China’s rare earth dominance runs deeper than expected, geological study finds

Peking University researchers say Bayan Obo formed in two carbonatite activity stages.

Deeper layers at 500 to 1,000 meters may hold several times more rare earth resources than current estimates.

But extracting and processing these materials remains technically difficult and expensive.

The findings suggest China’s largest rare earth deposit could be much larger than believed, reinforcing its leverage over critical mineral supply chains.