The Coeur d’Alene-based mining company Idaho Strategic Resources has found a significant concentration of heavy rare earth elements at its Diamond Creek project just north of Salmon, Idaho, notably yttrium. Yttrium is used in high-temperature magnets in electric vehicles and in aerospace and jet engines because of its extremely high melting point of 2,779 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry. The element is also used for cancer treatments, the red hues in LED lights, wind turbines, defense systems, data centers and a plethora of everyday items.

The discovery of yttrium at the Diamond Creek project is significant because the United States relies on China for heavy rare earth elements and yttrium. If China’s supply shrinks, less can be exported to the US and used in goods stateside. The findings present a potentially lucrative domestic alternative to strengthen the supply chain.

“Our interest in additional Diamond Creek exploration is the result of an increasing number of conversations with global end-users who lack a reliable ex-China source of heavy rare earth elements and yttrium,” IDR’s President and CEO John Swallow said in a press release. “In the grand scheme of things, heavy rare earths and yttrium typically are not a huge cost driver of the finished goods that they are a part of, making the potential for a small-scale domestic operation appealing to a price-insensitive customer.” 

Yttrium is a relatively common element found in the earth, twice as much as lead, but concentrated deposits such as the one IDR has found are rare. Through a 32-meter surface trench, one prospect called Lucky Gem found approximately 2,300 parts per million of heavy rare earth oxides, including 1,600ppm of yttrium. The average concentration of yttrium in the Earth’s crust is 31 to 33 ppm. Another drillhole at Lucky Gem intersected 11.3 meters of mineralization averaging 1.5% total rare earth oxides with more than 2,500 ppm heavy rare earth oxides, including 1,700 ppm yttrium, reported in drilled thickness.

IDR has not yet identified a yttrium or heavy earth element mine, as it is still in the exploratory phase of the over 4,900-acre Diamond Creek project to determine how much more heavy rare earth elements and yttrium are available at the site, but early results are promising. Based on previous work at Lucky Gem, IDR has produced a preliminary geological model suggesting the mineralized zone may contain about 20,000 tonnes of material grading 1,600 ppm yttrium, with the potential to grow substantially through additional exploration.