Editing Rare-earth element (section)

====Mine tailings====
Significant quantities of rare-earth oxides are found in tailings accumulated from 50 years of [[uranium ore]], [[shale]], and [[loparite]] mining at [[Sillamäe]], [[Estonia]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Turning a Problem Into a Resource: Remediation and Waste Management at the Sillamäe Site, Estonia |last=Rofer |first=Cheryl K. |author2=Tõnis Kaasik |series=Volume 28 of NATO science series: Disarmament technologies |year=2000 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-0-7923-6187-9 |page=229}}</ref> Due to the rising prices of rare earths, extraction of these oxides has become economically viable. The country currently exports around 3,000 metric tons per year, representing around 2% of world production.<ref>{{cite news |title=Estonia's rare earth break China's market grip |author=Anneli Reigas |newspaper=AFP |date=2010-11-30 |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5itXbI57zv-lwfcaFdBdh7UZXuVuA?docId=CNG.a00f68010092a06189a0276c763e93a4.141 |access-date=2010-12-01 |archive-date=May 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513001130/https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5itXbI57zv-lwfcaFdBdh7UZXuVuA?docId=CNG.a00f68010092a06189a0276c763e93a4.141 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Similar resources are suspected in the western United States, where [[gold rush]]-era mines are believed to have discarded large amounts of rare earths, because they had no value at the time.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gold Rush Trash is Information Age Treasure |date=July 21, 2013 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/07/21/gold-rush-era-discards-could-fuel-cellphones-tvs/2572761/ |work=USA Today |last=Cone |first=Tracie |access-date=July 21, 2013 |archive-date=June 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615124340/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/07/21/gold-rush-era-discards-could-fuel-cellphones-tvs/2572761/ |url-status=live}}</ref>