We're 40% of the way to our goal of 2,500 donations by midnight! Help us catch up ⏩ Give Now
Codebreaker

Rare earth minerals to be not so rare?

John Moe Jul 5, 2011

Japanese scientists say they have discovered a huge cache of rare earth minerals on the ocean floor near Hawaii. And they say the minerals will be easy to extract. These are the minerals that are used to build fancy electronics equipment, the same minerals that China supplies 97% of. Pretty sure that was a poorly constructed sentence. China has been limiting exports of the minerals leading many to worry about a shortage and possibly spiking electronics prices. So does this mean the price of electronics will go down? I highly doubt it but it might mean shifting sands in terms of power distribution.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.