Some interesting links about Nb and Tahttps://www.steelforge.com/nonferrous/refractorymetals.htm
"The most extensively used of these metals are tungsten, tantalum, molybdenum, and columbium (niobium)."
https://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/niobium/niobimyb04.pdf
"The last significant mining of columbium and tantalum in the United
States was during the Korean conflict, when increased military demand resulted in columbium and tantalum ore shortages. "
https://www.symmetrymag.org/cms/?pid=1000173
"Araxá, Brazil, sits atop the world's largest supply of niobium. As far as particle physicists are concerned, it might as well be a gold mine. The future International Linear Collider (ILC) would use over 500 tons of pure niobium to build 20,000 superconducting radio-frequency (rf) cavities, devices that accelerate electrons and their antimatter twins, positrons, along microwaves to near-light speeds."
https://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=https://www.corrosionsource.com/handbook/periodic/periodic_table.gif&imgrefurl=https://www.corrosionsource.com/handbook/periodic/&h=480&w=580&sz=19&tbnid=G4wY8RtD2Q3CMM:&tbnh=111&tbnw=134&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dperiodic%2Btable&start=1&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=1
- The element has superconductive properties; superconductive magnets have been made with Nb-Zr (niobium-zirconium) wire, which retains its superconductivity in strong magnetic fields.
- This type of application offers hope of direct large-scale generation of electric power.
Sounds like our plentiful niobium is worthy of sharing the spotlight. It's sort of like Daffy Duck to the tantalum's Bugs Bunny.
The Fever