The authors have used a high‐purity multielement solution, containing known quantities of individual Pare earth elements, as a reference standard in neutron activation analysis of rare earths in several international standard rocks. The data obtained by the authors have been compared with those obtained using the international standard rock Basalt BCR‐1 as a reference material. The authors’data compare favourably with those obtained by other workers, particularly for the more basic rock types, and encourages the authors to suggest that a multielement solution standard can be used successfully for neutron activation analysis of rave earth elements. High values obtained for Ce in Basalt BCR‐1, however, might indicate that the behaviour of Ce in solution needs further invest