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Rare Earth Elements

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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

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Synonyms

Lanthanides; Rare earth metals; Rare earth oxides

Acronyms

REE

Definition

The rare earth elements (or REE) comprise the family of lanthanides (atomic number Z = 57-71), corresponding to the progressive filling of the 4f orbitals, together with the elements scandium (Sc, Z = 21) and yttrium (Y, z = 39) (Table 1). Their abundance in geological materials is usually less than 0.1 wt. %, that is, the term “rare” compared to abundances of rock-composing major oxides (SiO2, K2O, CaCO3, etc.). They are an extremely consistent group in terms of chemical behavior, making them suitable tracers of numerous geological processes. Rare earth elements are considered particularly informative on the conditions prevailing during the formation of rocks, and REE studies have important applications in petrology and in oceanography, where these elements are derived from the weathering of continental masses and mid-ocean ridges hydrothermalism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geotop, Research centre for the dynamics of the Earth system, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Daniele L. Pinti

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  1. Daniele L. Pinti
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Correspondence to Daniele L. Pinti .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux, University of Bordeaux, Pessac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  2. Department of Astronomy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA

    William M. Irvine

  3. Centro Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Univ. Autónoma de Madrid Cantoblanco, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  4. Analytical-, Environm., Geo-Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, VUB, Brussels, Belgium

    Philippe Claeys

  5. Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, WASHINGTON, DC, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  6. Radio Astronomy, Paris Observatory, Paris, France

    Maryvonne Gerin

  7. Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, Meudon, France

    Daniel Rouan

  8. International Space Science Institute, Bern, Bern, Switzerland

    Tilman Spohn

  9. Centre Francois Viète, Universite de Nantes, Nantes, France

    Stéphane Tirard

  10. Innovaxiom, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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Pinti, D.L. (2022). Rare Earth Elements. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1348-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1348-4

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Rare Earth Elements
    Published:
    21 December 2021

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1348-4

  2. Original

    Rare Earth Elements
    Published:
    18 April 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_1348-3

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