From original post: "mud samples taken from the seabed around 5,600 metres (18,300 feet) down" The techniques to extract these deposits would likely be similar

From original post: "mud samples taken from the seabed around 5,600 metres (18,300 feet) down" The techniques to extract these deposits would likely be similar to deep sea oil extraction. Their proposed timeline of production in five years is optimistic, especially given these are just the initial samples. Original post: http://news.yahoo.com/japan-finds-major-rare-earth-deposits-researcher-091926573--finance.html http://news.yahoo.com/japan-finds-major-rare-earth-deposits-...