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Rare earth minerals are naturally occurring minerals that contain one or more rare earth elements (REEs). The elements are a chemical group; minerals such as bastnäsite and monazite are natural materials that host them. “Rare” does not mean every REE is scarce in Earth’s crust: economically concentrated deposits are the less common part.
What does “rare earth minerals” mean?
The phrase usually refers to minerals containing rare earth elements. In strict terms, the elements and the minerals are different things: a rare earth element is a chemical element, while a rare-earth-bearing mineral is a naturally occurring mineral species that contains one or more such elements. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) identifies bastnäsite, monazite, and loparite as principal economic source minerals. USGS: Rare Earths Statistics and Information
It also helps to keep three geological terms separate: an element is part of the chemical group, a mineral is a naturally occurring substance that may host those elements, and a deposit type describes the geological setting in which mineral-bearing material occurs.
Which elements are rare earth elements?
The conventional rare earth group has 17 members: the 15 lanthanides, scandium, and yttrium. The lanthanides run from lanthanum to lutetium, atomic numbers 57 through 71. Scandium and yttrium are included because of their chemical similarities and geological associations with the lanthanides. The USGS describes them as “a relatively abundant group of 17 elements composed of scandium, yttrium, and the lanthanides.” USGS: Rare Earths Statistics and Information
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Geologists may study a narrower subset depending on the question. Promethium, for example, does not occur in Earth’s crust, and scandium commonly occurs in geological settings different from many other REEs. USGS: Rare-earth elements (2017)
Why are they called “rare” if some are abundant?
The name is misleading if taken to mean that all 17 elements are uniformly scarce. The USGS characterizes rare earths as relatively abundant, but economically concentrated deposits are limited. The International Energy Agency likewise notes that concentrations viable for extraction are uncommon and that REEs are seldom found in pure form. USGS: Rare Earths Statistics and Information · IEA: Rare Earth Elements, Executive summary
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There is no single “rare earth mineral.” REEs occur in many mineral species and families, including carbonate, oxide, silicate, and phosphate minerals. A USGS review reports at least 245 recognized REE-bearing mineral species; their compositions and REE contents vary. USGS: Conventional rare earth element mineral deposits: The global landscape (2024)
Examples of rare-earth-bearing minerals and deposits
Mineral examples
- Bastnäsite: a principal economic source mineral for rare earths.
- Monazite: another principal economic source mineral.
- Loparite: also identified by the USGS among the principal economic source minerals. USGS: Rare Earths Statistics and Information
Deposit types
Mineral species are not the same thing as deposit types. A USGS review describes four conventional deposit types currently supplying global markets:
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- Carbonatite
- Alkaline igneous
- Heavy mineral sand
- Regolith-hosted ion-adsorption clay
These names describe geological settings, not elements or individual mineral species. USGS summaries also discuss other economic or potentially economic settings, including iron oxide-copper-gold deposits, monazite-xenotime accumulations, and placers. The minerals present and the mix of REEs can differ among deposits; no deposit type is universally superior. USGS: Conventional rare earth element mineral deposits: The global landscape (2024)
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Are rare earth elements minerals? Are they critical minerals?
Rare earth elements are elements, not minerals. A mineral such as bastnäsite may contain them. “Critical mineral” is a separate policy classification, not another name for the REE group. The USGS assesses rare earth elements individually for possible inclusion on the U.S. critical-minerals list. USGS: About the 2025 List of Critical Minerals
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