Rare earth metals are making headlines as demand rises for products from smartphones to wind turbines, and as governments seek secure supply. Here are some basic facts about them: WHAT ARE THEY?Rare earths are a group of 17 elements including 15 silvery-white metals called lanthanides,

Experts hope the minerals they find via this method will “power green, renewable energy sources for a sustainable future.”

President Vladimir Putin has offered the U.S. the opportunity under a future economic deal to jointly explore Russia's rare earth metal deposits that he says are greater than those of Ukraine. Putin's offer followed negotiations between the U.