April Program Report: Presentation by Dr. Leigh Broadhurst
Notes by Andy Thompson, MSDC Secretary
Here are a few reasons why readers will want to view Dr. Leigh Broadhurst’s April 2nd presentation to her MSDC audience on MSDC's YouTube channel:
· Do you want to understand the geology which made Canada’s Nachalacho mine the richest rare earth elements (REE) mine in the world, replete with valuable heavy rare earth minerals?
· Do you want insights about the geologic conditions which created the deposit of the REEs billions of years ago, conditions unique to the early formation of our planet, with its intense heat, radioactivity and other factors?
· Do you know about the factors which resulted in the lithosphere subducting at a “Low-Angle,” in contrast to today’s tectonic plate subductions all of which happen at a “High-Angle.”
Dr. Broadhurst does not characterize any of the 17 rare earth elements as though they were easily found in isolation and readily mined already separated from each other. Importantly, the process of their isolation and concentration has serious implications for miners and for the environment. The REEs are also found as replacement elements in many beautiful and plain minerals such as shown and listed above.
Readers can view the video of Leigh’s presentation (40 minutes) and the follow up Q and A session (36 minutes) by clicking on the following link: https://youtu.be/nq0MRdKspAU