Where is hafnium found?

In nature, hafnium is present in all zirconium-bearing ores. It was from zirconium, according to Jefferson Lab, that hafnium was first discovered by Dirk Coster and Charles de Hevesy, in 1923, using X-ray spectroscopy. Hafnium is difficult to extract from its surrounding matrix.

In industry, hafnium is found in many places. According to Jefferson Lab, hafnium is valued by the nuclear power industry for its ability to absorb neutrons. This property makes it ideal for use in reactor control rods. It is also found in laboratories that work with vacuum tubes that are being used to extract trace gases from the tubes prior to use.