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Rare earth elements sit at the heart of modern technology. From the magnets in wind turbines and battery electric vehicles to the components inside smartphones and flat-screen televisions, these minerals underpin both everyday life and the clean energy transition. Roughly half of all rare earth elements mined today go into magnets used across industries, from aerospace and defense to renewable energy.

Led by U-M scientists Stephen Kesler, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and

Greg Keoleian, Professor of Sustainable Systems at U-M’ s School for Environment and Sustainability, the study evaluates 28 sites across North America against global benchmarks to determine which deposits are commercially viable. Other co-authors include Christian Hitt and Jacob Cieply of U-M Center for Sustainable Systems, and Hyung Chul Kim, Robert DeKleine and James Anderson of Ford Motor Company’ s Research and Innovation Center.

Supply and demand

The urgency is clear. In the study, Stephen and Greg estimate that worldwide demand for rare earth minerals will rise from 91 kilotons in 2024 to 123 kilotons in 2030 and 150 kilotons in 2040. Yet the US currently accounts for around 11 percent of global rare earth element mining, while China controls approximately 70 percent.

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