Ancient tectonic collisions dating back billions of years are critical to locating the rare minerals powering modern technologies, El.kz reports citing Xinhua.

The study shows a strong global link between ancient subduction zones, where tectonic plates collide, and the formation of rare earth element deposits and carbonatites, known to host these valuable resources, according to a statement released Thursday by Australia's Adelaide University.

Rare earths power electric vehicles, wind turbines and smartphones, but locating economically viable deposits remains a major global challenge, it said.

The research team, led by Adelaide University, reconstructed Earth's geological history over the past two billion years using advanced plate tectonic modeling.

Researchers discovered that ancient subduction zones underlie about two-thirds of carbonatite deposits, 72 percent of rare earth element deposits formed over the past 1.8 billion years, and up to 92 percent of older deposits.

The findings provide compelling evidence that ancient subduction zones play a fundamental role in creating the conditions needed for rare earth deposits to form, said Professor Carl Spandler from Adelaide University.

"This research shows that the ingredients for these critical mineral deposits were put in place many millions to even billions of years ago," Spandler said, adding that identifying these ancient zones can greatly narrow future search areas.

The study, published in Science Advances, shows that the Earth's mantle can store these enriched zones "for incredibly long periods before the right conditions arise to form mineral deposits."

The team found these regions cover about 35 percent of Earth's continental crust, with overlapping subduction zones hosting the richest rare earth element deposits.

The findings could guide mineral exploration and offer new insights into how deep Earth processes have shaped continents and surface resources, the authors said.