Global Demand Stresses Limited Supply

A mere few countries control worldwide production of many minerals that have become essential to high-tech manufacturing: europium for TV displays, neodymium for computer disk drives. And some countries, such as China, have begun hoarding the resources for their own companies.

What are they used for?

Platinum Group Metals	Platinum Palladium Rhodium Ruthenium Iridium Omium	Catalytic converters, electronics, chemical processing Catalytic converters, capacitors, carbon monoxide sensors Catalytic converters, chemical processing Electronic contacts and resistors, superalloys Spark plugs, alloys, chemical processing Electronic contacts, electron microscopy, surgical implants
Rare-Earth Elements	Scandium Yttrium Lanthanum Cerium Praseodymium Neodymium Promethium Samarium Europium Gadolinium Terbium Dysprosium Holmium Erbium Thulium Ytterbium Lutetium	Aerospace components, aluminum alloys Lasers, TV and computer displays, microwave filters Oil refining, hybrid-car batteries, camera lenses Catalytic converters, oil refining, glass-lens production Aircraft engines, carbon arc lights Computer hard drives, cell phones, high-power magnets Portable x-ray machines, nuclear batteries High-power magnets, ethanol, PCB cleansers TV and computer displays, lasers, optical electronics Cancer therapy, MRI contrast agent Solid-state electronics, sonar systems Lasers, nuclear-reactor control rods, high-power magnets High-power magnets, lasers Fiber optics, nuclear-reactor control rods X-ray machines, superconductors Portable x-ray machines, lasers Chemical processing, LED lightbulbs
Other Critical Minerals	Indium Manganese Niobium	Liquid-crystal displays, semiconductors, solar thin films Iron and steel production, aluminum alloys Steel production, aerospace alloys

    As a result, industrial nations are becoming increasingly tense about their sources of “critical elements”—minerals that are crucial but whose supply could be restricted. Most critical for the U.S. are the six elements in the platinum group of metals, the 17 elements known as rare-earth elements, as well as indium, manganese and niobium, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Which nations have them and how dependent the U.S. is (picture below) could affect the American economy and national security (in the case of military products) if trade is curtailed or new deposits are not found. 

SOURCE : SCIENCE MAGAZINE VOL 334