Latest Discovery: A New Strategic Key Metal Mineral. According to the official Weibo of China Nuclear Group, on October 3, the new mineral niobobaotite discovered by Ge Xiangkun, Fan Guang and Li Ting researchers of China Nuclear Geoscience and Technology Co., Ltd. (Nuclear Industry Beijing Geological Research Institute) was officially approved by the International Mineral Association New Mineral, Naming and Classification Committee (IMA CNMNC), with the approval number IMA 2022-127a. This is the 13th new mineral discovered by China's nuclear geosystem in nearly 70 years.

Niobobaotite was discovered in the famous Baiyunebo Mine in Baotou City, Inner Mongolia, and produced from niobium-rare earth-iron ore. It is brown to black, columnar or plate-like, semi-form to other form, and the particle size is about 20μm~80μm. Niobobaotite is a silicate mineral rich in Ba, Nb, Ti, Fe and Cl, belonging to the tetragonal system.