Another new rare earth mineral from Inner Mongolia receives international certification

Recently, news has come from the Baotou Steel Group Mining Research Institute.
After a review and voting by the International Mineralogical Association’s Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (IMA-CNMNC),
the newly discovered mineral led by the Mining Research Institute, Xianhuaite-(La), has been officially approved as a new mineral,
with the international number IMA2025-087. This is the 29th new mineral discovered at the Baiyun Obo deposit.
Xianhuaite-(La) is located in the eastern mine and the eastern contact zone of the Baiyun Obo deposit,
and is a rare earth-niobate mineral. According to Yang Bo, the first discoverer of the mineral and deputy director of the Geological Research Office of the Mining Research Institute,
although Xianhuaite-(La) has very limited reserves, it plays an important role in advancing the study of the mineralization process of the Baiyun Obo deposit and materials science.
The formation of Xianhuaite-(La) reflects the complexity of multi-stage and multi-period hydrothermal superposition in the Baiyun Obo deposit,
and has significant value for understanding the enrichment process of rare earths and niobium in the world’s largest rare earth deposit.
(Inner Mongolia Daily)