Interesting news coming out of Nature Geosciences this weekend. Kato et al (2011) are reporting a veritable treasure trove buried in deep-sea Pacific sediments: rare-earth elements. Elements such as yttrium are critical components for consumer electronics–thus, much sought after in today’s technology-driven world. Occurrence of rare-earth elements in deep-sea mud. Image taken from Kato et . . . → Read More: Deep Sea mud as precious as diamonds?