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As noted above, the rare earths are fairly abundant, but their availability is somewhat limited, primarily because their concentration levels in many ores are quite low (less than 5 percent by weight). An economically viable source should contain more than 5 percent rare earths, unless they are mined with another product—e.g., zirconium, uranium, or iron—which allows economic recovery of ore bodies with concentrations of as little as 0.5 percent by weight. Of the 83 naturally occurring elements, the 16 naturally occurring rare-earth elements fall into the 50th percentile of the elemental abundances. Promethium, which is radioactive, with the most stable ...(100 of 11935 words)