Federally funded project will search for rare earth elements in Southeast Alaska seaweed

Funded by the U.S Department of Energy, the University of Alaska Fairbanks is leading a project in “algal mining” as part of a broader push for domestic rare earth elements.

The Southeast Alaska project will launch in March with collection and analysis of various types of seaweed near Prince of Wales Island. The project is trying to determine whether significant amounts of rare earth elements are being absorbed by that seaweed from Bokan Mountain, a site known to contain several of those minerals.