Japan Launches World’s First Deep-Sea Rare Earth Mining Test at a depth of about four miles

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"“Japan has launched the world’s first test to extract rare earth elements from deep-sea mud, aiming to reduce its reliance on Chinese supplies amid rising geopolitical and trade tensions.

Chikyu, a government-backed Japanese mining vessel set sail on Monday for waters near Minamitori Island, a remote coral atoll in the Pacific, to study seabed mud rich in rare earth elements at a depth of about four miles. If successful, the project would mark the first sustained attempt globally to lift rare-earth-bearing sludge from the ocean floor directly onto a ship.”"

Japan Launches World’s First Deep-Sea Rare Earth Mining Test - Human Progress

Japan launches world’s first deep-sea rare earth mining test

Japan to test rare-earth mining from deep seabed mud

The deep-sea drilling vessel Chikyu