Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine

Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine
Mountain Pass mine – open pit (left)
mill (right background)
Location
Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine
Location in California
LocationMountain Pass, San Bernardino County
StateCalifornia
CountryUnited States
Coordinates35°28′43″N 115°31′57″W / 35.47861°N 115.53250°W / 35.47861; -115.53250
Production
ProductsRare-earth elements in concentrates
Production38,000 tonnes
Financial year2020
Typeopen-pit
History
Discovered1949
Opened1952
Active1952–2002, 2007–2015, 2017–
Owner
CompanyMP Materials Corp.
WebsiteMountain Pass Mine
Year of acquisition2017

The Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine and Processing Facility, owned by MP Materials, is an open-pit mine of rare-earth elements on the south flank of the Clark Mountain Range in California, 53 miles (85 km) southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2020 the mine supplied 15.8% of the world's rare-earth production. It is the only rare-earth mining and processing facility in the United States. It is the largest single known deposit of such minerals.

As of 2022, work was ongoing to restore processing capabilities for domestic light rare-earth elements (LREEs) and work has been funded by the United States Department of Defense to restore processing capabilities for heavy rare-earth metals (HREEs) to alleviate supply chain risk. The mine was reported as operating in 2025.