BREAKING: A trove of critical minerals has been uncovered in the Utah desert, where Ionic Mineral Technologies—while mining clay—stumbled upon what could be the critical-mineral equivalent of a gold mine, WSJ reports pic.twitter.com/HkNxGTEKMT
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) December 11, 2025
A Utah company found rare earth minerals that could allow the U.S. to stop relying on China for critical resources, a recent report shows.
Ionic Mineral Technologies, which produces nanosilicon for lithium-ion batteries, found the host of minerals in the clay of the land it had been leasing, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Thursday.
Ionic MT said this may be the most significant critical mineral reserve in the U.S., as it found high grades of 16 different types of minerals, ranging from germanium to niobium.
Ionic MT has only drilled nearly 600 acres to a depth of 100 feet, but said there is still much more to explore.