The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
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Worries about the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Europe, uncertainty about where the U.S. economy is headed and a slowing of growth in China is prompting miners to favor gold over industrial and luxury minerals such as nickel and diamonds. Some 62 percent of mining executives from 802 global mineral exploration and development companies said they expect gold prices to increase by at least 20 percent over the next two years when responding to questions about future...
The Fraser Institute's "Survey of Mining Companies, 2011/2012" was recently released to the public. This annual survey of exploration and mining companies gauges the pros and cons of working in various countries around the world. This year's results came from over 800 mineral industry companies working in 93 jurisdictions and representing cumulative 2011 exploration expenditures of over US$6.3 billion. The perception of Alaska from the companies that work here was about the...
For the past however many months we have been enduring the Republican presidential nominating process, which has winnowed the field from eight to four candidates. Of the four, former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts is generally deemed the closest thing to a moderate and Ron Paul wears the Libertarian brand. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and U.S. Rep. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., seem to be scrambling for the "conservative" middle, with Santorum displaying a slight edge. Accord...
Graphite traditionally has been regarded as a mundane industrial mineral used in steelmaking, lubricants and pencil lead. Emerging applications such as lithium-ion batteries, fuel cells, and nuclear power generation are placing increased supply demands on this carbon polymer - a market shift not lost on Cedar Mountain Exploration Inc. "The graphite market is only beginning to open up as green technology takes more precedence in the world today," according to the Edmonton, Albe...
Possessing neither the brilliance of diamonds nor the thermal-producing capabilities of coal, graphite is the middle sibling of the carbon family. Until recently, it has largely gotten by on its heat-resistant attributes. Some 70 percent of the 1.1 million metric tons of natural graphite consumed in 2011 was used in making steel and in automotive and lubrication applications. But scientists today are finding new uses for the two-dimensional carbon polymer. During a February...
As Northern Freegold Resources Ltd. heads into a fifth season of exploration on the Freegold Mountain Project in central Yukon Territory, a picture is slowly emerging of yet another large natural repository of precious and base metals in the prolific Tintina Gold Belt. Not only does the district-scale property loom above still-producing placer gold creeks in the heart of a proven gold and copper mining belt in central Yukon, its sprawling 198 square kilometers (75 square miles) lie just 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of...
More than 30,000 people attended the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Convention held in Toronto March 4 - 7, breaking last year's attendance record of 27,714 participants from 120 countries. The annual convention, currently in its 80th year, attracts investors, analysts, mining executives, geologists, prospectors and international government delegations from all over the world and represents a tremendous networking and educational opportunity for the industry. The gathering's Trade Show and Investors...
Canada is blessed with great geology, competitive tax rates, a stable political system and a non-discriminatory regulatory regime, which helps to explain why the country ranks among the top destinations for the world's mineral industry, not only to meet but also to do business, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver told participants in the 2012 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Convention March 5 Canada has more than 200 active mines, producing more than 60 minerals and metals, and the country ranks as the No....
Avalon Rare Metals Inc. is working to capitalize on the jump it believes it has on competitors. The would-be producer of rare earth elements told investors recently that none of the other companies currently pursuing development of REE mining projects will have all of the highly desirable heavy rare earths ready to market by 2015-2016. Currently, China produces some 95 percent of the world's REEs, and the county will soon consume 60-70 percent of the world supply. Yet in the next five to 10 years, the Asian country could...
Plagued with a series of accidents that ultimately resulted in a year-long hiatus of operations at its Lucky Friday Mine in Idaho, Hecla Mining Co. is leaning on Greens Creek Mine in Southeast Alaska to sustain its strong financial position and fund a series of growth initiatives aimed at catapulting the 120-year-old mining company to a 15-million-ounce-per-year silver producer by 2017. "Hecla faced significant challenges in 2011; however, what is different today than at any...
