The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Sorted by date Results 301 - 313 of 313
Environmentalists and indigenous groups have long been calling for a clean-up of the acid mine drainage at the former Tulsequah Chief zinc-copper-silver-gold mine in British Columbia, just across the border from Juneau. Vancouver-based Redfern Resources wants to do a full clean-up of the site, but only if it can reopen the mine. So mine critics find themselves in the dilemma of opposing the very process that could solve some of the environmental troubles. The mine has been polluting the Taku and Tulsequah rivers with acid...
Reclaiming a mine site is very different from operating a mine, and the staff involved in the reclamation may have limited experience in this kind of work. At the former Faro lead-zinc mine in Canada's Yukon, geotechnical training has been provided so that staff understand more about the purpose of their work and the kinds of specific problems to look out for. Jim Cassie, a geotechnical engineer with BGC Engineering in Calgary, explained the training at the Northern Latitudes Reclamation Workshop in May. Numerous owners...
The Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories has ruled that Canadian Zinc Corp. can reopen a winter road to its Prairie Creek mine without a new environmental review process, saying the road was already in operation well before new environmental rules were instituted in 1984. The territory's high court made its ruling May 6, overturning a decision by the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board. The board had said at least a preliminary screening was needed, and perhaps an environmental assessment and environmental impact...
British Columbia is reveling in a mining boom without parallel in more than three decades, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Powered by higher metals and coal prices, reflecting the strong demand for commodities, and an increase in the number of producing mines, the province posted an increase of C$790 million or 29 percent in net revenues to C$3.5 billion in 2004, generating total net earnings of C$871 million - the highest annual earnings since the accounting firm started its annual survey in 1968. Net income...
A mention of the world's richest diamond mines conjures images of hot, steamy African jungles. Yet it is the frozen tundra of the Canadian Arctic that is yielding the latest treasure trove of diamonds and sparking a staking stampede that is bringing hundreds of prospectors to the far north. Between 1998 and 2002, 13.8 million carats have been mined in Canada, and the diamonds - precious stones of pure carbon - are worth $2.8 billion. That is roughly a 1.5-kilogram bag of rocks each day for five years, with each bag worth... Full story
December, January and February are normally a time when the mining industry can stop and catch its collective breath, look into its often cloudy but well-used crystal ball and prepare for the coming year. Not so the last December, January and February! While 2004 results continued to pour in from projects large and small, plans for 2005 are well advanced and in some cases, already in full swing. Metals prices remained strong and even the most pessimistic prognosticators...
What a difference a year makes ... along with a few things like rebounding metals prices, China's voracious appetite for minerals and investors' enduring love affair worldwide with gold. That's the assessment of Alaska officials after reviewing the state's annual report on mining industry activity in 2003, released in late October. The cumulative value of Alaska's mining industry in 2003 dipped slightly to $1.067 billion, down about $6 million from the $1.073 billion reported in 2002, according to the report, the 23rd in an...
Placer mining in Canada's Yukon Territory has increased significantly this year, and although there are no operating hard-rock mines in the territory yet, that may change soon. Mike Burke of the Yukon Geological Survey outlined the varied projects of the past season at the Alaska Miners Association Convention in Anchorage on Nov. 4. In particular, he drew attention to Expatriate Resources' exploration in the Finlayson Lake District at Wolverine, for which the company has raised C$16.6 million. Wolverine is one of several impo...
It's still a few years off, but if NovaGold Resources Inc. turns the Ambler prospect into an operating mine, it could open up a mineral belt with a total of $12 billion in reserves - at 1982 prices. That $12 billion figure comes from a 1982 state report listing 10 major volcano-derived deposits in northwestern Alaska, from the operating Red Dog Mine all the way to the border of Gates of the Arctic National Park. Perhaps the biggest and richest concentration is the Arctic deposit 150 miles east of Kotzebue near the villages...
Spending about $250,000 on its first phase of drilling this year, Bravo Venture Group hit the ground mid-May with a core drill to test three prospects on the Woewodski Island property in Southeast Alaska about 18 miles southwest of Petersburg. The 3,000 meter drill program will be completed mid-June, according to Jay Oness, vice president of investor relations for the Canadian junior, part of the Manex Group of mineral exploration companies. "We might increase that (drill work)," Oness told Mining News June 7. "We're getting...
Estimates of $1.05 billion for Alaska's mineral industry value in 2003 were released by state officials on March 9, making it the eighth straight year the industry's value exceeded $1 billion. Rising prices for almost all metals, including gold, silver, zinc, and lead, increased the 2003 value of metal production in Alaska by 2 percent from 2002 levels, according to the annual report released by the state Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. Contributing heavily to Alaska's mineral industry are the state's three...
Information continues to trickle in from 2002 exploration programs around the state with the final tally suggesting exploration expenditures for 2002 will come in at about the same or slightly higher levels as in 2001. As is most years, a few major projects expend the majority of the funds while many smaller projects move either forward toward increased funding or backward to the project bone yard. The big spenders in 2002 will be Donlin Creek, Pebble and Pogo while properties... Full story
The snows are rapidly retreating and the Alaska mining industry is busy sharpening picks and pencils as it prepares for the summer season. Metals prices are on the rebound and a surprisingly vigorous economic recovery is under way in the United States. Although budgets for major companies for Alaska are not likely to change drastically in 2002, junior equity markets are surprisingly buoyant and should provide more immediate capital for investment in Alaska this year. Western Alaska NovaGold Resources announced the results...
