One American Mine Versus China’s Rare Earths Dominance
Read more: http://1goldinvestment.com/one-american-mine-versus-chinas-rare-earths-dominance/
rare-earths-01-0113-mdnJanuary 14, 2013 (Source: Popular Mechanics) — China uses its near monopoly on rare earth metals, which are found in everything from phones to drones, as a political weapon. A reopened American mine could change that.
It’s 98 F in the Mojave Desert as I cross an old tailings flat toward the waiting Robinson R44 helicopter and its pilot, Jeff Wilson. Every three weeks for the past year Wilson has made a 40-minute flight in the doorless, 1500-pound light helicopter from Las Vegas to the Mountain Pass mine, a 2200-acre site just over the California state line. An aerial photographer rides shotgun. They’re freelancers, employed by the mine’s owner, Molycorp, to document the rebirth and colossal expansion of what was once the largest and most profitable rare-earth mine in the world. Today, they’ve agreed to share their bird’s-eye view. The photographer has already climbed out of the helo by the time I approach. Extreme heat degrades the aircraft’s performance, Wilson tells me; we need to keep our total weight down. A few cattle graze among scattered Joshua trees just beyond the landing site as I buckle up, grip the edge of the seat, and feel my stomach drop as we rise swiftly up over the brown scrub of the sun-baked desert.
Read more: http://1goldinvestment.com/one-american-mine-versus-chinas-rare-earths-dominance/
