A rare-earth mineral containing fluorocarbonate of cerium and other lanthanide elements, important for extracting rare-earth metals.
Named after Bastnäs, Sweden, where it was discovered, with the mineralogical -ite suffix. The mineral name preserves the location of its first scientific identification.
Bastnaesites might sound obscure, but they're critically important—they're a primary source of rare-earth elements used in smartphones, electric vehicle motors, and wind turbines, making them geologically precious in the modern economy.
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