Industrial minerals 1997: Rare earths

Lanthanides were produced in the United States from one mine in California. Major uses for these commodities included automotive catalytic converters, petroleum fluid-cracking catalysts, permanent magnets, and glass polishing and ceramics. Consumption of refined rare-earth products decreased as the domestic economy stabilized and inflation remained low. The United States was a major importer and exporter of rare earths.

Yttrium was not mined or refined domestically in 1997. China and Japan accounted for most of the US supply of yttrium compounds for refined yttrium products.

Scandium was not mined in the United States in 1997. However, three domestic processors refined scandium ores and concentrates. World production was primarily from China, Russia and Ukraine.

Principal foreign producers of lanthanide and yttrium ores were Brazil, China, India and Russia. Foreign-produced lanthanide and yttrium ores were primarily apatite, bastnasite, loparite, monazite and rareearth-bearing clay. Major foreign processors of lanthanide and yttrium ores were China, Estonia, France, India, Japan, Kazakstan, Norway, Russia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

United States

Molycorp, a subsidiary of Unocal, was the domestic company producing lanthanide ore in 1997. …