’There are also major deposits of rare earths in Greenland’

Geophysicist Michael Becken on the -Sensational Find- in Sweden and the Involvement of the University of Münster. A helicopter explores the exploration area in Kiruna with ultra-sensitive magnetic field sensors. Michael Becken Some observers speak of a "sensational find", others warn against too great expectations. The fact is that a few days ago, experts in Kiruna in northern Sweden found the largest deposit of so-called rare earths in Europe to date. Scientists from the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster were also involved in the exploration work. Kathrin Kottke and Norbert Robers spoke with Michael Becken from the Institute of Geophysics about the significance of the discovery and the further progress of the work . How did they know to "search" in Sweden in the first place - were there any preliminary investigations or special rock and soil formations that suggested a possible find ? It has been known since the 1960s that rare earths exist in Kiruna. The Swedish mining company LKAB operates one of the largest iron ore mines in the world there, and the rare earth metals occur in association with the iron ores. Incidentally, they also occur with phosphorus-bearing minerals, which are significant because phosphorus is also a critical raw material needed primarily for the production of fertilizers. The find is thus the result of years of exploration work, from which it can be estimated how large the deposit is and that mining could be economical. What are rare earths, and which of them were discovered in Sweden?