Article

2010-03-13 Science & Technology

U.S. Sitting on Mother Lode of Rare Tech-Crucial Minerals

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Posted by Uncle Phester 2010-03-13 10:31|| || Front Page|| [11133 views ] Top

#1 National Park announced on the site in 5... 4... 3...

Posted by Grenter, Protector of the Geats 2010-03-13 11:58|| 2010-03-13 11:58|| Front Page Top

#2 Don't get too excited - Ogabe will just declare the area a "protected national monument" to block any development of these resources.

Posted by Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) 2010-03-13 12:00|| 2010-03-13 12:00|| Front Page Top

#3 Ricky has it. Just another move to ensure our continued enslavement to the oil rich Muslim world.

Posted by Besoeker 2010-03-13 12:14|| 2010-03-13 12:14|| Front Page Top

#4 So once they cut us off it'll take eight years or so to get the ball rolling on a plant of our own?

(SO they'll be able to screw us over for seven and a half and then flood the market for six months and derail the plant).

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2010-03-13 13:25|| 2010-03-13 13:25|| Front Page Top

#5 Rare Earths aren't.

The world buys rare earths from China for the same reason they buy steel and TVs - cheap labor and weak enviromental regs. There are ample reserves outside China.

Lithium is a much bigger problem.

Analysis of Lithium's geological resource base shows that there is insufficient Lithium available in the Earth's
crust to sustain Electric Vehicle manufacture in the volumes required, based solely on LiIon batteries.

Posted by phil_b 2010-03-13 18:13|| 2010-03-13 18:13|| Front Page Top

#6 Actually, my worry would be that 0 would give the particular areas as a collateral to Chinese to further fund the gummint largese. So, in the end China would have truly a monopoly, till end of times or until some badass merkin ninjas wrestle these from them.

Posted by twobyfour 2010-03-13 18:14|| 2010-03-13 18:14|| Front Page Top

#7 Lithium - Major producers: Canada, Australia, and believe it or not, ZimBobWe (I am not sure about the current state, I would presume a profound mismanagement).

Significant recently discovered reserves: Chile, Western China and Tibet.

Concerns regarding lithium availability for hybrid or electric vehicle batteries or other foreseeable applications are unfounded.

Posted by twobyfour 2010-03-13 18:22|| 2010-03-13 18:22|| Front Page Top

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