What are Rare Earth Elements? Rare Earth Elements (REE),
also known as Rare Earth Metals, are some of the hottest
resource assets in the mining world today. As defined by
IUPAC, they are a collection of seventeen
chemical elements in the
periodic table, namely
scandium,
yttrium, and the fifteen
lanthanides.
Scandium and yttrium are considered rare earth
elements since they tend to occur in the same
ore deposits as the
lanthanides and exhibit similar chemical properties.
In actuality REE are not as rare as the name would
indicate; while available in abundance, their level of
concentration is almost always low. This lends some
credence to the PRC's claim that REE mining needs to be
managed carefully to mitigate its environmental impact.
Ascend has been approached by investors from several
ore using nations, and together we will begin
prospecting for REE.