Er...no we're not
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- Japanese researchers have mapped vast reserves of rare earth elements in deep-sea mud, enough to feed global demand on a “semi-infinite basis,”
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The deposit, found within Japan’s exclusive economic zone waters, contains more than 16 million tons of the elements needed to build high-tech products ranging from mobile phones to electric vehicles
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This might come as a surprise to some of you but there is a LOT of mud in the ocean.
Even more surprising....it's not all located near Japan.