Montana Geologist Explores Rare Earth Elements in Antarctica

They're in the headlines every week – critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and the rare earth elements essential for high-technology and national security applications. Montana State University geologist Zachary Burton studies how rare earth elements are moved by geochemical and aqueous forces, such as freeze-thaw cycles and snowmelt, to concentrate in different environments.

Rare earth elements aren't technically rare – they are somewhat ubiquitous at very low concentrations – but highly concentrated, economically attractive deposits are indeed rare and hard to find. Burton, an assistant professor in MSU's Department of Earth Sciences, has studied rare earths for nearly 15 years. He explained that the scientific processes of why they concentrate in certain areas and how they're moving around are not well understood.

Burton is the lead author of a paper published in the journal Cold Regions Science and Technology that describes the movement and accumulation of rare earth elements in salt ponds in an arid, partially permafrost region of Antarctica. The research may help understand how these materials behave and accumulate in desert and cold regions elsewhere.

Little scientific research has been published on sediment-hosted rare earth elements in cold regions, especially by American scientists. Burton is working in Nevada, Utah, and the Mojave Desert of California to understand how critical minerals move and accumulate in the hot desert basins of the western U.S.

Conditions in the Antarctic are similar to those found on various other planets, which is important for space agencies like NASA. Burton is excited to expand collaborations with colleagues and students on further critical resources research and innovation.

Alison Harmon, vice president for research and economic development, is excited to see growing expertise in critical minerals among MSU's faculty. This area can make an important contribution to national security and economic development in Montana and beyond.

According to the source: Mirage News.