time as Japanese scientists have located rich deposits of rare earth elements on the sea floor in Japanese Exclusive Economic Zone waters, following up on their find two years ago of huge deposits of rare earths in mid-Pacific waters. The cumulative effect of these finds could significantly weaken Chinese control of 90% of the world supply of rare earth metals, which the Chinese have been using to flex their muscles. The concentration of rare earth metals in the Japanese find is astonishing: up to 6,500 ppm, versus 500-1,000 ppm for Chinese mines. The newly identified deposits are just 2-4 meters below sea floor which could make for relatively easy mining compared to the 10+ meters they were expecting... if they can get there. The fact that the deposits are 5,700 meters deep means there is just one or two little problems to resolve : 'A seabed oil field has been developed overseas at a depth of 3,000 meters. . . But the development of seabed resources at depths of more than 5,000 meters has no precedent, either at home or abroad. There remains a mountain of technological challenges, including how to withstand water pressure and ocean currents and how to process the mining products in the ocean, sources said.'"
Herm... (Score:5, Insightful)
...the Chinese don't have a monopoly exactly. They just undercut the prices any time anyone else tries to operate. I don't know why that wouldn't work against the Japanese as well. But the Chinese can't do it forever, and we all benefit from their cheap REM in the meantime.
Rare earth elements are not rare at all... (Score:1, Insightful)
They're simply called that. The reason why the Chinese has a huge monopoly is their cheap labor and lack of safety regulations. The US had plenty of mines for this stuff but they were shut down due to the cheap abundant supply.
Re:Herm... (Score:1, Insightful)
The Chinese have the best military in the world...
It can be said that when their soil runs out of resources, Taiwan, Japan or Korea, can become a substitute with just a bit of persuasion from PLA troops.
Re:Oh good, undersea mining (Score:3, Insightful)
So, you didn't read his comment at all did you? Just decided to go on an anti space-mining tirade because he mentioned it in a passing simile?
Re:Oh good, undersea mining (Score:5, Insightful)
Can you point to a place in space that has the concentration of minerals you want, and is as easily and cheaply accessible as the ocean?
Comparatively? Yes. We know that a significant portion of the asteroid belt bodies are M-type asteroids with very high concentration of iron and nickel. (Just try to imagine a 200 km-sized mountain of virtually pure iron [wikipedia.org].) If you're in space and need large volumes of structural materials for space use, an M-type asteroid is the place to go. After a certain point, it's going to be cheaper that lifting steel from Earth's gravity well.
Re:Herm... (Score:5, Insightful)
The Chinese have a lot of soldiers, but no where near the best military.
All three of those are under the protection of the actual best military in the world. China will not risk a shift ass kicking by the USA and her allies.
Re:Oh good, undersea mining (Score:4, Insightful)
What a douche comment. You can't possibly know what might be found in all those asteroids. There is every reason to suspect that there are rare earths in some of them. There might even be a huge asteroid with such concentrations that it will satisfy our needs for the next thousand years. Exploration is what locates such things.
Obviously, you are opposed to space exploration. Is there a reason for that? Are you afraid of the unknown?
Re:Senkaku islands (Score:5, Insightful)
On 14 January 1895, during the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan incorporated the islands under the administration of Okinawa, stating that it had conducted surveys since 1884 and that the islands were terra nullius, with there being no evidence to suggest that they had been under the Qing empire's control.[13] After China lost the war, both countries signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki in April 1895 that stipulated, among other things, that China would cede to Japan "the island of Formosa together with all islands appertaining or belonging to said island of Formosa."
Wiki [wikipedia.org] goes on to list some of the complications, but western powers had nothing to do with Japan taking control of it. Also noteworthy: China only asserted it's claim to the islands after oil was found there.
After it was discovered in 1968 that oil reserves might be found under the sea near the islands,[4][5][6][7][8] Japan's sovereignty over them has been disputed by the People's Republic of China
wiki [wikipedia.org]
So, yeah, the US and the brits, and other western countries were assholes about claiming and trading land that wasn't theirs when it's in their strategic interests, much like all nations attempt to do, and much like China is doing here. "We included these uninhabited islands in our maps in the 14th century, so clearly the oil is ours!"
Re:Herm... (Score:5, Insightful)
Not just prices. Mining and refining rare earths is exceptionally toxic and polluting process. Like most such processes, it has been largely outsourced to poorer countries, in this case China.
If we REALLY needed rare earths, there's a lot of them across the world. We just don't want the toxicity and pollution that goes with mining these in our back yards.
Re:Senkaku islands (Score:2, Insightful)
read history books about Americans and Brits making shit up and giving away things they have no right to give away in the first place.
That makes it all better, then. Please disregard all current wrong-doings because a country somewhere once did something wrong to another country at some point in history. Thank you for your insight in this matter.
Re:Oh good, undersea mining (Score:5, Insightful)
It's possible there are unexpected pockets of concentrations, but it's rather unlikely as those big rocks weren't formed in significant gravity wells that could cause the density based separations. Nor does it appear that they were formed with the same kind of thermal convection type actions that affected Earths geology either.
No, I'm not a geologist, but come on, don't people stay awake during the high school science classes? Or ever catch one of the various educational channels shows on the formation of the solar system?
Re:Herm... (Score:5, Insightful)
Mining and refining rare earths is exceptionally toxic and polluting process.
Based on the way they do it now, yes. But it doesn't have to be. we've proven that you can mine an area for valuables, then restore the environment to its previous ecological state after. No toxic sludge. No buried waste. After you've taken what you want out, you put the leftovers and some filler back in. The reason it's toxic and polluting is because it's more profitable to be toxic and polluting, not because it's not feasible.