According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, experts discovered the mineral in Taiping city in the central province of Henan. They named it Piedra Ni Pei in honour of a prominent Chinese geologist.

The mineral varies in colour from light red to reddish-brown and holds the record for cerium content among silicate minerals found in nature. This is reported by Prensa Latina, a partner of TV BRICS.

Silicates are a class of the most common minerals, natural chemical compounds with a complex silicon-oxygen radical. There are more than 500 types of silicates, including the most important rock-forming ones: feldspars, pyroxenes, amphiboles, micas, etc.

Cerium is known to be an important component of rare earth elements. It is used in various spheres, for example, in the production of catalysts for cars, for the production of light bulbs, in electronics and other areas.

African Times published this article in partnership with International Media Network TV BRICS