There are 17 rare earth elements on the periodic table, but a better name for them would be the "troublesome earths." Here's why.
Why is it so challenging to mine rare earth elements like neodymium (pictured here)? Rare earth elements have a number of useful properties that make them highly sought after by the tech and energy industries. This collection of 17 metals includes the 15 metallic elements found at the bottom of the periodic table , as well as the elements yttrium and scandium. The most valuable of these are neodymium, praseodymium, terbium and dysprosium, which act as superstrong miniaturized magnets, a vital component of electronics, including smartphones, electric car batteries and wind turbines. However, their limited global supply is a big worry for governments and corporations that need these metals to continue manufacturing all sorts of modern essentials. But why are the rare earth elements so rare? It turns out, they're not really that rare. A U.S. Geological Survey study on the "crystal abundance" of different elements — meaning how much is available if you average out Earth's crust — found that most of the rare earths "are in the same order of magnitude as common metals like copper and zinc," Aaron Noble , a professor and head of the Mining and Mineral Engineering Department at Virginia Tech, told Live Science. "They're certainly not as rare as metals like silver, gold and platinum." Related: Which is rarer: Gold or diamonds? The locations and relative abundances of minable rare earth elements around the world. Data from USGS in 2020. (Image credit: VISUAL CAPITALIST/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images) Although the elements are fairly common, they're very difficult to extract from their…