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Lithium is not a rare earth mineral. Huge pet peeve. This is a technical term. It’s also not particularly rare.
by Robotbeat 8mo ago
Lithium is not a rare earth mineral. Huge pet peeve. This is a technical term. It’s also not particularly rare.
- wolvoleo 8mo agoRate earth minerals aren't necessarily rare, it means that you have to move a huge amount of earth to get a tiny bit of ore. That's still true for lithium and its mining pretty polluting too. And it's limited to specific regions globally. Our sea is full of sodium however.
- didgeoridoo 8mo ago“Rare” as in “rarified”, not “uncommon”.
- Robotbeat 8mo agoNo, “rare earth minerals” are referring to an exact section of the periodic table, referring to exactly 17 elements, like “lanthanide series” or “noble gases”. It is a technical term, not a descriptive one. Lithium is not in the list. You’re also wrong about lithium’s availability, but that’s another story.