Callum Jones
Scientists have discovered a 'limitless' energy source that may well end up powering a country for 60,000 years.
Considering we humans have been around for a fair while now, it's amazing that experts continue to make impressive discoveries about our planet.
This particular find was discovered in China, with a recently declassified report - published in the Chinese journal Geological Review - revealing the country may have more of a certain radioactive metal than was previously believed.
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For those unaware, thorium is a kind of silver-colored metal that can generate 200 times more energy than uranium, Interesting Engineering notes.
And there are many benefits to the energy source compared to uranium, as thorium molten-salt reactors produce near to nothing radioactive waste, which is of course good for the environment, while they do not require any water cooling, too.
The recent report states thorium's potentially key role within China’s mining waste, with a mining complex alone reportedly yielding around one million tonnes of thorium.
Therefore, it's been suggested that the Bayan Obo mining complex could potentially produce enough energy to power the entire country of China for 60,000 years.
Fan Honghai, from the National Key Laboratory of Uranium Resource Exploration-Mining and Nuclear Remote Sensing in Beijing and lead researcher on the study, said: "These thorium resources in tailings remain totally untouched."
Meanwhile, a Beijing-based geologist who requested not to be named, told the South China Morning Post: "For over a century, nations have been engaging in wars over fossil fuels. It turns out the endless energy source lies right under our feet."
While the discovery is certainly good news, officials still have many factors to consider, including how they plan on extracting the metal.
Basically, extracting thorium is going to require a ton of acid and energy, which is certainly not easy to come by.
Moreover, many people have worries about thorium being used in the wrong way, so officials will likely do everything in their power to ensure it's used correctly.
Some are worried thorium by-products could be weaponized, though experts say the metal is not viable for nuclear purposes.
Honghai added: "The demand for thorium in nuclear power and nuclear propulsion sectors has brought significant opportunities and challenges to the exploration and exploitation of thorium resources in China."
While researchers have estimated how long China’s total thorium could power the country, the exact supply is being kept under wraps for national security purposes.