In recent years, rare earths have gained prominence for their strategic role in industry, technology and the energy transition. Driven by growing interest in strategic minerals and new investment products linked to the sector, the theme also .
Despite its recognized importance and increasing presence in the news, many doubts still surround the subject. What are rare earths? Where are the main reserves? Why did Brazil enter this discussion?
In this guide, you will find answers to these questions and understand why these minerals have become important parts of the world economy. Continue reading!
What are rare earths?
Rare earths are a group of metals with essential physical and chemical properties for several modern technologies. Among its features are:
- Strong magnetism;
- Resistance to high temperatures;
- Ability to conduct or modify energy and light.
These attributes allow the manufacture of smaller, lighter and more efficient components, used in tablets, smartphones and electric vehicles, among others.
What are rare earths?
the term “rare earths” comprise 17 chemical elements with similar characteristics and that usually appear associated. They are:
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- Scandium (Sc);
- Yttrium (Y);
- Lantânio (La);
- Cerio (Ce);
- Praseodymio (Pr);
- Neodymium (Nd);
- Promethium (Pm);
- Samarium (Sm);
- Europium (Eu);
- Gadolinium (Gd);
- Térbio (Tb);
- Disprósio (Dy);
- Hólmio (Ho);
- Érbio (Er);
- Túlio (Tm);
- Itérbio (Yb);
- Lutécio (Lu).
Are rare earths really rare?
No. Rare earths are abundant in the Earth’s crust and some of these elements appear in greater quantities than metals such as gold, silver and platinum.
The real challenge is not the availability of rare earths, but the way they occur in nature.
They are not found in isolation; They are part of complex minerals, mainly bastnasite and monazite, and appear mixed with each other and with other chemical elements.
This geological association makes production highly complex. In addition to basic mining, it is necessary to chemically separate each component, a process that requires technology, high investment, high energy consumption and strict environmental control. Due to these factors, transforming a deposit into a commercial operation can take years.
Only one of the 17 elements breaks the abundance rule: promethium. It does not exist naturally, because it is radioactive and needs to be synthesized through nuclear processes. Because of this origin and instability, it has few commercial applications, being restricted to nuclear batteries and specific analytical equipment, such as portable X-ray sources.
| Rare earths in a nutshell: |
|---|
| 🧲 Features • Intense magnetism, heat resistance and optical properties. |
| 🧪 Composition • Group formed by 17 chemical elements, divided into light and heavy. |
| 🌎 Availability • Abundant in the Earth’s crust, but rarely concentrated in viable deposits. |
| ⛏️ Production • Extraction requires mining, chemical separation, refining and high investment. |
| 📜 Origin of the name • The expression arose when these minerals were considered difficult to identify, and has remained until today. |
What are rare earths good for?
Rare earths are essential inputs for technologies, ranging from everyday products to strategic equipment for industry and defense. See below the main applications of these elements.
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Electric cars and renewable energy
Elements such as neodymium and dysprosium are used in the manufacture of high-power permanent magnets, which equip electric vehicle engines and wind turbine generators. These magnets offer high energy efficiency, take up less space and withstand high temperatures, essential characteristics for these applications.
In addition to engines, some elements also participate in the manufacture of batteries and components used in solar panels.
Electronics and data storage
The miniaturization of electronic equipment depends, in part, on the properties of rare earths. Smartphones, notebooks, tablets and other devices use these elements in components such as micro speakers, vibration systems, screens and hard drives.
In LED, OLED and LCD screens, for example, elements such as europium, terbium and yttrium contribute to color reproduction. Neodymium is present in small high-performance magnets used in speakers and data storage devices.
Medicine and diagnostic equipment
Magnetic resonance equipment uses high-power magnets, while gadolinium is used as a contrast agent in several imaging tests.
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Some elements, such as erbium and holmium, are also part of lasers used in dermatological, dental and ophthalmological procedures.
Oil industry and refining
Lanthanum and cerium compounds act as catalysts in petroleum refining, increasing the efficiency of fuel production.
Cerium oxide is also widely used in polishing high-precision glasses, lenses and mirrors, present in optical and electronic equipment.
Aerospace and defense industry
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These elements go into the manufacture of radars, communication systems, satellites, drones, sensors and night vision equipment.
They also integrate high-resistance metal alloys used in aeronautical engines and equipment subjected to extreme temperatures, where conventional materials do not offer the same performance.
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Where are the largest rare earth reserves?
When talking about rare earths, it is necessary to separate two concepts: reservations e production. Reserves correspond to known deposits that can be explored economically, while production indicates how much a country effectively extracts and processes these minerals.
Those with the most reserves do not always lead the market, as exploration depends on factors such as investment, technology, environmental licensing and infrastructure, among others.
Which country has the most rare earth reserves?
According to surveys by the United States Geological Survey, China has the largest known reserves of rare earths in the worldfollowed by Brazil, India, Australia and Russia.
Brazil appears among the countries with the greatest geological potential, although a large part of these reserves still remains little commercially explored.
Who is the biggest producer of rare earths in the world?
If there is a relatively wide distribution in reserves, in production the scenario is much more concentrated. For decades, China accounts for most of the world’s rare earth production and also masters fundamental steps in the processing and chemical separation of these elements. This leadership is not only the result of the number of deposits, but also of investments made in the production chain.
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Australia, the United States, Myanmar and Thailand also produce rare earths, but in much lower volumes than China.
In practice, even when the ore is extracted in other countries, a significant portion still goes to processing in China before supplying the global industry.
| The map of rare earths in Brazil and the world |
|---|
| ✔️ Largest reserves: China, Brazil, India, Australia and Russia. |
| ✔️ Largest producer: China, which also dominates refining and processing. |
| ✔️ Main states in Brazil: Minas Gerais, Goiás, Bahia and Amazonas. |
| ✔️ Main Brazilian deposits: Araxá and Poços de Caldas (MG), Serra Verde (GO), Pitinga and Seis Lagos (AM). |
What is the value of a ton of rare earths?
For planning or financial understanding purposes, the market divides prices into three main value levels.
- High value: they are the most scarce and valued elements by the industry, mainly for applications in supermagnets, defense equipment and high precision technologies;
- Intermediate value: are the most used by the electric car and wind energy industry;
- Lowest value: elements that are left over from the mining process and are in ample supply, which significantly reduces their prices.
In addition to the chemical element, industrial application also influences prices. See some examples based on international quotes for 2026:
| Group | Example | Applications |
|---|---|---|
| High value | Terbio (US$ 210 mil a US$ 216 mil/t); Dysprosium (search for US$ 120 thousand/t | High-performance supermagnets, military equipment, radars, electric motors and wind turbines. |
| Intermediate value | Neodymium + Praseodymium (NdPr): search of US$ 110 thousand/t | Electric vehicle engines, wind turbine generators, hard drives, speakers and other electronics. |
| Low value | Cerium and Lanthanum: between US$ 1 thousand and US$ 2 thousand/ton | Catalysts for oil refining, glass and lens polishing, batteries and special glasses. |
Why is the United States interested in Brazil’s rare earths?
The United States’ interest in Brazilian rare earths is part of the . Today, in addition to leading world production, the Chinese concentrate a large part of the refining and processing capacity of these elements, essential steps for the industry.
This concentration gained even more weight with the increase in commercial tensions between the two powers. Since then, the US has started to encourage the diversification of the supply chain, expanding partnerships with countries considered reliable suppliers of strategic minerals.
| Brazil on the rare earth radar: |
|---|
| ✔️ Large reserves Brazil has one of the largest known reserves of rare earths in the world, but still explores only a small part of this potential. |
| ✔️ Strategic partner Institutional stability, mining tradition and expansion potential make the country an alternative supplier amid the quest to reduce dependence on China. |
| ✔️ Investment opportunities The expansion of the sector opens space for mining, processing and processing projects, steps that add greater value to the production chain. |
| ✔️ Challenges ahead Expanding production requires investments in technology, infrastructure, industrial processing and environmental licensing. |
How to identify rare earths?
Tracking rare earths in nature requires advanced methods, as they do not form obvious or concentrated deposits like traditional metals. In general, mining companies divide the localization process into three fundamental steps:
1. Aerial radiation hunting
The search for rare earths starts at the top. Because they typically combine with radioactive elements (such as thorium and uranium), planes equipped with special sensors fly over areas of interest to measure the crust’s magnetism and radiation rates.
2. Chemical analysis in the laboratory
After aerial mapping, the next step is to collect physical samples for laboratory tests. At this stage, technicians analyze the chemical composition of the rock to identify which rare earths are present and in what concentration.
This result is decisive in determining the economic potential of the deposit, since some elements, such as neodymium and dysprosium, have a much higher value than others in the same group.
3. Economic feasibility test
The last step analyzes how rare earths are linked to the minerals that house them, and defines the economic viability of the project.
When the most valuable elements appear in minerals that the industry already knows, such as monazite, separation becomes simple. But if extraction depends on complex or poorly developed processes, costs increase and the deposit may no longer be economically attractive.
