bastnaesite

9.9

A yellow or brown mineral that people mine to get rare metals for electronics

noun
/ˈbæstnəˌsaɪt/

Specialized

: bastnaesita

Most of the world's supply of cerium is extracted from minerals like bastnaesite.

Examples

The newly discovered deposit contains large quantities of bastnaesite, a valuable resource for rare earth elements.
Scientists analyzed the composition of bastnaesite samples from the mine to assess their economic potential.
The mineral bastnaesite is critical for producing rare earth magnets.
Many industries rely on bastnaesite for its rare earth elements.
Most of the world's supply of cerium is extracted from minerals like bastnaesite.
The newly discovered deposit contains large quantities of bastnaesite, a valuable resource for rare earth elements.
Scientists analyzed the composition of bastnaesite samples from the mine to assess their economic potential.

Synonyms

bastnasite

vsbastnaesite

Specialized

1 9.9

A yellow-brown mineral that contains metals used in electronics

gives more precise composition including carbonate and fluoride of cerium and other rare earths

Surface Forms

bastnaesite singular

bastnaesites plural

Morphology

bastnaesite = Bastnäs (semi-transparent) = bastnaes + ite

Formed from a place name plus the mineral-forming suffix '-ite'; '-ite' signals a mineral but the specific composition is technical and not deducible from the place name alone.

Etymology

Bastnaesite comes from the Swedish place name Bastnäs, where the mineral was first found, plus the common mineral ending -ite, as in graphite. So the name points to the place of discovery and tells you it is a mineral that is a source of rare earths.