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Which rare-earth minerals provide mostly light lanthanides?

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Rare-earth minerals are generally classified as "light" or "heavy" based on the atomic weight of the elements they primarily contain. Minerals that provide mostly light lanthanides—specifically lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, and europium—include the following:1

  • Bastnasite: A primary source of light lanthanides, typically containing 60–70%.1
  • Monazite: A major source of light lanthanides, containing 50–78%.1
  • Loparite: Contains 32–34% light lanthanides.1
  • Allanite: Primarily contains light lanthanoids.1
  • Apatite: Primarily contains light lanthanoids.1
  • Perovskite: Primarily contains light lanthanoids.1
  • Sphene: Primarily contains light lanthanoids.1

Among these, bastnasite, monazite, and loparite are currently mined as significant commercial sources of light lanthanides, accounting for a large portion of the rare earths in use today.1