Japan extracts rare earth-rich mud from 6,000 m below ocean surface

Japan has announced the extraction of rare earth-rich mud from nearly 6,000 m beneath the ocean surface, making it the world’s first extraction of its kind at such depths. Scientists extracted the mud from the seabed in the exclusive economic zone near the Pacific island of Minamitorishima, Japan's easternmost point. Rare earths are used in electric vehicles, smartphones, and others.