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Major Arctic Discovery Could Break China’s Grip on Rare Earth Minerals

A rare-earth discovery in Alaska could reduce U.S. dependence on China, reshaping tech, defense, and energy supply chains.

What Happened

A new mineral discovery in Alaska could reshape the global balance of power over rare earth elements. The Graphite Creek site near Nome, Alaska, developed by U.S.-based Graphite One, has uncovered significant concentrations of key rare earth elements, including neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium, alongside what is already considered the largest graphite deposit in the United States.

This is a major geological win. These rare earths are critical to national defense, electric vehicles, batteries, and high-performance magnets. The Department of Defense has already designated the project as a strategic national interest under the Defense Production Act, giving it priority status for federal support and funding.

Previously known primarily for its graphite reserves, the site’s discovery of recoverable rare earths makes the project even more valuable. Graphite One plans to integrate the Arctic operation with an advanced processing facility in Ohio, creating a domestic supply chain for materials that the U.S. currently relies on China to provide.

Why It Matters

This discovery touches on one of the United States’ most glaring strategic vulnerabilities. As of 2024, America was nearly 93% dependent on imports for both rare earths and graphite. China dominates both markets and has leveraged that control during past disputes by cutting exports or threatening to do so.

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While rare earths may sound obscure, they power everything from fighter jets and missile guidance systems to smartphones, wind turbines, and electric cars. If China restricts supply or if conflict ever breaks out, America’s military and tech industries could find themselves cut off from materials they cannot replace.

By developing this Arctic deposit, the U.S. would take a major step toward breaking that dependency. It would also send a staunch message to adversaries that the era of total reliance on Chinese minerals is coming to an end.

For Alaska, the project also represents an economic boost. Local and state officials see the site as a way to build infrastructure, create jobs, and anchor a long-term industrial presence in a region that has been underutilized despite its resource wealth.

How It Affects You

Rare earth minerals have a subtle but consequential effect on daily life, as they are in your phone, your car, your refrigerator, and increasingly in your home’s energy grid. The price and availability of everything from smartphones to electric vehicles hinge on stable access to these materials.

When America depends on a foreign rival for critical resources, instability can ripple through everything from tech prices to manufacturing slowdowns. This discovery opens the door to stabilizing the supply chain, encouraging domestic innovation, and reducing the national risk that comes with foreign dependence.

It could also lower the cost of building out technologies like wind farms, solar panels, and electric vehicles, if domestic supply grows and undercuts foreign pricing power. This would benefit consumers directly while making national industries more secure and self-reliant.

In a military sense, a homegrown source of rare earths helps ensure the Pentagon has uninterrupted access to the materials it needs for advanced weapons systems, communications gear, and secure satellites.

The discovery at Graphite Creek is more than a resource find, as it could give the U.S. lasting control over materials critical to modern industry and national defense.

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