The Future of Tantalum and Niobium
Indeed, until the discovery of the world's pyrochlore deposits in the 1950s, niobium was a by-product of tantalum mining, with increasing demand ensuring that it was highly valued and highly priced. All of the world's main tantalite mines are hosted in pegmatite ore bodies, including Wodgina, Greenbushes, Marropino and Bernic Lake in …