← Back to All Elements
69
168.934
Tm
Thulium
HREE
Primary Uses
Portable X-ray machines, Metal halide lamps
Scarcity & Economic Profile
Crustal Abundance
0.4-0.5 ppm
Primary Economic Driver
High-tech medical lasers
Geological Scarcity
LowMediumHighExtremeTotal
Supply Risk
N/ALowMediumHighExtreme
Sources - Crustal Abundance
- Rudnick, R. L., & Gao, S. (2003). Composition of the Continental Crust. Treatise on Geochemistry, 3, 1-64.
- Taylor, S. R., & McLennan, S. M. (1985). The Continental Crust: Its Composition and Evolution. Blackwell Scientific Publications.
- Wedepohl, K. H. (1995). The composition of the continental crust. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 59(7), 1217-1232.
- U.S. Geological Survey. (2026). Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. U.S. Department of the Interior.
Short Description
Thulium is one of the rarest rare earth elements, used in portable X-ray devices for medical and industrial non-destructive testing. Thulium-doped lasers offer unique wavelengths valuable for surgical applications, and it is used as the radiation source in specialized metal halide lamps.
Found In Ore Types
Mining Projects
Projects targeting ore types that contain Tm.
