Global Rare Earths Snapshot: Japan Launches Deep-Sea Mining Trials, Brazil Expands Reserves, China Innovates in Steel

01 Japan Commences Trial Mining of Rare-Earth-Rich Deep-Sea Mud off Minamitorishima Island

Foreign media reported on December 23 that Japan will begin a month-long trial mining operation for rare-earth-rich deep-sea mud in the remote waters around Minamitorishima (South Bird Island). The trial will attempt continuous extraction of deep-sea mud rich in rare earth elements from the seabed at a depth of approximately 6,000 meters, marking the world's first sustained mining trial for rare-earth mud at such depths. Led by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), the operation is scheduled to take place between January 11 and February 14, 2026, in waters located about 1,900 kilometers southeast of Tokyo. The primary goals of the trial are twofold: first, to assemble and test a full deep-sea mining system and verify its capability to achieve a stable production capacity of 350 tons of rare-earth mud per day; and second, to deploy monitoring equipment on the operating vessel and the deep-sea seabed to track the environmental impact of the mining operation throughout the process. Japan has not yet set a specific mass-production target for this deep-sea rare earth project but has outlined a phased implementation plan. If the trial proves successful, JAMSTEC will launch a scaled-up demonstration mining operation in February 2027, maintaining the daily production capacity of 350 tons established during the trial. (Source: Shanghai Metals Market)

02 Brazil's Caladão Rare Earth Deposit Updates Resource Estimate

Axel Rare Earths (Axel REE) announced the first resource estimate for Zone B of its Caladão rare earth-gallium project in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Currently, Zone B holds an ore resource of 339 million tons, with an average grade of 0.1075% total rare earth oxides (TREO) and 0.00366% gallium. In August, the company reported an inferred ore resource of 100 million tons for Zone A of the Caladão project, with a gallium oxide grade of 0.0042%, equivalent to 4,200 tons of gallium metal. Combined, Zones A and B now total an ore resource of 572 million tons at a TREO grade of 0.1506%, representing a 145% increase. Given an approximate gallium grade of 0.004%, the estimated gallium metal content is 22,900 tons. (Source: Ministry of Natural Resources)

03 Angang Steel Globally Launches Thick-Gauge High-Performance Rare Earth Wheel Steel for Commercial Vehicles

Recently, Angang Steel successfully developed and globally launched a thick-gauge, high-fatigue, impact-resistant rare earth hot-rolled wheel steel for commercial vehicles. This breakthrough provides solid and reliable material assurance for the safe operation of China's commercial vehicle industry and elevates the overall technological level of commercial vehicle wheel manufacturing. As a core safety component of automobiles, wheels must continuously withstand high loads, high-frequency vibrations, and various complex impacts during operation, placing stringent demands on the material's strength, toughness, and fatigue performance—factors directly related to vehicle reliability and safety. Particularly in the commercial vehicle sector, where loads are heavier and operating conditions more complex, higher demands are placed on the comprehensive performance of wheel steel, leaving room for improvement in the fatigue and impact toughness of existing products. To address this, a specialized research team was formed, comprising experts from Angang Steel's Technology Center, Product Development Center, Steelmaking Plant, and Hot Strip Mill. Leveraging precise composition-process-structure-performance synergy control technology, the team overcame key process bottlenecks in smelting and rolling for thick-gauge rare earth hot-rolled wheel steel for commercial vehicles. They successfully developed a 460 MPa-grade thick-gauge rare earth hot-rolled wheel steel with exceptional fatigue performance and impact toughness. Test data indicate that, compared to similar products, this new wheel steel achieves internationally leading levels in key indicators such as fatigue life and impact toughness. The product has already undergone wheel trial production and is ready for stable mass supply. (Source: China Metallurgical News)

04 Rare Earth Encyclopedia: Physical Properties of Rare Earth-Based Bulk Metallic Glasses

The physical properties of rare earth-based bulk metallic glasses mainly include magnetic, thermal, and electrical characteristics. Rare earth-based bulk metallic glasses typically exhibit excellent magnetic properties, which are key to their applications as magnetic refrigeration materials, high-frequency transformers, and sensors. For example, Gd-based metallic glasses exhibit good soft magnetic properties at low temperatures, reducing energy loss and improving energy efficiency. Tm-based metallic glasses, on the other hand, demonstrate a giant magnetocaloric effect under low magnetic fields, giving them potential value in magnetic refrigeration applications. These outstanding magnetic properties primarily stem from the introduction of rare earth elements, which provide abundant magnetic moments and adjustable magnetic interactions.

The thermal properties of metallic glasses are also important physical characteristics. Due to the long-range disordered atomic arrangement in metallic glasses, they exhibit high thermal stability and can maintain stable performance over a wide temperature range. Additionally, the phase transition temperature of metallic glasses can be adjusted by modifying their composition and preparation processes, offering possibilities for their application in thermal fields.

Rare earth-based bulk metallic glasses generally possess high electrical resistivity and low eddy current losses, making them promising for electromagnetic applications. High resistivity reduces thermal losses when current passes through, while low eddy current losses minimize electromagnetic interference and noise. These electrical characteristics enable metallic glasses to find extensive use in high-frequency transformers, inductors, and other electromagnetic components.

In addition to the three aspects mentioned above, rare earth-based bulk metallic glasses may also exhibit other physical properties, such as optical characteristics and thermal conductivity.