What are Rare Earth Metals?

Rare earth metals are also known as rare earth elements or the lanthanides.

There are 17 rare earth elements including Thulium, Holmium, Promethium and Lanthanum.

The rare earth metals have multiple applications in electronics such as in lasers, X-ray machines, mobile phones and computers.

China are responsible for around 90% of the global production of rare earth metals. This means that other countries may benefit from recycling products which contain these rare earth metals.

Discover

Reduce

Find out how to reduce use of Rare Earth Metals

Reuse

Find out how to reuse Rare Earth Metals

Recycle

Find out about Rare Earth Metals recycling

Activities

Metals Worksheets

Metals Worksheets KS1

Metals Worksheets: Home Activity

Metals Worksheets KS3-4

Metals Worksheets KS2

Global Issues

Climate Change
Sustainable Development Goals
Circular Economy
Rare-earth elements are found on earth at similar concentrations to many common transition metals. The most abundant rare-earth element is cerium.
The wind industry uses large amounts of rare earth minerals, primarily neodymium and dysprosium, which are key components of the magnets used in modern wind turbines.
Rare earth metals make your phone ‘smart’. Neodymium’s super-high magnetism puts microphones, speakers and vibration units all in the palm of our hands. But to have such a luxury has come at a heavy environmental cost.
Extracting Rare earth elements from ore – as companies do in China – involves poisonous and radioactive acid baths
Advances in recycling technology have made extraction of rare earths from electronic waste less expensive but this still needs to improve.
Rare earth metal facts