Japanese Find New Mineral For iPad

Japanese researchers have discovered a number of minerals "rare", which can be used to make electronic products. Nadir earth minerals (rare earth), among others, for use in the manufacture of smart phones (smartphones), a kind of iPad tablet computers, and flat-screen televisions.

Minerals can be found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean around Hawaii, the United States. In fact, it's easily extracted minerals. These findings add to the knowledge of the function as well as minerals, yet threaten its supply.

"The content of minerals that have heavy concentrations of rare. Only by one square kilometer of content that could provide a fifth of global consumption on an annual basis (for use in electronic goods)," said Yasuhiro Kato, assistant professor of earth science at Tokyo University, was quoted as saying from The Guardian.

Findings are managed by a team led by Kato could have an impact for the production of electronic goods that require rare minerals, such as tantalum and yttrium. Because so far most of the mineral soil in China, which provides about 97 percent of global supply.

Recent research published in the journal Nature Geoscience that the mineral was discovered hidden in the mud in the seabed can be extracted at depths of 3500 to 6,000 meters, in 78 locations. One third of these locations, Kato said, has a wealth of rare mineral content and metal yttrium.

Kato explained that the nadir of the earth's mineral content can be found stretches east to west Hawaaii. In addition, can also be found in the east of Tahiti in Polynesia, France.

Kato estimate nadir earth minerals that contained as many as 80 to 100 billion tons. Compared with global inventories that found the U.S. Geological Survey, only 110 million tons were found, among others in China, Russia, former Soviet Union, and the United States.

The use of mineral earth nadir for the production of high-tech electronic goods, magnets, and battery causing many mineral mining activity in recent years. According to Kato, sea mud which is rich in minerals found another nadir earth, such as gadolinium, lutetium, terbium, and dysporsium.

"It is commonly used in the manufacture of flat screen televisions, as well as LED (light-emmiting diode) and hibdrida car," said Kato.