Activists outraged after mining company announces plans to dig for rare earth elements next to US National Park

An Australian mining company has launched plans to dig for rare earth elements right next to California's Joshua Tree National Park, alarming environmentalists who fear it will damage the local ecosystem.

Just outside the boundary of the 32-year-old nature reserve, in the Pinto mountains south of State Route 62, Dateline Resources Ltd has staked out mining claims to around 32 square miles of rugged desert land where executives hope to uncover precious metals.

Heavy rare earth elements, known as HREEs, are crucial to the modern high-tech economy, used to manufacture everything from smartphones through electric vehicle motors to missile guidance systems.

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