Machacek and Kalvig (2015) examine proposed REE-product volume supply from six advanced rare earth-bearing mineral exploration projects, two of which in Greenland, for REE demand by industrial users in the EU. A methodology is developed which draws on supply chains and published feasibility studies,emphasizing timely data certainty as significant factor of exploration project feasibility. For 2014, our findings for the Greenlandic project exploration proposals reveal that Kvanefjeld would significantly exceed EU demand except for Eu,on which it would under supply. In contrast, Kringlerne would under supply on La ,Ce and Pr, over supply on Nd and Y, and on all heavy REE with the exception of Eu. Various disparities between the proposed REE supply from Australian, Canadian and South African projects and EU demand in 2014 are also noted. The rare-earth elements (REEs) are a group of elements summarized as lanthanides plus scandium (Sc) and yttrium (Y) (IUPAC, 2005).
The lanthanides are commonly subdivided into two groups, but a universally accepted division and deï¬nition is absent:
- Light Rare-Earth Elements (LREE) comprising lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium(Sm), europium (Eu), and gadolinium (Gd) metals, and
- Heavy Rare-Earth Elements (HREE) including terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu),and yttrium (Y) metals.
This division can be used for the beneï¬t of reporting exploration projects by reducing the elements in the LREE category, and raising the comparatively higher valued HREE.
In this article, the authors exclude Pm, Tm, and Lu, and Sc due to no or insufï¬ciently documented indication of their use in the REE end-use industries. With the exception of 147Pm, Pm cannot be identiï¬ed for its very small concentration levels in the entire crust since it generally does not form stable isotopes (see Wall, 2014; Chakhmouradian and Wall,2012, p. 334)
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