The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Sorted by date Results 151 - 171 of 171
In the last month the Alaska mining industry has seen start-up of its first major gold mine in five years (Pogo) and approval of permits for the Nixon Fork copper-gold mine. We also saw announcement of substantial increases in copper, gold and molybdenum resources at two advanced exploration/development projects (Donlin Creek and Pebble). New development plans were offered for heap leaching at the Fort Knox gold mine and initial funding was approved for evaluation of a coal to liquids facility at the Beluga coal deposits....
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...
The Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys released new airborne geophysical data and maps for the Goodpaster River area in Interior Alaska on Jan. 24. The survey covers approximately 210 square miles in the western Goodpaster mining district, which is home to the Pogo deposit. (See map on page 15.) Several mining companies, including AngloGold, Rimfire, Freegold and Teck Cominco, are active in the area. "We use these data all the time and have found more and more uses for the geophysical data since (the...
Neither the heat and smoke from wildfires, nor excruciatingly low winter temperatures could deter miners from expanding their operations in Alaska this past season. Representatives of several companies described their achievements in the "Development and Mine Operations" session at the Alaska Miners Association convention on Nov. 5. NovaGold Resources' Rock Creek John Odden from NovaGold Resources began with a presentation on Rock Creek, which is located on the Seward Peninsula, seven miles north of Nome. Part of it is on...
In case you hadn't noticed, one of the busiest but quietest Augusts in the last 10 years just slipped into the pages of history. Mineral exploration, development and production maintained a low profile in just about every region of the state during August. Drills continued to turn and samples continued to stream in from programs searching for gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, platinum and palladium. The hot spots continued to be the Iliamna District, the Goodpaster...
Late summer rains and cooler temperatures, usually the norm for Interior Alaska, did not materialize this year, allowing wildlands fires to continue burning and spreading throughout the region in August. According to state and federal fire reports posted Sept. 3, a total of 6,378,692 acres of land in Alaska has burned during this summer's wildlands fires, reportedly the most ever in a single season. Statewide, 648 fires were reported and more than 80 fires remain active, even in early September when fire crews typically...
Heavy rains in late July and early August have dampened the number of wildlands fires that burned through Interior and the eastern part of Alaska, adversely affecting placer miners and metals prospectors attempting to complete field work this summer. Large fires in the eastern Interior, covering the Fortymile mining district, continue to smolder and creep, according to the Aug. 2 report from the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, which is monitoring about 100 active fires in the state. So far, 520 fires in Alaska have...
As anyone can tell you who has tried recently to locate geologists, drill rigs and helicopters, Alaska is not the place to search for any of these commodities. Mineral exploration and development in Alaska is clipping along at a pace not seen in more than five years and in the process, these activities have sucked up just about all of the people, rigs and aircraft in the state. Exploration and development projects are spread from Nome to Ketchikan, the Brooks Range to...
The partnership between Vancouver, British Columbia, junior Rimfire Minerals and global mining giant AngloGold (U.S.A.) Exploration continues to grow, as the two companies announced in late June their third property option agreement for a prospect near the Pogo area. Now optioned by AngloGold, the Beverly claim group is on the eastern boundary of the Pogo project in the upper Goodpaster River Valley in Interior Alaska, a high-grade gold deposit being developed by Teck Cominco and Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. "From a geological...
Metals prices remain strong and funding for projects large and small is already in place or nearly so as Alaska prepares for the annual summer exploration dance. Exploration drilling on several winter drilling targets has been completed and summer drilling projects are beginning on several others. Mine permitting issues at Pogo have cast a shadow over the otherwise bright picture of Alaska's mining industry but resolution of this problem is expected sooner rather than later...
A Fairbanks-based environmental group that appealed a federal water discharge permit issued to developers of the Pogo gold project in mid-March has agreed to withdraw its permit challenge, following meetings with regulators on May 4 and 5. The announcement of the appeal withdrawal came May 5 during a press conference at the governor's office in Fairbanks. Initial meetings between the Northern Alaska Environmental Center and the Environmental Protection Agency May 4 spurred a late night meeting with others involved in the...
Prospectors looking for valuable minerals in Alaska hit the ground hard in 2003, laying claim to 507 square miles of state and federally controlled land in the Last Frontier. That's about double the effort by claim stakers in 2002, said Dave Szumigala, a geologist with the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, during a presentation at the March 2004 biennial conference of the Alaska Miners Association in Fairbanks. "It shows that Alaska is on people's radar screens worldwide," he said. Claim staking has conti...
Although the traditional Alaska field season has not really arrived yet, three significant developments occurred in March: Teck Cominco and Sumitomo Metal Mining received final permits for the Pogo gold project from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allowing construction to move ahead at flank speed, Anglo American acquired its first U.S. mineral property in years by signing a joint venture option on Nevada Star's MAN nickel-copper-platinum group element project and Nov...
As in past years, Canada's Fraser Institute (www.fraserinstitute.ca) has released the results of its annual mining investment attractiveness survey for 2003-2004. The survey represents responses from 132 junior mining companies and 27 senior mining companies who rated policy potential issues (regulatory and infrastructure), mineral potential and overall investment attractiveness in 53 political jurisdictions around the globe. The companies participating in the survey accounted for exploration budgets totaling US$642.4...
Another year has come and gone and Alaska's mining industry continues to generate jobs for its citizens and raw materials for the world. Although base metal prices remain mired at low levels, gold and platinum have risen steadily over the last month with gold in particular taking on new luster as it broke the $350 per ounce mark for the first time in five years. Platinum has rebounded from earlier lows and is now flirting with $600 per ounce levels while its geological...
As 2002 draws rapidly to a close, news of this year's mineral exploration, development and production efforts in Alaska continues to come out while plans for next year are being formulated in board rooms across North America. The political landscape at both the national and state levels changed drastically as a result of the Nov. 5 elections; however, the effects of these changes will not become evident for some time. Metals prices remain depressed for lead, zinc and...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that mining is one of the nation's safest occupations with a lower rate of illness and injury per 100 employees, 4.7, than manufacturing, 9, and construction, 8.3, and grocery stores, 8, hotels, 6.9, and retail sales, 5.9 As is usually the case, the Alaska summer season reached its peak in activity in August. As is always the case, some properties show promise of turning into Alaska's next operating mine while others have their names quietly scribed on the scroll of the dead. Several...
Is it my rose colored glasses or has the mining industry brightened considerably in the past month? The bump in the gold prices along with the slow but steady increase in the abysmal prices for other metals seems to have infused the mining industry with, dare I say it, optimism! Quite frankly I'm not sure how to react since we have not seen an industry-wide "smile" since the heady days at the end of the last millennium before the Busang scam devastated the industry and helped hasten the plunge of the already declining gold...
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...
Results from the 2001 field season have begun to show up from around the state. At the same time, the number of rumors circulating via the Tundra Telegraph about results that have not been formally announced, has picked up. Fieldwork continues on a number of projects around the state but that early morning chill in the air is a harbinger of change in the near future. When the dust settles later this year, it will be clear that several new discoveries have been made in Alaska in 2001 and that several promising properties did...
As is always the case this time of year, many of the season's exploration and development programs are completed or nearing completion and the results of those programs are trickling in. In addition, second quarter 2001 operating results are in for Alaska's major mines, all of which are doing well despite depressed prices for all of the metals they produce. The state's most active areas include the Seward Peninsula, Interior Alaska and southeast Alaska. Here is what's going on. Western Alaska Cominco American's Red Dog mine...
