Australian National University: (Some) Extinct volcanoes (could be) a 'rich' source of rare earth elements
https://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/extinct-volcanoes-a-rich-source-of-rare-earth-elementsExtinct volcanoes a rich source of rare earth elements
16 Sep 2024
A mysterious type of iron-rich magma entombed inside extinct volcanoes is likely abundant with rare earth elements and could offer a new way to source these in-demand metals, according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Dr Michael Anenburg from ANU said the iron-rich magma that solidified to form some extinct volcanoes is up to a hundred times more efficient at concentrating rare earth metals than the magmas that commonly erupt from active volcanoes.
The researchers simulated volcanic eruptions in the lab by sourcing rocks similar to those from iron-rich extinct volcanoes. They put these rocks into a pressurised furnace and heated them to extremely high temperatures to melt them and learn more about the minerals inside the rocks.
This is how they discovered the abundance of rare earth elements contained in iron-rich volcanic rocks.
S.C. Yan, B. Wan, M. Anenburg, J.A. Mavrogenes. Silicate and iron phosphate melt immiscibility promotes REE enrichment.
Geochemical Perspectives Letters, 2024; 32: 14 DOI:
10.7185/geochemlet.2436