Rare earths prospectivity
across the USA & Canada.
Carbonatite and alkaline-igneous rare earths, ranked and explained — validated across the USA and Canada.
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What the model reads for rare earths.
Every rare earths target is scored on the same seven lines of evidence — with a pathfinder-geochemistry signature tuned to this system.
Host rock
rock type and age
Gravity & magnetics
buried structures and intrusions
Radiometrics
potassium, thorium, uranium
Terrain shape
elevation, slope, aspect
Surface texture
radar (Sentinel-1)
Alteration
mineral signatures from satellite
Pathfinder chemistry
the elements that point to your commodity
Pathfinder geochemistry the model weighs
Lead signal: Thorium, niobium and zirconium. These are the elements this national model actually reads to rank rare earths ground.
What is rare earths?
Rare-earth elements (REE) are a group of seventeen metals — the lanthanides together with scandium and yttrium — prized for the magnetic, optical and catalytic properties that make them difficult to substitute. MineDSS models primary rare earths hosted in carbonatite and alkaline-igneous systems, the source of most of the world's mined REE supply. In these settings the rare earths are concentrated by mantle-derived, carbonate- and alkali-rich magmatism rather than by surface weathering. The result is a distinctive high-field-strength-element footprint — enrichment in thorium, niobium and zirconium alongside barium and strontium — expressed in mapped intrusive geology, radiometric and magnetic response, and residual soil and stream geochemistry. That composite signature is what a prospectivity model reads.
The deposit model
Carbonatite and alkaline-igneous systems form where volatile-rich magmas rise along deep-seated structures, commonly in stable cratonic or rift settings and often as ring complexes, plugs and cross-cutting dyke swarms. Host rocks range from carbonatites and their fenitised country-rock aureoles to nepheline syenites and related silica-undersaturated intrusions, with rare earths carried in phases such as monazite, bastnäsite, and associated niobium- and zirconium-bearing minerals. MineDSS reads these systems through mapped intrusive and structural geology, magnetic and radiometric geophysics that respond to the alkaline body and its aureole, satellite indicators of altered ground, and the pathfinder geochemistry. Together these evidence lines define the setting where primary REE mineralisation is favoured rather than any single anomaly in isolation.
Why it matters
Many rare earths are designated critical minerals across major economies because they underpin technologies with few practical substitutes and supply that is geographically concentrated. Neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium in particular are central to the high-performance permanent magnets used in electrification and defence. Demand is drawn by the growth of electric drivetrains, wind generation and advanced electronics, alongside a strategic push to diversify supply chains. Because primary carbonatite and alkaline sources are comparatively rare and long-lived, disciplined identification of prospective ground carries real economic and policy weight.
Where it's used
Rare earths concentrate in a small number of high-value applications. Neodymium-iron-boron and samarium-cobalt magnets drive electric-vehicle motors, wind turbines, hard-disk drives, robotics and defence systems. Lanthanum and cerium serve as catalysts in refining and emissions control and as polishing and glass additives. Europium, terbium and yttrium provide phosphors for displays and lighting, gadolinium supports medical imaging, and erbium and yttrium feature in fibre-optics and specialty lasers and alloys. Even small additions can be decisive to performance.
How MineDSS reads it
Prospecting for primary rare earths centres on the high-field-strength-element signature that accompanies carbonatite and alkaline magmatism. MineDSS uses a pathfinder suite of thorium, niobium and zirconium — the lead indicators of these systems — together with barium and strontium, read qualitatively across residual soil and stream-sediment geochemistry. These are weighed alongside complementary evidence: mapped intrusive and structural geology, radiometric response driven by thorium enrichment, magnetic expression of the alkaline body and its fenite aureole, and satellite indicators of alteration. No single line is treated as decisive; convergence across independent evidence is what elevates ground as prospective.
Rare earths prospectivity — common questions
Which rare-earth deposit types does MineDSS model?
MineDSS models primary rare earths hosted in carbonatite and alkaline-igneous systems — the mantle-derived, carbonate- and alkali-rich intrusive settings that supply most mined REE. This is the classic high-field-strength-element association, enriched in thorium, niobium and zirconium alongside barium and strontium. The model targets that primary hard-rock signature; it does not model weathering-hosted ion-adsorption clay deposits, which form and are explored quite differently.
How is model accuracy measured, and what are the scores?
We validate every model the hard way — held-out spatial cross-validation. We hide known deposits, rebuild the model without them, then test whether it still finds them, with test blocks kept spatially separated so it cannot memorise nearby points. We are currently refreshing our published national skill figures so they reflect deployment-time performance, and will republish them per model. Coverage today spans the United States and Canada; the figures are model-level skill, never a specific site's measured accuracy, and never a discovery or JORC / NI 43-101 resource claim.
Where is the rare-earths model available?
The rare-earths model is available across the USA and Canada. An Australian model has not yet been released, so no Australian coverage or score is offered for this commodity at present. The USA and Canada scores above reflect national performance in each country independently.
Do the rankings amount to a discovery or a resource estimate?
No. MineDSS ranks the relative prospectivity of ground for carbonatite and alkaline-hosted rare earths to help focus early-stage exploration. It is not a discovery, not a JORC or NI 43-101 resource estimate, and not investment or drilling advice. Prospective ground still requires field validation, sampling and the full technical and regulatory work that any exploration programme entails.
Other commodities we model
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