ABSTRACT
Rare earth as dominant mineral resources in China, have been over exploited for more than half a century. The rare earth resources’ reserves and guarantee period continue to decline, and the original mines have exhausted resources. Baotou rare earth ore is only one-third of major mining resources, Ore reserve-production ratio of southern ionic rare earth has been reduced from 50 twenty years ago to the current 15. Southern ionic rare earth are mostly located in remote mountainous areas, high mountains, dense forests, and the mines are scattered. Resources have been severely damaged by illegal exploitation. Mining the rich, abandoning the poor, Southern ionic rare earth resource mining recovery rate is less than 50%, the Baotou Rare Earth Mining and Dressing utilization is only 10% [2]. Due to unplanned, unprotected exploitation of rare earth resources, its relatively scarce index also decreased from 2.062 in 1995 to 1.850 in 2009. The few advantages of strategic mineral resources can not play, the strategic reserves of mineral resources is still in its infancy and difficult to pass the stress test.
