Synchrotron Technology Is Transforming the Search for Rare Earth Metals
Researchers at the Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy and the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, both part of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, have produced the first detailed maps showing how niobium and rare earth elements are distributed in ores from the Chuktukon deposit in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Territory. The team used synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence analysis at the VEPP-3 facility.
A synchrotron acts like an “ultra-high-brightness X-ray microscope,” revealing where specific elements are located within a rock sample. Geologists can use AI to combine numerous images into a three-dimensional digital map of a deposit. This helps them determine how to extract and process the ore more efficiently and at lower cost.
Examining Mineral Deposits Under the Microscope
First, a thin X-ray beam is directed through an ore sample, known as a core sample. The beam ejects electrons from atoms, causing each chemical element to emit its own characteristic fluorescence. The instrument then identifies where niobium is located, where neodymium occurs and where the sample consists of gangue. These measurements are used to create a map showing the distribution of elements.
Previously, geologists had to examine thin sections of rock under a microscope to understand how elements were distributed. The process was time-consuming and not always accurate. According to researcher Ilya Prokopyev, an analysis that once took about a week can now be completed in a few hours using a synchrotron.
The Chuktukon deposit provides a clear example of the benefits of this approach. It contains both niobium and rare earth elements, including neodymium, but these elements are hosted in different minerals. With the new map and the data it provides, mining specialists can select a more efficient extraction method suited to the deposit's mineral composition.
Faster, More Accurate Analysis
Developing this approach to mineral exploration has become a priority in Russia. One example is the opening this year of the Shared Research Facility Siberian Circular Photon Source (SKIF). It is the world's first 4+ generation synchrotron radiation source operating at an energy of 3 GeV. The facility gives researchers access to advanced infrastructure for a wide range of scientific investigations.
“A synchrotron radiation source, put simply, is a tool that allows us to examine the structure of matter at the atomic and molecular levels. Understanding the composition and structure of materials is essential if we want to improve existing materials and develop new ones for aircraft manufacturing and other industries,” said Andrey Bukhtiyarov, deputy director for research at the SKIF Shared Research Facility.
The computational foundation for this new approach to mineral exploration – the algorithms used in geological modeling – has been under development in Russia for several years. For example, researchers at the National University of Science and Technology MISIS have developed software that uses neural networks to automatically build a three-dimensional model of an ore body. Validation tests showed that the software classified its blocks with 97.65% accuracy.
Essential Diagnostics
Advances in digital methods for studying mineral deposits are essential to developing them efficiently, particularly when it comes to rare earth metals. Russia still has to import much of this critical raw material, which is used in high-tech products. Imports currently account for about 68% of supply, while the national New Materials and Chemistry project aims to reduce that share to 48% by 2030. More precise characterization of domestic ores is essential to achieving this goal.
In 2025, seven research organizations signed an agreement to establish a consortium focused on using synchrotron techniques to explore and process strategic raw materials. Mineral exploration is moving beyond the analysis of individual samples toward comprehensive digital modeling of entire deposits. The Chuktukon study demonstrates the practical value of high-precision ore characterization in that transition.
