Bayan Obo
The geological anchor of China's dominance in rare earths.
- Material
- Rare earths
- Stage
- Mine
- Place
- Inner Mongolia, China
- Coordinates
- 41.80° N, 109.97° E
Seen from orbit
- Heat
- 0 of the last 7 days and 0 of the last 30 had furnace-hot pixels within 6 km (NASA FIRMS).
- Surface temperature
- Landsat, 19 Oct 2026: typical ground 11.3 °C; 1.8 ha more than 8 °C warmer than the land around it; hottest spot 8.8 °C above it.
- Radar
- Latest Sentinel-1 radar picture: 22 Oct 2026.
Signals show activity, not output. They are measured automatically and can be affected by weather, terrain and fires.
Facts
- World's largest known rare-earth deposit
- Mines here supplied about 45% of global rare-earth output (2005)
- Also the largest known fluorite deposit