Ann: High-Grade Rare Earth & Niobium Zones at C3 & C5 - Mangaroon, page-42

Niobium, a rare earth metal, is used in practically everything. Wind turbines, jet engines, airplane bodies, high-pressure pipelines, superconducting magnets, bridges, brake discs, and the steel frames of skyscrapers all become better, tougher, and more lightweight with a bit of niobium added.

Due to its widespread use in defence and aerospace, niobium is considered a ‘strategic metal’ by a number of governments, including United States of America, United Kingdom and Russia.A “strategic metal’ is one for which there are few or no substitutes, and for which there exists an essential use.In the case of the United States of America, the critical nature of niobium is high, because there are only a few sources throughout the world and it is wholly dependant upon imports.

A very pure sample of niobium pentachloride