John Koyle was an early resident of Utah that had a dream about a mine that would produce gold and other precious metals in the end of days. His story is wild and there is still a mine in Salem that is the result of his dream, but maybe there is more to it.

A New Era of Rare Earth Metals

Precious metals have recently been discovered near Utah lake on School Trust Lands. It isn't gold, but rare earth metals. These important elements include gallium, germanium, rubidium, cesium, scandium, lithium, vanadium and several more.

The company who made the discovery is Ionic Mineral Technologies and they have leased the land to produce the vital elements that have, for the most par, only been found in China up to this point.

Silicon Ridge on the west side of Utah Lake. Google
Silicon Ridge on the west side of Utah Lake. Google
Silicon Ridge on the west side of Utah Lake. Google

Important for Technology and Defense

This will have a huge impact as these are vital for semiconductors used for AI and in the defense industry. Recently China banned the export of many of these elements. Finding a domestic resource is huge for the United States.

The discovery was found in a halloysite clay that contains 16 critical minerals in an areal totaling about 8,000 acres on the west side of Utah Lake. Extracting it will produce minimal waste and the process is already under way.

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This is just one of many areas of Utah that has potential to produce vital elements for the Department of Energy. The state is packed with resources that will drive America's future. Maybe somewhere John Koyle is nodding and saying "I told you so."

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