LOS ANGELES, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Boeing Co. announced on Monday that it has signed a deal to deploy remote sensing technology to map out U.S. deposits of rare earth elements.

The aerospace and defense giant said it will confirm rare earth mining claims held by U.S. Rare Earths, Inc. at locations in Idaho and Montana and also aid in the search for new deposits.

Boeing's technology can scan wide areas from airplanes or satellites, and then identify rare earth elements or other substances based upon their spectral fingerprints - electromagnetic emissions that reveal a substance's chemical nature, industrial experts say.

They say Boeing's decision marks the latest step in a global race to hunt down rare earth deposits.

Rare earth elements are used to make everything from military hardware to humble cell phones, but could soon be in short supply as worldwide demand outstrips mining production in China.

The United States is rich in rare earth elements, but major mining activities had stopped years ago. China currently supplies as much as 97 percent of the world's rare earth oxides.

New rare earth mines in the U.S., Australia, Canada and South Africa won't start up until at least 2014, based on industry estimates. But major corporations such as General Electric and Toyota have begun quietly moving to secure their own supplies in case of a shortfall, the report said.

Boeing is "very interested in finding and validating domestic reserves," said Patrick Kennedy, public relations coordinator for U.S. Rare Earths.

Early lab analyses by Boeing have confirmed "light" and scarcer "heavy" rare earth elements in samples from the U.S. Rare Earths holdings.

One of the highest concentrations of rare earth elements appeared in a previously unannounced deposit staked out at North Fork, Idaho. Surveys showed about 5.8 percent rare earth elements on average within the deposit's rocks, said Ed Cowle, CEO of U.S. Rare Earths.

"We have found the total rare earth percentage in the North Fork area is much higher than anything we've found before," Cowle said.

North Fork notably contains large quantities of the rare earth element neodymium - a very magnetic substance used in everything from computer hard drives to wind turbines and hybrid car. Airliners and fighter jets also make use of neodymium.

Some North Fork samples showed neodymium concentrations as high as 3.7 percent.

Boeing also plans to tour U.S. Rare Earths deposits at Lehmi Pass, on the border between Idaho and Montana, and at Diamond Creek,Idaho, in late September.

Between the Lehmi Pass and Diamond Creek reserves, U.S. Rare Earths holds most of the current known deposits of "heavies" in the U.S., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Boeing's remote sensing technology will "greatly enhance" U.S. Rare Earth's capabilities in searching for new deposits of rare earth elements, according to Cowle.

Still, U.S. Rare Earths cautioned that the findings represent just the first step down a long road toward opening new U.S. mines and building new refineries. Rebuilding an independent U.S. supply chain could take up to 15 years, according to experts.

Rare earth elements remain crucial not only for current consumer products such as cell phones, PCs and TV displays, but also for military technologies.

Tank sights, lasers, radar, missile-guidance systems, satellites and aircraft electronics all use rare earth elements, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office in an April report.

Just one U.S. company, Molycorp, is currently producing rare earth materials from its stockpiles, according LiveScience.com.