Chinese geologists have found two new minerals at the world’s largest rare-earth mine, Bayan Obo, located in Inner Mongolia, northern China. These minerals are named Oboniobite and Scandio-fluoro-eckermannite. Niobium and scandium are rare and strategically important metals.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Institute of Geology and Geophysics joined hands with Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union Co. Ltd, Baotou Research Institute of Rare Earths and Central South University, to make the discovery of these minerals possible, according to the CAS’s publicity office. The International Mineralogical Association has confirmed the discovery and lent official sanction to their names, says Interesting Engineering.
Li explained that these new minerals contained valuable elements that were important in various fields—including new materials, new energy, information technology, aerospace, national defence and the military industry. This makes them very important for the country’s economic and social development.
Niobium is used in special steels, superconducting materials and the aerospace industry. It enhances the strength and durability of steel used in defence applications. It is critical for producing high-strength, low-alloy steels for military vehicles, armour plating and aerospace components as it improves performance and safety.
Scandium is an integral resource for making aluminium-scandium alloys and solid oxide fuel cells.
Scandium is useful in several ways:
Li Xiao, general manager of Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union Co., Ltd, a leading Chinese steel company, emphasised that Bayan Obo was rich in such minerals as iron, niobium, scandium, thorium and fluorite, according to China Daily.
Li Xiao mentioned that since 1959, researchers had discovered 20 new minerals at this site till date. Oboniobite and Scandio-fluoro-eckermannite are the latest in a long line of discoveries.
Fan Hongrui, a researcher at the CAS Institute of Geology and Geophysics, described Oboniobite, the mineral containing Niobium, as having a yellow-brown to brown colour and a plate-like structure, with sizes ranging from 20-100 micrometres.
According to Fan, the first mineral containing scandium to be discovered in China was Scandio-fluoro-eckermannite. It was named after CAS academician Zhai Mingguo, who made significant contributions to the study of mineral deposits in China. This mineral appears pale yellow, or light blue and has a column-like shape, measuring up to 350 micrometres.
China’s scientific missions have also been finding minerals on the Moon. Earlier this year, in a major scientific breakthrough, the Chang’e 5 mission, led by the China National Space Administration (CNSA), discovered new minerals on the lunar surface. These were identified by scientists as rutile (TiO2), trigonal Ti2O and triclinic Ti2O.
The discovery of such titanium compounds as trigonal Ti2O and triclinic Ti2O is especially significant because these forms have never been seen in natural samples on Earth. Typically, titanium dioxide is found in various crystal structures here.
