Chinese scientists have discovered huge potential reserves of rare earth minerals in the Himalayas that could give a boost to its position as the leading global supplier, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP).
The researchers from China University of Geosciences in Wuhan used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to locate these deposits that are spread across a land stretch 1,000 kilometre long located in the Tibetan plateau, the outlet further said. However, mining these minerals could be a problem because of the remoteness of the year, and could take decades.
China was building the AI system since 2020 and the project was being led by Zuo Renguang and his team, said the SCMP report. They built the AI-based system to scan raw satellite data to locate new rare earth deposits. ‘China’s demand for bulk mineral resources such as iron, copper, aluminium, coal, and cement that support industrialisation and urbanisation is expected to sharply decline in the next 15 to 20 years. The focus of mining will mainly shift to rare earths’, professor Zuo wrote in a peer-reviewed paper published in Chinese-language journal Earth Science Frontiers last week, as per the Chinese outlet.
‘Rare earth metals are irreplaceable in emerging industries such as new materials, new energy, defence and military technology, and information technology, making them a key strategic mineral resource in global competition’, he further said. Now, the country’s researchers believe the discovery will tilt the balance in China’s favour. Citing data from industries, the outlet said that China’s share of global reserves dropped from 43% in 1980s and 1990s to 36.7% in 2021.
Meanwhile, rare earth resources saw significant growth outside China, more than doubling in the same period. The rapid change in technology has made rare earth minerals an important part in many applications, ranging from energy to defence applications. The AI system developed by China was trained to identify light-coloured granite that could contain rare-earth minerals such as niobium and tantalum alongside lithium, a vital component for making electric vehicles.
Chinese geologists found such granite spread across the Himalayas, including Mount Everest, but until recently they could not think about mining these. About a decade ago, they accidentally discovered rare earth minerals and lithium in some rock samples from Tibet, which led them to work towards developing the new AI tool. Initially, the machine had an accuracy of 60%. But the team of researchers added information about the chemical composition of rocks, which increased the AI tool’s accuracy to 90%, said SCMP.
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