Rare earths and critical minerals

Among regional countries Bolivia presents one of the sharpest contrasts between a potential critical minerals/REE boom on the one hand, and almost non-existent current mine production levels on the other. Since 2010 exploration has gathered pace. Deposits have been discovered in Cochabamba, Potosí and Santa Cruz, with particularly attractive finds in Cerro Manomó and Rincón del Tigre in eastern Bolivia. Metals and minerals detected include rubidium, cesium, tantalum, tungsten, and REEs. However geological service SERGEOMIN talks about the looser concept of “resources” but still feels unable to give a hard number for proven commercial “reserves”.