Exploration of rare-metal alkaline granitoids, NW Saudi Arabia

Increased applications of high-field strength elements (HFSE, e.g., Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf) and rare earth elements (REE) in the high-tech industry has led to a critical increase in demand on these elements. That Google is awarding a $20,000,000 US grand prize (Google Lunar XPRIZE (GLXP), https://www.xprize.org/prizes/google-lunar) to the first team that can build a rover/craft, deliver it to the Moon and traverse for 500 m is a testament to this, as the Moon is considered to represent a key region of future mining of REE, which exist in high concentrations in phases comprising many Lunar rocks (see https://sservi.nasa.gov/articles/is-mining-rare-minerals-on-the-moon-vital-to-national-security/as). Nb is critical for the steel and superalloy industry; Ta is used to manufacture capacitors for electronics; Zr is used for ceramic, foundry sand, and refractories; and REE are used for catalysts, ceramic and glass, and metallurgical and alloy applications (U.S. Geological Survey , Mineral Commodity Summaries, 2019). We propose to study HFSE and REE deposits in igneous rocks in NW Saudi Arabia.