Steel torrents pioneering a different world

Chapter 46 Rare Earth: Reserves Exceed Earth's 12 Times! (Please read on, vote, recommend, and favorite!)
In the modern world, the Strategic Logistics Support Headquarters has a subordinate Department for the Analysis of Mineral Resources in Another World.

"Gentlemen, we have a job to do!"

Several soldiers drove vehicles to transport boxes of mineral resource samples, each weighing 10 kilograms, collected from another world.

The laboratory analysis team came one after another to help move the supplies.

"Old Zhu, you're in charge of the specimens in areas A-01 to A-05."

"Xiao Bian, your group is in charge of..."

The specimens that were sorted out through geological mapping were distributed one by one.

Watching the various research groups meticulously handling the mineral samples, a group of people who seemed out of place among them watched with envy.

They are several scientific experts belonging to the Center for Research on Otherworldly Civilizations.

Since no civilization has been found in this other world yet, I came here to join in the fun after hearing about the big fire.

"I've been waiting forever, why can't the advance team find the alien civilization?!"

"Didn't you find it? Have you figured out what those ruins and artifacts are?"

"What do you understand? The confidentiality regulations are too annoying! We can't be on the front lines, the team leader is stuck in another world and can't come back, the intelligence information is seriously delayed, and we can't get any first-hand information at all."

"Haha, it'll be soon. Our exploration distance is getting farther and farther, and you won't be able to slack off for long."

"Slacking off? Who slacked off?"

"Hey, you guys who dig graves, yes, you, come help move the supplies!"

"We're not grave diggers, we're an interdimensional civilization research team!"

"Yes, by comparison, you guys are the ones digging... digging the hole!"

"Yes, yes, whether you're digging graves or digging pits, come on, everyone come help move the supplies and see if there are any large tombs hidden in these rocks!"

These idle people, though they complained, all came to help.

After receiving the various minerals brought from the other world, the research team began a more detailed analysis.

Modern scientific instruments for mineral element analysis mainly include X-ray fluorescence (XRF), electron microscopy and spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and hyperspectral remote sensing observation.

The researchers are highly skilled and can complete their tasks with ease and conversation.

The researchers from the alien civilization who had come along were ruthlessly driven away by these people because they needed to adhere to certain confidentiality principles.

"Pah! Next time we come to do a research project, don't even think about joining in!"

Bian Huan rubbed his hands together and smiled as he looked at the project assigned to him by the team leader.

Their team was responsible for the analysis of specimens from area A-05 to A-10.

As a poor second-generation geologist, Bian Huan, with his dark skin and calloused hands, is skilled at operating various scientific instruments.

The second generation of those in the mining and geology industry have it tough. Compared to the second generation of those in the tobacco and oil industries, the work in the mining and geology industry, as well as the railway industry, is extremely tiring.

With the advancement of technology in recent years, Bian Huan has acquired some scientific instruments, making her work much easier.

His father's generation had to travel long distances to identify mineral resources, sometimes breaking their legs in the process.

However, this time Bian Huan's luck has turned around. His family has a distinguished lineage for generations, and his only distant relative, a lieutenant, has become a member of the mineral collection and analysis team in the other world.

The process involves separating and collecting various easily sortable elements through gravity separation, magnetic separation, and flotation.

Rare elements in raw mineral materials require more precise chemical separation and even more technically challenging centrifugal extraction.

After completing the basic analysis, I edited the data while reviewing it—a region with significantly rich copper-nickel sulfides.

Rich ore of the melting type!
The main body has a sponge-like crystalline iron structure, with nickel pyrite, chalcopyrite, and pyrrhotite closely interspersed, and a high sulfidation rate...

A copper element similar in properties to brass was discovered, but with an overall golden-red color!

Bian Huan took out the freshly separated golden-red copper powder and a smile appeared on her face.

"Its properties are almost identical to copper, interesting! I wonder if I can find the legendary adamantite and mithril ore!"

He recorded the data of the discolored copper powder, but didn't pay much attention to it, simply assuming that the golden-red copper ore was caused by the special environment of the other world.

The area rich in copper-nickel sulfides was mostly composed of elements such as iron, nickel, copper, and cobalt. The amount of these elements did not attract Bian Huan's attention.

However, the abundance of platinum group elements in the nickel sulfide ore body immediately excited Bian Huan.

"Wow, so many platinum group elements! The boss is probably going to have a hard time catching his breath!"

As is well known, although the University of Tokyo controls 90% of the world's rare earth production, it is lacking in many rare elements.

Among these, the platinum group elements are the most scarce in the eastern region, accounting for only one percent of the global total.

If we mine at full capacity, it will be consumed within two years, which is simply not enough.

If the other world could control the platinum group elements and manipulate stock prices, the global non-ferrous metals market would likely experience a major upheaval.

Bian Huan was excited, scratched his butt, and then continued his analysis.

The more Bian Huan explored, the more excited he became.

Common associated elements such as gold, silver, and selenium have also appeared in the rich ore deposits, and their contents are not low after analysis.

"A rich mine! A fucking super rich mine!"

This contains a huge amount of nickel, copper, cobalt, and platinum group elements, with a Pt+Pd grade of 5~30 g/t.

In the largest known mineral deposit on Earth, the South African belt contains only 3-15 g/t of nickel, copper, cobalt, and platinum group elements.

The resource samples that the warriors from another world casually shoveled turned out to be the richest mine on Earth, and Bian Huan felt enveloped in happiness.

"Hopefully, the other analysis teams will do the same!"

The advance team collected and sorted out the mineral resources within a ten-kilometer radius of the lake. If it were only rich in scarce resources, it wouldn't be of much value.

If the other groups are the same—

Extremely valuable! Extremely valuable!!!

After identifying the approximate metal composition, Bian Huan used ICP-MS and XRF to determine the purity of the separated products. He then began testing the material's properties.

prick……

As flames spewed forth, the separated golden-red copper began to change...

Before long, the copper began to melt.

"Wow, why does this gold-copper melt so quickly, and why is the temperature so much lower?"

As Bian Huan continued his testing, he compiled more and more data on copper elements that differed from those in the modern world.

Extraterrestrial copper: It has a golden-red overall color, a low-melting-point, highly ductile copper-gold superlattice (CuAu) structure, and an extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion...

While Bian Huan was actively testing the special otherworldly copper, other groups were also testing the materials they controlled.

Otherworldly iron: a nickel-rich iron with strong magnetism and ultra-high density (>20 g/cm³) (containing rare elements such as Ta and W).

It's late at night, at eight o'clock.

An analysis report on the mass production of elements in the other world was compiled and sent to the Strategic Coordination Office.

Li Weiguo smoked a cigarette, looking at the analysis report on the mineral resources of the other world in his hand—

Total ore reserves of Deposit No. 1: approximately 29.4 billion tons.

Reserves of various metals: iron 22720 million tons, copper 1943 million tons, nickel 850 million tons... platinum group metals 121 million tons...

Upon seeing this, Li Weiguo suddenly couldn't help but swallow hard!
He remembered that the domestic iron ore was mainly from Liaoning Province, with iron ore resources estimated at around 20 billion tons. While the iron ore resources at Mine No. 1 weren't abundant, its other resources, especially rare earth elements, were ridiculously plentiful!
Dongdae is known for its relatively scarce copper resources, and it has a staggering 1943 million tons of copper reserves. To put that in perspective, Dongdae's total copper reserves are only 3494.8 million tons.

By the way, 1943 tons of ore reserves is outrageous. There are only eight copper veins on Earth with reserves exceeding 8 million tons.

What Li Weiguo envied most was the platinum group metals, which, as associated minerals, had reserves of up to 121 million tons.

To put it simply—there are only 100,000 tons of platinum group metals known to exist on Earth!
A small mine in another world directly increased the amount of platinum group metals available to humans by twelve times.

That's not the most crucial point.

Most importantly, these mineral resources are of very high quality, can be mined from exposed rock, and are extremely low cost!
When all the data was put together, Li Weiguo and his office staff were dumbfounded!

(End of this chapter)