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Massive Rare Earth Deposit Found In Australia

Posted by timothy on from the street-value-of-this-continent dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A north Queensland mining company has discovered one of the world's largest deposits of the rare earth, scandium, used in fuel cells."

149 comments

  1. Don't read this... it is a curse... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    In 1995, a little boy named Tom was playing with his toys in his living room. After about 15 minutes of playing, a tiny little man walked up to him and said, "May I explore the mazes of your bootyass?" Tom, surprised by this sudden occurrence, remained speechless.

    After thirty seconds passed, the little man asked the exact same question that he asked previously. This time, Tom asked the little man why he would want to do such a thing. The little man said, "Because I want to explore every maze inside your bootyass." Tom, sensing no bad intentions from the little man, nodded and said, "Well, all right. But no tickle! If there's any tickle, I'll smoosh ya!" The little man nodded his head and was sucked into Tom's bootyass as if his bootyass was a gigantic spaghetti noodle.

    Tom was beginning to have second thoughts about letting the little man explore the mazes of his bootyass, but he just shrugged them off. He thought, "What harm could allowing that nice, charismatic little man explore the mazes of my bootyass bring? He was so nice, charismatic, and thoughtful. I made the right choice."

    However, soon enough, he discovered that he was terribly wrong. Suddenly, he was looking into his own bootyass as if he was looking through a security camera. Inside, he spotted the little man and numerous round doorways made out of bootyass; it looked like an endless maze. To Tom's surprise, the little man suddenly transformed into a red toy carrying a gigantic sack over his shoulders and began walking towards the smallest doorway of them all! "That sack will never fit through that doorway!", Tom thought.

    The toy continued onwards, and eventually the sack got stuck inside the small doorway in Tom's bootyass. The toy, visibly angry, began trying to force the sack through the doorway! This inflicted tremendous amounts of tickle upon Tom's bootyass! The toy then began kicking the sides of Tom's bootyass out of frustration while laughing the entire time. Even more tickle was inflicted upon Tom's bootyass. Just when Tom thought that nothing worse could possibly happen to him, the toy forced the sack right through the doorway and went flying deeper into the mazes of Tom's bootyass and crashed into the side of it! This inflicted more tickle upon Tom's bootyass than ever before!

    Now that you have read this (even a single word of it), the very same toy, along with his giant sack which should fit through no doorway, will explore every single maze inside your bootyass (thereby inflicting major amounts of tickle upon it)! To prevent this from happening, copy and paste this entire comment and then repost it as a comment three times.

    1. Re:Don't read this... it is a curse... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      I hope you die of a particularly awful bowel disease that both causes you to waste away slowly and smell atrociously, so that that your vile pathetic evil mind has its physical manifestation in your body.

      Die badly, pervert.

    2. Re:Don't read this... it is a curse... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      I don't need any bad luck at the casino tomorrow.

      In 1995, a little boy named Tom was playing with his toys in his living room. After about 15 minutes of playing, a tiny little man walked up to him and said, "May I explore the mazes of your bootyass?" Tom, surprised by this sudden occurrence, remained speechless.

      After thirty seconds passed, the little man asked the exact same question that he asked previously. This time, Tom asked the little man why he would want to do such a thing. The little man said, "Because I want to explore every maze inside your bootyass." Tom, sensing no bad intentions from the little man, nodded and said, "Well, all right. But no tickle! If there's any tickle, I'll smoosh ya!" The little man nodded his head and was sucked into Tom's bootyass as if his bootyass was a gigantic spaghetti noodle.

      Tom was beginning to have second thoughts about letting the little man explore the mazes of his bootyass, but he just shrugged them off. He thought, "What harm could allowing that nice, charismatic little man explore the mazes of my bootyass bring? He was so nice, charismatic, and thoughtful. I made the right choice."

      However, soon enough, he discovered that he was terribly wrong. Suddenly, he was looking into his own bootyass as if he was looking through a security camera. Inside, he spotted the little man and numerous round doorways made out of bootyass; it looked like an endless maze. To Tom's surprise, the little man suddenly transformed into a red toy carrying a gigantic sack over his shoulders and began walking towards the smallest doorway of them all! "That sack will never fit through that doorway!", Tom thought.

      The toy continued onwards, and eventually the sack got stuck inside the small doorway in Tom's bootyass. The toy, visibly angry, began trying to force the sack through the doorway! This inflicted tremendous amounts of tickle upon Tom's bootyass! The toy then began kicking the sides of Tom's bootyass out of frustration while laughing the entire time. Even more tickle was inflicted upon Tom's bootyass. Just when Tom thought that nothing worse could possibly happen to him, the toy forced the sack right through the doorway and went flying deeper into the mazes of Tom's bootyass and crashed into the side of it! This inflicted more tickle upon Tom's bootyass than ever before!

      Now that you have read this (even a single word of it), the very same toy, along with his giant sack which should fit through no doorway, will explore every single maze inside your bootyass (thereby inflicting major amounts of tickle upon it)! To prevent this from happening, copy and paste this entire comment and then repost it as a comment three times.

    3. Re:Don't read this... it is a curse... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      And now Slashdot has become 2005 Youtube.

    4. Re:Don't read this... it is a curse... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Don't read this... it is a curse...

      In 1990, a little boy named George was walking down the railroad tracks that were located behind his backyard. Eventually, he decided to go back home, so he crossed the ditch that separated his yard and the railroad tracks. However, George noticed that it suddenly got very foggy. He could hardly see five feet ahead of himself!

      George had his blanket over his head; part of it was dragging on the ground as he walked. While walking back to his house, he noticed a teddy bear sitting against a tree behind his shed; it was waving at him. This frightened George, who was now speed walking. George, not wanting to turn back to see the teddy bear, instinctively knew that it was following him. He saw its shadow approaching him from behind.

      When it got close enough, he used his blanket and knocked it down on the ground. George was then flung into the air for seemingly no reason, and when he landed on the ground, he bounced back into the air. This happened a few more times, and each time he bounced, he would bounce about twenty feet into the air. Finally, George's bootyass landed directly on top of the teddy bear's face, and he could no longer move a single cheek.

      George, although frightened, knew that something bad was going to happen. The teddy bear said, "Like, tsk, owie!" in a little boy's voice that sounded as if it was echoing throughout a room. After a few moments of silence, George heard a "vvvvvvvvvvvvv" sound that sounded like something was getting sucked into something else. He quickly realized that the teddy bear was getting sucked right up his butt as if his bootyass was a spaghetti noodle! Soon afterwards, George's bootyass became something else entirely: a rumblehouse bootyass! Then, the teddy bear started bouncing around in George's bootyass and hitting its sides whilst emitting an aura of pure malice.

      Now that you have read this (even a single word of it), the very same teddy bear will use your bootyass as a bouncehouse and inflict extreme amounts of tickle upon it! To prevent this from happening, copy and paste this entire comment and then repost it as a comment three times.

  2. unobtainium by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Meanwhile the largest deposit of unobtainium is still on Pandora.

    1. Re:unobtainium by jhoegl · · Score: 0

      Unobtanium, a lazy sci-fi writers contribution to the element table that explains in one simple word how difficult it is to obtain the ore... except that they are able to obtain it.

      God I hate that name for an element.

    2. Re:unobtainium by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 1

      It's actually a real word, that's been in use for many decades.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unobtainium

      Yes, I agree that it shouldn't have been used for Avatar. But its use predated the movie.

    3. Re:unobtainium by hairyfeet · · Score: 1

      So in other words the Unobtainium is just Applied Phlebotinum? Try saying THAT three times fast!

      As for TFA, it looks like China trying to hoard all the rare earth metals is gonna bite them right in the ass. Nobody was really looking as long as China was selling, but the second they stopped suddenly it was worth looking for again. Isn't there a pretty big rare earth metal deposit in the USA as well? Of course they probably won't be allowed to dig it up, as we learned from all those superfund sites we got stuck with miners tend to be a little messy when it comes to the environment.

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    4. Re:unobtainium by haruchai · · Score: 1

      Do you mean the Mountain Pass mine ? Looks like it'll be up and running again by 2013, somewhat behind schedule. And yes, they've had quite a few enviro screwups over the years; let's hope they're smarter this time around. But in the short term, China isn't worried as, thanks to the shortsightedness of the US caving in to their cheaper REEs, there's not a lot of refining expertise left in America. So, many of the reactivated REE mines has been sending their product for final refinement to - yup, you guessed it - CHINA! Of course this state of affairs won't last forever but I don't think the Chinese are worried as they'll probably always be able to undercut the US market and it's not likely that rare earths are going to become useless anytime soon, especially since thorium is usually present, which they've been stockpiling for their nuclear research.

      --
      Pain is merely failure leaving the body
    5. Re:unobtainium by Kreigaffe · · Score: 1

      It's not that there isn't refining expertise left in America.

      There is.

      The problem is that it's expensive, because we have environmental regulations, because we have safety regulations to protect our workers -- China? I don't know if they technically do or not, but effectively they do not, and that means it's much, much cheaper to do all the dirty nasty dangerous refining over there and shit all over their environment. Because China likes money more than they like things living -- trees, grass, any individual Chinese person, etc etc.

      --
      ... still waiting for this free-as-in-beer free beer I keep hearing about. :|
    6. Re:unobtainium by haruchai · · Score: 1

      True enough but there's more to it than that. China has been playing fast and loose with their currency for a very long time and it's only now I see there's an attempt by the US to take sanctions against them. Too bad they didn't think of this 10-15 years ago. Also, what's wrong with not buying from them until they clean up their act, and their mining practices. I have trouble seeing how this is any different from buying products knowingly made from slave labor, something which most of us would find reprehensible.

      --
      Pain is merely failure leaving the body
    7. Re:unobtainium by onepoint · · Score: 1

      >> As for TFA, it looks like China trying to hoard all the rare earth metals is gonna bite them right in the ass. Nobody was really looking as long as China was selling

      This is a common occurrence in the mining industry, when the public hears about a future shortage or someone comes in to corner the markets, the market fills in the demand.

      a good documented case for this is Uranium in the late 40's to 50'. I do not have the fact's to link to, so please accept it with subject to validation: in the late 40's a report was issued from the US government stating that there was only a limited mine-able supply in the USA of Uranium. They (US GOV ) started making purchases contracts for future supplies with the mines at above market rates ( Hording mentality ). The markets reaction was more discoveries of Uranium, to the point where whatever was thought to be the entire supply, they already had it above ground and to be delivered.

      Rarity is something that does not really occur too often, and in the metals aspect, the market's will find supply or change to another product.

      Good example of this also is Diamonds, someone has figured out how to make them at highest quality levels. Next thing is most likely a good Gold substitute or Silver substitute ( I'm thinking something like an alloy lead/graphine product )

      --
      if you see me, smile and say hello.
    8. Re:unobtainium by Rei · · Score: 1

      Unobtanium, a lazy sci-fi writers contribution to the element table that explains in one simple word how difficult it is to obtain the ore... except that they are able to obtain it.

      To quote from the official scriptment:

      "Pandora is blessed with a naturally occurring susbstance a million times more precious than gold. Its joke name of "unobtanium" has stuck, over the years."

      The backstory to Avatar was actually a lot more fleshed out and interesting than used in the movie, and they stuck to real science more than almost any other modern sci-fi that I can think of. As for "unobtanium": it's a room-temperature superconductor (probably the most likely thing on Earth for scientists and engineers to jokingly refer to as "unobtanium"). There are hints to that in the movie, such as when one character sets a piece of it down over a magnet and it floats in place. The backstory is that astronomers' attention was drawn to this moon because of the tremendous magnetic fields it was generating. A lot of the "ORLLY?" moments in the world are actually quite plausible given the concept of large deposits of a room-temperature superconductor underground -- a planetwide communication network, floating mountains (superconductors strongly expel magnetic fields), highly intense and uneven localized levels of magnetic field strength and radiation (and thus communication disruption), and so forth.

      They really went to a ton of detail with the latest in scientific paradigms on pretty much every aspect of the worldbuilding. The spacecraft, for example. It's dual propulsion. For earth departure, it uses a photon sail pumped by a laser array at Earth, to accelerate the craft without it having to carry extra propellant for said acceleration. For decelaration, however, there is no such laser array, so instead it needs to provide its own thrust. For this, they use antimatter-initiated microfusion. All parts of the spacecraft are sized in proportion to what they'd actually need to be sized as to actually complete the journey. The craft is laid out in a very un-sci-fi-like fashion using tensile structures rather than rigid structures. First the sail, then the propellant/engine system for deceleration, all lie *ahead* of the craft, with the craft hanging in tension behind them. This can dramatically reduce system mass. The first system I read about like that, although there may have been others proposed before then, was "Medusa", a more efficient alternative to the popular "Orion" nuclear pulse propulsion system. Behind the spacecraft lies a reflective shield that protects it from the lasers used during the initial boost phase. During interstellar travel, it is then rotated to act as a shield against grains of interstellar dust. For the return trip, the antimatter and hydrogen are topped back up from locally-produced sources and used to boost it back up to 0.7c. At Earth, the photon sail and laser array is then used for deceleration.

      Similar level of detail went into creating the biomes and evolutionary history of the different species, and pretty much every aspect of the worldbuilding. Unfortunately, a lot of compromises were made in trying to wedge the plot in and make it appeal to the lowest common denominator :P. For example, the Navi were initially far less human-looking, in fitting with a realistic evolutionary development pattern. This was changed to help the audience bond with them better. One can only likewise expect similar compromises in the Na'vi speaking so much in English, the human being the "big damn hero", and other unrealistic audience-identification-with-characters aspects. I find it a shame that there's no way to get a "not dumbed down" version.

      As a side note, I found it interesting to read that the visual similarities between the

      --
      Next to my desk we have an Ire Extinguisher. Our boss is really assertive, so we like the idea of having it.
    9. Re:unobtainium by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Slave labor will always be cheaper, regardless of the regs.

  3. A good summary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A good summary would have told us *how* massive it was.

    Instead I had to RTFA and find out that the article itself doesn't even tell us.

    The amount of information in the summary and TFA could have fit in a tweet.

    1. Re:A good summary by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 1

      The amount of information in the summary and TFA could have fit in a tweet.

      They probably tweeted it also (perhaps more than once). And likely started Facebook and MySpace pages for the deposit.
      Gotta raise that hype every way you can. There's no material product, but the investors want to dump shares^W^W advertise this amazing economic opportunity to others...

      --
      Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
    2. Re:A good summary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      A good summary would have told us *how* massive it was.

      Yeah, and linking to an article which is worth a shit would help as well.

      Here's a link to a much more informative article.

      Excerpts:
      Currently, the world market for scandium is small - around two to five tonnes a year
      then we'll produce - let's say - 40 tonnes of scandium.

      But most relevant to your specific question is the last line: "A resource estimate is expected to be released mid-year.

    3. Re:A good summary by arisvega · · Score: 1

      In other news: bear takes a dump in woods.

      --
      The three laws of thermodynamics:(1) You can't win. (2) You can't break even. (3) You can't even quit.
    4. Re:A good summary by cormandy · · Score: 1

      It was fucking massive. Is that better?

  4. Metallica Metals... by tywjohn · · Score: 2

    They'll need the extra money to pay off Lars Ulrich

    1. Re:Metallica Metals... by balbord · · Score: 1

      Woosh!
      Lars is American. Metallica Minerals is from Austria!

      --
      "If I have been able to see so far, It is because I went out and bought a damn binoculars" - Ze da Esquina
    2. Re:Metallica Metals... by Sique · · Score: 1

      I'm still wondering how much more whoosh you were presenting in your reply. (Lars Ulrich is from Danemark, not the U.S., and Metallica Minerals is from Australia, not Austria.)

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
    3. Re:Metallica Metals... by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      Furthermore, it's located near Townsville, so they'll have to deal with the Powerpuff Girls

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
  5. Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by Animats · · Score: 4, Informative

    That's nice, but scandium has only a few minor uses. A find of high-quality neodymium or europium ore would be much more interesting.

    1. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Of course they didn't find europium, it was in Australia!

    2. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by sFurbo · · Score: 1

      The rare earths usually go together, to the degree that separating them is a major hassle in their production. A deposit of one will contain smaller amounts of the others.

    3. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by AliasMarlowe · · Score: 3, Informative

      And Scandium is not really a rare earth. It's the first transition metal (3d valence orbitals) with atomic number 21. Rare earths don't begin until Lanthanum (4f valence orbitals) with atomic number 57.

      Scandium does have uses, but these have been small in part due to the limited availability of the metal. Is is questionable whether those uses will increase markedly in the near future, just because the supply of Scandium has increased.

      --
      Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
    4. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by deek · · Score: 1

      If media/gaming companies can consider Australia a part of Europe, then dammit, so can some dumb element!

    5. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 1

      A find of high-quality neodymium or europium ore would be much more interesting.

      We'd love to get hold of more Europium, but:

      [ ] Afghanistan cornered the market
      [ ] They can only get Oceanium down under.
      [ ] All of Jupiter's moons are ours, except the one with the rare earth element. Figures.

      Please delete as appropriate.

      --
      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
    6. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by khallow · · Score: 4, Informative

      And Scandium is not really a rare earth. It's the first transition metal (3d valence orbitals) with atomic number 21. Rare earths don't begin until Lanthanum (4f valence orbitals) with atomic number 57.

      Geology and mining does things a little differently from chemistry. Apparently, Scandium is classified as a "rare earth" because it occurs in deposits with proper rare earths. Similarly, gold is often classified as a "platinum group metal" because it's a common associate of proper platinum group metals.

      Is is questionable whether those uses will increase markedly in the near future, just because the supply of Scandium has increased.

      Why? There are apparently a number of viable aluminum alloys that use scandium. Cheaper scandium makes these more competitive with similar alloys (apparently, titanium containing aluminum alloys).

    7. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by ozmanjusri · · Score: 1

      A find of high-quality neodymium or europium ore would be much more interesting.

      You mean like Lynas mining's Mt Weld in Australia?

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    8. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by gentryx · · Score: 0

      Neodymium is called a rare earth, but actually it is no rarer than copper.

      --
      Computer simulation made easy -- LibGeoDecomp
    9. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by asdf7890 · · Score: 1

      Some of the uses for it overlap with those for elements that are both rarer and pretty much controlled by China (they've bean very canny about securing such resources over the last decade or two, and now protect direct exports). If the main thing stopping the use of those alternatives is the cost of acquiring the raw material then this find is likely to make them more attractive by increasing availability and reducing that cost. The change won't be fast though, and many uses of rare earth materials are often in processes that involve other rare elements so unless the processes being discussed are unusual in only needing this one rare element such co-dependence will complicate things (unless this deposit contains the other elements in useful amounts too, of course - as others have pointed out deposits of several rare elements are often found together).

    10. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh yeah, how come they found scandium then?

    11. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by bhcompy · · Score: 1

      Because "rare earth" is a hokey term. Rare earths aren't rare at all, at least as far as rare materials go

    12. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 1

      Of course they didn't find europium, it was in Australia!

      In honor of Columbus Day: "Australians set off to the North East in ships looking for a new route to Europe. Upon encountering a different continent on the way, they name its inhabitants Europeans.

    13. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just wait until they invent the Keely Harmonic Engine.

    14. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lol: you forgot, ... and to this day we honor his navigational skills!

    15. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by Iskender · · Score: 1

      You forgot Lutetium, you insensitive clod!

    16. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ugh... Australia is IN Europe, dummy!

    17. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by RMingin · · Score: 1

      Australium! Shines like gold, crafts nice weapons!

      --
      The preceding comment is my own, and in no way construes an opinon of the Emperor of Mankind.
    18. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by Animats · · Score: 1

      You mean like Lynas mining's Mt Weld in Australia?

      Right. And Mountain Pass, California.

      The big problem with rare earth mining (and gold mining) is finding a place to dump the wastes. Some rare earth mines are environmental disaster areas. Most are in the middle of nowhere. Mountain Pass CA is adjacent to I-15, east of Barstow. They have a unique solution - they're building a pipeline to Nevada so they can dump the sludge onto low value real estate in a red state.

    19. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm sure the dumb element is smarter than the people who think region coding is a good idea.

    20. Re:Nice, but one of the less useful rare earths by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's nice, but scandium has only a few minor uses.

      "...additive in aluminum baseball bats and bike frames, helped the Soviet Union make lightweight helicopters in the 1980s and purportedly even topped Soviet ICBM,missles stored underground in the Arctic, to help the nukes punch through sheets of ice.” Sam Kean’s excellent book on the elements, “The Disappearing Spoon”.

  6. Trivial usage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Going by the linked ABC article - and the fact the only thing the company has announced was it's annual report today (which isn't really news as the projects/mines would already have been known).

    Scandium sells for $5,000/kg. According to the annual report, there is only current use of 5t a year (I assume worldwide). So that's only $25 million a year worth of output. That's pocket change for a mine.

    1. Re:Trivial usage by smash · · Score: 1

      Ahh, but is the minimal current usage due to lack of supply, rather than lack of potential use, given appropriate quantities?

      --
      I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
    2. Re:Trivial usage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      For those wondering how he got the $25 million/year figure: $5,000/kg is $2267.96/lb, 5 metric tons is 11,023 lbs. $2267.96/lb * 11,023 lbs = $24,999,723.08 which happens to be very close to $25 million.

    3. Re:Trivial usage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      China bought in big into Metallica. As such, they need press to make it sound good. Bad tastes and high calories. Just what you would expect.

    4. Re:Trivial usage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I assumed math was how he achieved that number...

    5. Re:Trivial usage by egladil · · Score: 2

      Actually, I think he just multiplied $5000/kg with 5000 kg (5t) to get (exactly) $25 million.

    6. Re:Trivial usage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gee thanks.
      Or perhaps he just did $5,000/kg * 5t = 25 million.
      Metric is convenient that way.

    7. Re:Trivial usage by Kabuthunk · · Score: 1

      Yeah. I was kinda wondering why the conversion to imperial units.

      Damnit USA, use real numbers like the rest of the world!

      --
      Planet Zebeth - Metroid with a twist
    8. Re:Trivial usage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If he's Australian he would have used maths, not math.

    9. Re:Trivial usage by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      Strange how in the USA we have "math" and in Europe, they call it "maths". But here in the USA, we have "sports", while in Europe they call it "sport".

    10. Re:Trivial usage by CaptainDefragged · · Score: 1

      http://theoatmeal.com/pl/senior_year/science

      --
      Don't tailgate - the end is near!
  7. Just wondering by greylion3 · · Score: 1

    .. if we found an ancient civilization's landfill.

    --
    Privacy begins with ..
    1. Re:Just wondering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh my God. I'm back. I'm home. All the time, it was... We finally really did it.

      You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!

    2. Re:Just wondering by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ALIENS

  8. Metallica Metals by brenddie · · Score: 2, Funny

    http://www.metallicaminerals.com.au/board_of_directors

    James Hetfield
    Lars Ulrich
    Kirk Hammett
    Robert Trujillo

    Let the suing being

    --
    The best test environment is production. - Me
    chrome://browser/content/browser.xul
    1. Re:Metallica Metals by Dark+Lord+of+Ohio · · Score: 1

      http://www.metallicaminerals.com.au/board_of_directors

      James Hetfield Lars Ulrich Kirk Hammett Robert Trujillo

      Let the suing being

      They forced Jason Newsted to sell his shares before he quit the band, and I have heard that Jason is going to sue them because of hostile takeover of the company and his loss of profits from this scandium deposits. ps. Jason is better basist than Trujillo! And Metallica ended in 1991!

    2. Re:Metallica Metals by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      Jason is better basist than Trujillo!

      You'd never know it, the way Lars mixed the albums. There's no bass at all in AJFA.

      And Metallica ended in 1991!

      Metallica was never all that great, if you go by the studio albums. Someone needs to steal all the master tapes, then create new mixes so you can hear Cliff and Jason in the first 4 albums, and release them on BitTorrent. Cliff was the real genius behind the band, and after he died, they started a downward spiral; the first two albums after him (AJFA and the Black Album) were OK, but everything after that was crap. And after Jason left, the bottom really fell out. "St. Anger" was probably one of the worst albums ever by an established band; it's to rock/metal albums what "Battlefield: Earth" is to sci-fi movies.

    3. Re:Metallica Metals by Dark+Lord+of+Ohio · · Score: 1

      All I can say is that I totally agree. Maybe Newsteds bass was not "visible" on AJFA but I heard them performing live and it was really good. Same with "Black Album", St. Anger is kind of experiment which was not worth to spend few bucks on iTunes and on the rest lets just put the courtain of silence...

  9. This just in... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...Message from White House...

    Australia found to harbor terrorists. Military action advised.

    1. Re:This just in... by future+assassin · · Score: 1

      Dood they have Mad Max and Crocodile Hunter, better not fuck with them...

      --
      by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
    2. Re:This just in... by Nutria · · Score: 1

      Is Crocodile Dundee too old to put up a fight? (From seeing his age at IMDB, I guess he is...)

      --
      "I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
    3. Re:This just in... by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

      He lives in the US anyway. Tax exile.

      --
      http://michaelsmith.id.au
    4. Re:This just in... by Jimbookis · · Score: 1

      He lives in the US anyway. Tax exile.

      Really, you think it has nothing to do with the fact that his wife is a US citizen? If he was living in one of those European principalities or dodgy Caribbean islands you might have a point.

    5. Re:This just in... by mjwx · · Score: 2

      ...Message from White House...

      Australia found to harbor terrorists. Military action advised.

      Headline from 2012

      US Forces Fail to Stop Koala Drop Bear Insurgency in Australia.

      Fear the drop bear.

      P.S. it's harbour

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    6. Re:This just in... by sosume · · Score: 1

      You fail. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_spelling_differences
      Most words ending in an unstressed -our in British English (e.g. colour, flavour, honour, neighbour, rumour, labour, humour, harbour) end in -or in American English (cf. color, flavor, honor, neighbor, rumor, labor, humor, harbor). Wherever the vowel is unreduced in pronunciation, this does not occur: e.g. contour, velour, paramour and troubadour are spelled thus the same everywhere.
      Most words of this category derive from Latin non-agent nouns having nominative -or; the first such borrowings into English were from early Old French and the ending was -or or -ur. After the Norman Conquest, the ending became -our in Anglo-French in an attempt to represent the Old French pronunciation of words ending in -or, though color has been used occasionally in English since the 15th century. The -our ending was not only retained in English borrowings from Anglo-French, but also applied to earlier French borrowings. After the Renaissance, some such borrowings from Latin were taken up with their original -or ending; many words once ending in -our (for example, chancellour and governour) now end in -or everywhere. Many words of the -our/-or group do not have a Latin counterpart; for example, armo(u)r, behavio(u)r, harbo(u)r, neighbo(u)r; also arbo(u)r meaning "shelter", though senses "tree" and "tool" are always arbor, a false cognate of the other word. Some 16th- and early 17th-century British scholars indeed insisted that -or be used for words of Latin origin (e.g. color[6]) and -our for French loans; but in many cases the etymology was not completely clear, and therefore some scholars advocated -or only and others -our only.

    7. Re:This just in... by mjwx · · Score: 1

      You fail.

      In Australia we speak British English (of course you know that because you actually read the wikipedia article you copy/pasted, didn't you).

      We dont Harbor anything, that's a spelling error.

      P.S. Just to confuse you, labour and Labor are both correct spellings with different meanings in Australian and British English.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    8. Re:This just in... by gmhowell · · Score: 2

      In Australia we speak British English (of course you know that because you actually read the wikipedia article you copy/pasted, didn't you).

      You do understand your quaint local customs will be of scant interest to a US occupying force that will view extraneous usage of the letter 'u' as a clear sign that you are an insurgent?

      --
      Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
    9. Re:This just in... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We do Harbor something. We Victor Harbor it. http://tourismvictorharbor.com.au/

    10. Re:This just in... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As f Ny modrn American w%d knw nuf of d en lang 2 notis a diff... :-P

    11. Re:This just in... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He doesn't understand the way of the white man. He's the Tarzan of Walkabout Creek.

    12. Re:This just in... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nothing whatsoever.

      He's taken a step down being in the US anyway, no-one does that out of choice ! (Well, no one of any account at least....only Third Worlders)

    13. Re:This just in... by Clsid · · Score: 1

      He just fights with a Subaru now

    14. Re:This just in... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Meh, they'll get lost on the way after typing 'Perl Harbor' into their GPSs.

    15. Re:This just in... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You fail again. A message from the White House will most assuredly be written in American English, since the White House is in America, not Australia.

    16. Re:This just in... by Macgrrl · · Score: 1

      That's Ok, the flora and fauna will sort them out.

      --
      Sara
      Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
  10. FTFA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    "With scadnium selling currently selling for $5,000 a kilo, owner Metallica Metals says it will double the size of a planned cobalt and nickel mine at the site."

    Metallica was right when they wrote 'Battery' many years ago..

  11. Scandium == Chemical-X ?!? by storkus · · Score: 1

    This discovery has been made at a former nickel mine at Greenvale, just out of Townsville.

    Wait, so the Powerpuff Girls (formerly known as the Kickass Girls) are really from Down Under?

    1. Re:Scandium == Chemical-X ?!? by wierd_w · · Score: 1

      Why else do you think so many monsters attack them from the sea? What with global warming altering ocean currents, and the radioactive seawater from nearby Japan, how is it possible that they could be from anywhere ELSE but Australia?

      Be that as it may, a contact of mine from QLD insists that he had never even heard of the diminutive superheroines until I started asking about them, so they must be quite good at press manipulation down there.

    2. Re:Scandium == Chemical-X ?!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He probably just doesn't have cable, or you should no longer be in contact with him.

  12. I JUST WANT TO CELEBRATE by Y-Crate · · Score: 1

    Another day of mining!

  13. Looks like... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Looks like it's no longer...

    *puts on sunglasses* ...scantium.

    YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

  14. You may have found it... by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

    but can you compete with the prices from China? Will your employees work for slave^H^H^H^H^H freedom wages?

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re:You may have found it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      China is massively limiting rare earth exports lately. They need that stuff for them selves.
      There is not much to compete with currently, especially since rare earth prices are going up dramatically lately.
      Please check your facts.

    2. Re:You may have found it... by asdf7890 · · Score: 1

      Actually for the most part they don't need it for themselves directly, most of the supply is used in the manufacturing industry producing things that are then sold to the rest of the world (yes the Chinese populous uses this output too, but once you take the poor rural population out of the equation it becomes clear that exports of such products is currently more significant than sales internal to the country). That is why China is controlling access to the rare elements as much as they can: they are protecting the manufacturing industry that their economy depends upon quite strongly. If this element, now found in significant quantities out of China's control is significantly useful then other governments may encourage (through grants and subsidies) the development of those alternatives in order to try tip the control of the market a little more towards their favour.

    3. Re:You may have found it... by cavreader · · Score: 1

      China's policies on rare earth elements have also caused the US to re-open their own mines which were closed due to environmental concerns and because it became cheaper to import the materials. The Australian discovery also limits China's attempts to use these elements to hold other countries hostage like they did when they temporarily stopped exporting these elements to Japan for political reasons. With China's increasing labor costs due to inflation and the emergence of other countries capable of providing low labor costs the Chinese are facing some problems.

  15. Fuck China by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Good...fuck China...

  16. A secret plan for cheaply mining it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They're planning to bury a keg of beer somewhere on the property then charge a 5'er for shovel rental. With any luck the shovel rental should pay for processing.

  17. scandium is NOT a rare earth by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    scandium is element 21, and its claim to fame is a great alloy with aluminum. It could be considered the best element to alloy with aluminum. However, Scandium is hard to find in good ores.

  18. Australium? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://www.teamfortress.com/loosecanon/09.html

  19. Rare earth? really? by frovingslosh · · Score: 1

    OK, it's rare. But at atomic number 21 I'm not clear how anyone can say it is in the rare earth group, those are much heavier elements.

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
    1. Re:Rare earth? really? by snookums · · Score: 1

      According to the ever-reliable wikipedia, Scandium has "traditionally" been classified with the rare earth metal on account of chemical similarity to the lanthanoid elements, and generally being found in nature alongside said elements.

      --
      Be careful. People in masks cannot be trusted.
    2. Re:Rare earth? really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If it makes a sensationalistic headline, anything that journalists can stretch to fit is game. Even if it is total lies if interpreted correctly instead of for emotional effect.

  20. How about by pkinetics · · Score: 3, Funny

    US invasion of Australia to commence in 3...2...1...

    1. Re:How about by smash · · Score: 2

      Not required. The aussie government will just lube up and bend over for the rogering they're about to receive via the "free trade" agreement or a revision thereof.

      --
      I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
    2. Re:How about by savuporo · · Score: 2

      Except that there are companies like Molycorp just reopening old pits in US right now. Rare earths are not all that rare, actually.

      --
      http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.slashdot.org Errors found while checking this document as HTML5!
    3. Re:How about by qxcv · · Score: 1

      Say what you want about Australia's leaders being in bed with the US, but right now mining + free trade is keeping our economy chugging along pretty well (and has been for the last few decades). Protecting inefficient industries simply delays the inevitable whilst giving those in said industries free reign over pricing in local markets. Case in point: bananas. Bilateral FTAs are a win-win situation.

      --
      "The most dangerous enemy of a better solution is an existing codebase that is just good enough." -- Eric S. Raymond
    4. Re:How about by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Mining contributes 9% of Australia's GDP (post crises) and less than 2% of jobs.

      Linky

      I don't think that counts as 'keeping our economy chugging along'.

    5. Re:How about by SEE · · Score: 1

      Australia's an industrialized English-speaking federation of states with a dedicated capital territory that fought at our side in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq I, Afghanistan, and Iraq II. And we've got a defense agreement and a free trade agreement with them.

      Why would we bother to invade? They're already US!

    6. Re:How about by LordLucless · · Score: 1

      Protecting inefficient industries simply delays the inevitable whilst giving those in said industries free reign over pricing in local markets

      Where "efficient" generally means outsourcing to a country with lax labour and human rights enforcement.

      --
      Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face
    7. Re:How about by mjwx · · Score: 1

      but right now mining + free trade is keeping our economy chugging along pretty well

      Like the free trade agreement that prevents us from exporting beef to the Americas.

      I think you need to read up on what those free trade agreements entail. They're pretty one sided (and not on Oz's favour), The US trade agreement in particular specifically prevents a lot of exports and shoe horns more then a few US laws on us without even asking our permission.

      Also the mining companies need to pull their heads and arses into line, they dig up our nation at _our_ pleasure. I'm looking at you Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    8. Re:How about by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Australia's an industrialized English-speaking federation of states with a dedicated capital territory that fought at our side in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq I, Afghanistan, and Iraq II. And we've got a defense agreement and a free trade agreement with them.

      Why would we bother to invade? They're already US!

      Well from what I have seen of them they have the smug smart ass bullysuperiority complex the Yanks have down to a tee so yeah close enough.

    9. Re:How about by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think if a nation cannot make things and is dependent on other countries for basically everything, it is a vunerability for that country.

    10. Re:How about by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I prefer my earths well-done. You just never know what lurks around the oven...

    11. Re:How about by foniksonik · · Score: 1

      Makes you wonder how much rare earths were left in the slag pile of former mines.

      --
      A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
    12. Re:How about by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      Free trade agreements are good when the two countries involved are similar, and are on a "level playing field": similar taxes, labor rates, etc.

      They're not good when it's with a country where the labor rate is dirt-cheap, because there's no way to compete with that while maintaining your standard of living; then it becomes a race to the bottom. Of course, for some goods, you do have to take into account external factors like the environment/climate: for instance, bananas grow really well in Central America and other equatorial places, and not so well in places like Canada (unless you build a giant greenhouse or something), so it makes sense to make exceptions for those things.

    13. Re:How about by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      You also have to take into account how much of the service economy that that one industry supports. All the mine workers have to rent housing, buy food, buy cars, get medical attention, buy junk at whatever the Australian equivalent of Walmart is, etc. The mine company itself also uses other services from the local economy; transportation services, specialized products (do they buy the mining machines locally, or import them from other countries?), etc.

      While 9% + service jobs probably isn't a majority of the economy, it's still a decent chunk.

    14. Re:How about by ozduo · · Score: 0

      Who would want to be in bed with the OZ prime minister? Not me. The only one who in interested in getting inside her pants is her limp wristed hairdresser partner, and that's only for show.

      --
      I got to the chocolate box before you, that's why the hard ones have teeth marks.
    15. Re:How about by smash · · Score: 1

      Thank you. The "Free trade agreement" is nothing of the sort. Hence my reference to australia lubing up for it. By the way, i live here in AU.

      --
      I run: Windows, OS X, Linux, FreeBSD. Just because you have a hammer, doesn't mean everything is a nail.
    16. Re:How about by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why would we bother to invade? They're already US!

      Thems fightin' words boy-O! Banjos at 20 paces.

    17. Re:How about by qxcv · · Score: 1

      That's not the point of an FTA. Have a look at economic convergence and comparative advantage.

      --
      "The most dangerous enemy of a better solution is an existing codebase that is just good enough." -- Eric S. Raymond
    18. Re:How about by jwilso91 · · Score: 1

      Australia's an industrialized English-speaking federation of states with a dedicated capital territory that fought at our side in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq I, Afghanistan, and Iraq II. And we've got a defense agreement and a free trade agreement with them.

      Why would we bother to invade? They're already US!

      ... despite the fact that Australia (and NZ, for that matter) were rather poorly used by Britain in WWI and by the U.S. in WWII.

    19. Re:How about by Grishnakh · · Score: 1

      Too bad that economic theory is basically a load of crap (the comparative advantage one, the convergence one is true). If one country has cheaper labor than the other, then all the production is going to move to that country; it's that simple. That's exactly what we're seeing in the USA.

      That that theory is crap shouldn't be surprising, because much of economics is crap; it's a crap science, not a real science, and economists just make up stuff that sounds good to them because they have little way to actually test theories like in a real science.

    20. Re:How about by qxcv · · Score: 1

      If one country has cheaper labor than the other, then all the production is going to move to that country; it's that simple.

      Wrong. Most labour intensive production will move to that country, because they have a comparative advantage in producing labour intensive products (or simply producing products in a labour intensive way). And that is where economic convergence comes in, as the country with an advantage in labour becomes wealthier, pay and living standards increase, and thus their comparative advantage in labour decreases. Eventually, the economy of both countries would equalize, and grow at the same (or at a similar) rate. Of course, this is only in theory. In practice there are numerous external factors that could alter the time period over which such a scenario occurs, or the manner in which it occurs, i.e. natural disasters.

      That that theory is crap shouldn't be surprising, because much of economics is crap; it's a crap science, not a real science, and economists just make up stuff that sounds good to them because they have little way to actually test theories like in a real science.

      So all theoretical science is "crap science"? I see.

      --
      "The most dangerous enemy of a better solution is an existing codebase that is just good enough." -- Eric S. Raymond
  21. Rare earths are not rare by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We've been over this before. The cost of rare earths does not have to do with their scarcity, but rather the cost of refining the ores into useful metals—it's a complicated process with lots of toxic chemicals.

    1. Re:Rare earths are not rare by jonwil · · Score: 1

      Is there something about China that would give them a cost advantage in rare-earth processing in the way they have a cost advantage in the production of things like iPhones, Nike shoes and circular saws? Or could the US (who would have obvious national interest concerns about being so reliant on China for these important metals) build their own processing facilities for all these non-Chinese rare earth deposits everyone hears about?

    2. Re:Rare earths are not rare by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 1

      Is there something about China that would give them a cost advantage in rare-earth processing

      A complete lack of [enforced] environmental protection laws?

      A complete disregard for the value of any particular individual life (other than the aristocracy, of course)?

      Oh, and slave labour as an expendable workforce....

      --

      "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
  22. Can't wait for the game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Rare Earths Tycoon"

  23. Great by Statecraftsman · · Score: 1

    Just after I registered peakscandium.com!

  24. Finally something good comes out of Australia by UpYoursNetwork · · Score: 1

    Guess all that criminal activity which caused the place to be inhabited was worth it now, eh? Streuth!

    --
    UpYours - http://www.upyoursnetwork.com
    1. Re:Finally something good comes out of Australia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      What? As opposed to all the criminal activity NOW in the USA ?

      1: USA built on slavery
      2: USA was the original destination for British convicts (120,000..about the same as Oz later).
      3: 5 % of the worlds population, 50% of the worlds drug use.
      4: 10,000's of gun murders each year.
      5: Still starting off illegal and unjustified wars

      Anyway, you're just jealous. Oz has better weather, and food, and culture and women and economy and education and healthcare and..and..and.....on and on it goes.

      You just want to be us, we know that...but we won't let you.

      Wake me up when your Chinese masters decide to let you out of your $4/hr factory job for 5 minutes.

    2. Re:Finally something good comes out of Australia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      There's nothing wrong with drug use...

    3. Re:Finally something good comes out of Australia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dear lord you are a tard.

      1. Slavery was neither illegal nor particularly criminal for most of the formative years of the US.
      2. Many of those were debtors, hardly a worrisome criminal class.
      3. [Citation Needed]
      4. [Citation Needed] You picked an awfully specific term of art, 'murders', vs. a more sensible term, 'deaths'.
      5. If you and your country think they are illegal, why haven't they pressed for a trial for Bush, Cheney, Obama, etc.?

    4. Re:Finally something good comes out of Australia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not a "tard"...in fact, completely right.

      1: Paedophilia wasn't "illegal" back in Ancient Rome either, so that makes it right ? So you're a pervert then ?... If they make murder legal then that's ok too? Locking people up for years without trial was also "legal" in the USSR, so that's ok then ?
      2: I realise I'm dealing with a dimwit American, so I'll spell it out for you....the "debtors" as you claim, were EXACTLY THE SAME SORT OF PEOPLE SENT TO AUSTRALIA LATER ON ! The didn't all magically turn into serial killers the year after they stopped sending them to Boston.
      3: Just fucking use Google you lazy prick. Look at the WHO, CIA, NIDA .
      4: Ditto.......although I'll make it easier for you....the USA is right up there with Columbia and South Africa.
      5: Well dipshit, half the world would love to put those fucks on trial, but the reality is they're safe, just like you trying to put Putin on trial for something. Try it and see how far you get ? Probably straight to a hospital with Polonium poisoning.

      You're a real fucktard, aren't you ?

    5. Re:Finally something good comes out of Australia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, you got modded down. The Women's Temperance League must be on /. now...

      I knew this place was going down the tubes.

      (Note to mods-on-crack: Ethanol is a drug. Nicotine is a drug. Caffeine is a drug. Also, the crack which you are on is a drug, but if you think there's something wrong with it, just stop, don't go modwarring against all drugs everywhere.)

    6. Re:Finally something good comes out of Australia by Sique · · Score: 1

      Just to continue: sugar is a drug, soap is a drug, salt is one.

      "drug" comes from "dried" (or better from its middle age equivalent dröge), and it means a substance that is extracted and refined from natural sources. That's why the drugstore is called as it is. And that's why "synthetic drug" is a paradoxon, as per definitionem something synthetic can't be a drug (e.g. from natural sources).

      For some reason the word drug has been associated with the idea of intoxication and addiction.

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
  25. This is by LS · · Score: 1

    Scandi-lous!

    *ducks*

    --
    There is a fine line between being a cultivated citizen and being someone else's crop. - A. J. Patrick Liszkie
    1. Re:This is by catmistake · · Score: 1

      I don't care what they found... if minors were involved they should be punished

      --
      The Admin and the Engineer
  26. Let me be the umpteenth person.. by CliffH · · Score: 1

    ... to welcome our new Aussie overlords.

    --
    sigs are like a box of chocolates, they all suck remove the underscores to email me
    1. Re:Let me be the umpteenth person.. by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

      Oh no not Bob Katter.

      --
      http://michaelsmith.id.au
    2. Re:Let me be the umpteenth person.. by Cant+use+a+slash+wtf · · Score: 1

      The Wikipedia article on him doesn't seem to have a picture of him. They must not have been able to find a picture of him without that ridiculous hat.

    3. Re:Let me be the umpteenth person.. by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

      I live in Victoria so there is little chance of me taking a picture of him for wikipedia. Maybe his brother could submit one?

      --
      http://michaelsmith.id.au
    4. Re:Let me be the umpteenth person.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You mean the hat that is part of Australia's cultural identity? Does that make you or the hat ridiculous?

      Fucking small minded city centric people.

  27. Metric is convenient by stooo · · Score: 0

    >> Metric is convenient

    You nailed it. All is about simple conversions.

    --
    aaaaaaa
  28. Rare earths are not quite ... rare by giorgist · · Score: 4, Informative

    In fact they are quite common. One of te big problem with rare earths is that if you extract them, you generally find them in company with thorium. Now even though it is naturally there, one you took it out of the ground you are obligated to treat it as a radioactive waste. You are not aloud to mix it back into the ground at the same consistency you found it. The result is that one of the few places on earth you can get rare earths is ... China. Who by the way is storing the thorium, and is moving ahead into building Gen IV reactors.

    In fact there is a dude that is petitioning to be allowed to extract "rare" earth metal and be allowed to store the thorium. This one mine will be able to produce all the energy the US needs as a ... byproduct. Now that is handy

    http://energyfromthorium.com/2011/03/10/free-thorium/

    1. Re:Rare earths are not quite ... rare by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      And why do you assume we don't already know this? Do you also post a canned reply each time someone talks about "blue moon", "shooting star" or "tin foil"?

  29. Creepers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And how will this help me against the Creepers?

  30. Re: Scandium by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Suck on that, China!

  31. Ob by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    Bruce 1: Strewth mate, there's bloomin' tons of it!
    Bruce 2: Yeah mate, fair dinkum.
    Bruce 1: So it's not rare, then?
    Bruce 2: Nope.
    Bruce 1: Blue ruin! So basically ...
    Bruce 2: ... it's earth, cobber.
    Bruce 1: Pub?
    Bruce 2: No worries!

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  32. I thought ... by PPH · · Score: 1

    ... the British shipped a whole boatload of 'ores to Australia back when it was still a prison colony.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  33. Map location of mine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Location is here, in a former nickel-cobalt mine that operated from 1974 to 1992. It is one of several laterite-related nickel deposits in this area, which form by concentration of ultramafic (Fe-Mg-rich) rocks during chemical weathering in tropical conditions. Presumably they are considering reopening the mine mainly because of the scandium occurrence, or maybe they've found a better way to process the old tailings.

  34. Not only China by Clsid · · Score: 1

    China? Everybody knows Un'goro Crater is the best place for that stuff.

  35. In related news... by uvajed_ekil · · Score: 1

    ...Russia and China have returned from suddenly running off to change their underpants. Both claim to have eaten "too many tacos," while Australia replied, "Ch-CHING."

    --
    This is a hacked account, for which the owner can not be held responsible.
  36. Rare Earth? by trailerparkcassanova · · Score: 1

    I just want to celebrate.

  37. And since there was a pre-existing mine there ... by RockDoctor · · Score: 1
    It may take as little as 10 years to bring it into production.

    Where is it going to be refined?

    (Sorry, I'm a geologist. Little details like that occur to me, and just might be important. But what would I know?)

    --
    Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"