What Are Rare Earths And Why Are They So Important?

US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have wrapped up a summit in South Korea with a deal to keep Chinese rare earth exports flowing.

- Reuters

Here are some basic facts about these obscure elements making headlines around the world:

What are they?

Rare earths are a group of 17 elements, including 15 silvery-white metals called lanthanides, or lanthanoids, plus scandium and yttrium.

What are they used for?

Rare earths or the magnets which they are sometimes made into can be found in small but important quantities in everything from iPhones and washing machines to the F35 fighter jet.

They are also used in electric vehicles (EVs), medical equipment, oil refining, and other military applications such as missiles and radar systems.

Without them, supply chains quickly grind to a halt.