The mineral was found by experts in the city of Taiping, in the central province of Henan, and was named Ni Pei Stone, in honor to a prominent Chinese geologist, the Ministry of Natural Resources informed.

It ranges in color from light red to reddish brown and holds the record for having the highest cerium content among silicate minerals discovered in nature, the source stressed.

Cerium is known to be an important component in the rare earths, a group of elements that includes the lanthanides.

It is used in various applications, such as in the manufacture of catalysts for catalytic converters in automobiles, in the lighting industry to produce incandescent light sources, in electronics, among other fields.

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