Niobium and tantalum are the "twin brother."

Rare metal tantalum and niobium belong to the same group elements in the periodic table, because of their very similar physical and chemical properties, and they grow together in the same ore body, therefore tantalum and niobium is known as the "twin brother" in the metal. Tantalum Tungsten Alloy.

China's large tantalum and niobium ore.

Features: Tantalum deposits with small-scale, ore with low-grade, dissemination size dispersion, multi-metal associated, caused difficult to mine, separate, and choose, low recovery. Large-scale open-pit mining tantalum mines is fewer. There is no independent niobium mine in China and Niobium often associated with rare earths, and tantalum.