The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 93
Preliminary feasibility study envisions production of 2.5 million ounces of gold at Courageous Lake. Amid the recent surge of interest in mining lithium and rare earth elements, some companies exploring the Northwest Territories remain focused on gold. Seabridge Gold Inc., for example, is revisiting its long-held Courageous Lake Gold Project more than a decade after shelving an initial mineral resource estimate and preliminary economic assessment of the venture in 2012....
Tungsten could be held ransom unless domestic mines open Tungsten, or wolfram, is the 74th element on the periodic table of elements and, like many other metals that have found their way onto critical mineral lists in Canada, Europe, and the United States, this sturdy metal is vulnerable to supply disruption. Tungsten has been known since prehistoric times, and as far back as 350 years ago, Chinese porcelain makers were using this element as a pigment to incorporate a unique...
"Grade is king" is an adage that guides mineral exploration and mining. The premise behind this basic axiom of the mining business is the less ore that needs to be mined and processed per ounce of precious metals, pound of base metals, kilogram of critical minerals, or carat of gemstones produced, the more profitable an operation will be. The kingliest of orebodies would be of such high grade that a mining company would simply need to dig up the ore, crush it, and then ship it...
North of 60 Mining News recently spoke with Ramzi Fawaz, president and CEO of Ambler Metals LLC, a 50-50 joint venture between South32 Ltd. and Trilogy Metals Inc. to develop the rich mineral resources at the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects in Alaska. In a candid conversation, Fawaz talks about what attracted him to Ambler Metals; the company's Alaska-based team and partnerships; the strategy for developing Arctic Mine and the other rich metals deposits at the Upper Kobuk Mineral...
Strong metal prices and an infusion of cash from notable resource investors helped to salvage much of a 2020 mineral exploration season in Alaska that became lethargic with disruptions, delays, and shelving of field programs infected by the COVID-19 pandemic early in the year. At its onset, 2020 was looking like it would be the best year for Alaska's mining sector in a decade. Australia-based mining companies were slated to invest nearly US$100 million in mineral exploration...
While Contango ORE Inc. opted not to carry out a 2020 field program in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this unconventional mineral exploration company oft referred to as CORE churned out some of the most exciting results of the 2020 season. CORE entered 2020 with the appointment of Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, one of the most prominent names in Alaska's mining sector, as president and CEO. The Alaska-based company exited the year as 30% owner of Alaska's next million-ounce gold...
In the few months since taking the helm at Contango ORE Inc., Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse has steered this unconventional mineral exploration company toward being the 30% owner of Alaska's next million-ounce gold producing mine. This coming mine at Contango ORE's Peak Gold deposit quickly surpassed Donlin Gold, Livengood, and other top contenders for Alaska's next large gold operation when Kinross Gold Corp. acquired a 70% interest in the high-grade gold project and unveiled a...
Kinross Gold Corp. has agreed to pay US$93.7 million to buy a 70% stake in the Peak Gold project near the crossroads town of Tok in eastern Alaska, an acquisition slated to deliver high-grade feedstock to the mill at Kinross' Fort Knox Mine near Fairbanks. "The relatively high-grade, low-cost Peak Gold project is an excellent addition to our portfolio, as it allows us to leverage our existing mill and infrastructure at Fort Knox and strengthens our medium-term production and...
Trilogy Metals Inc. and South32 Ltd. Aug. 25 announced that former Newmont Corp. senior executive Ramzi Fawaz has been appointed as president and CEO of Ambler Metals LLC, the 50-50 joint venture company formed by South32 and Trilogy to explore and develop the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects (UKMP) in Northwest Alaska. Fawaz served as senior vice president of projects at Newmont from 2011 until 2019, with responsibility for the development and execution of Newmont's major gold...
Contango ORE Inc. May 6 announced that management of the Peak Gold joint venture – Contango ORE (60%) and Royal Gold Inc. (40%) – has decided to postpone exploration on the Tetlin gold project in eastern Alaska in order to protect the health of workers and stakeholder during the COVID-19 outbreak. "These are certainly difficult times for everyone, and our primary concern is to ensure that our employees, contractors and community members remain safe and healthy," said Con...
North of 60 Mining News is proud to introduce 20 questions for 2020. Over the course of this series, Mining News will interview mining and political leaders from Alaska, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon. Each interview will include 20 questions on mining, markets and doing business across Alaska and Canada's North. For the inaugural 20 questions for 2020, Mining News talks with Contango ORE Inc. CEO Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, a longtime mining executive...
Contango ORE Inc. Jan. 6 announced that Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse has taken over as President and CEO of the Texas-based mineral exploration company advancing the Peak Gold project in eastern Alaska. Former President and CEO Brad Juneau has transitioned to executive chairman of Contango ORE, a company he co-founded and lead for the past decade. "I have known Rick for several years and followed his success with admiration," said Juneau. "We are extremely pleased that he has agreed...
As the year winds down, mineral industry evaluations for 2019 are being published at a rapid rate. One of the most interesting such global reviews is EY Global Mining and Metals' annual "risk radar" for mining and metals, outlining what mining companies perceive as the top ten risks facing them in the near future. This publication stated that, for the second straight year, "social license to operate" remains the number one risk facing mining companies in 2020. This was...
Contango ORE Inc. Nov. 19 reported gold, silver and copper mineralization in its first two holes at Hona, a prospect on state of Alaska mining claims about 15 miles west of the Peak Gold deposits, which are located on a 675,000-acre land package leased from Tetlin Village, an Alaska Native corporation in eastern Alaska. Peak Gold LLC, a joint venture between Contango ORE (60 percent) and Royal Gold Inc. (40 percent), staked 183,422 acres of state mining claims covering Hona...
If you have watched the metals markets over the last month, you know why Alaska's mineral industry has surged, stalled, swerved, swooped, slowed, shelved and stuttered, sometimes all at the same time! Gold has gone above US$1,500 per ounce; copper pundits are predicting an increasingly dour future; zinc markets are looking to dive below $1.00 per pound; tin markets have marched strongly upward due to supply disruptions; and silver bulls are calling for annual worldwide...
Earlier this month S&P Global put out a summary indicating that during the first quarter of 2019 metals like copper, zinc and nickel were up quarter over quarter by 11 percent, 22 percent and 25 percent, respectively. More recently gold has skyrocketed beyond the $1,400-per-ounce mark for the first time in many months. Correspondingly, the mining industry's aggregate market cap also rebounded strongly in the period after four bearish quarters, rising 12 percent to $1.43...
Contango ORE Inc. June 11 announced that the sales process for the Peak Gold joint venture has concluded without identifying a buyer for the partnership that owns the high-grade Peak Gold project in Interior Alaska. Two adjacent skarn deposits at Peak Gold – Main Peak and North Peak – host 9.2 million metric tons of measured and indicated resources averaging 4.08 grams per metric ton (1.21 million ounces) gold and 14.19 g/t (4.2 million oz) silver. A preliminary economic ass...
In the famous words of Sherlock Holmes, the game is afoot! After seasonally slower news from Alaska's mining industry in March and April, the dam has broken with over two dozen Alaska mining project news releases issued in the last month. Including those projects moving forward that have not released their 2019 plans, Alaska has become a very busy place under the sun. All of our major metal mines reported strong performances in the first quarter, several of Alaska's most...
Contango ORE Inc. May 13 said the Peak Gold joint venture will carry out a US$6.9 million exploration program at the Peak Gold property near Tok, Alaska. At the same time, the project partners – Contango ORE (60 percent) and Royal Gold Inc. (40 percent) – are continuing negotiations for the sale of Peak to a mining company that will advance development of the high-grade gold deposits found there. Two adjacent skarn deposits at Peak Gold – Main Peak and North Peak – host 9....
Those of you that attended the recent Cordilleran Roundup Convention in Vancouver can attest to the exuberant, upbeat atmosphere that pervaded the conference and was very much in evidence at the standing-room only festivities at our annual self-hosted Alaska Night meet and greet. But digging down under this veneer of optimism, many of the junior explorers and most of the producers admitted to their expectations of challenging times in 2019. Putting words to this apparent...
Royal Gold Inc. Feb. 6 said it has two criteria for any mining company interested in buying the Peak Gold project in Alaska – a willingness to make building a mine at the high-grade gold project a priority and a commitment to use the highest standards to do so. "Royal Gold will remain committed to the project over the long term through our existing royalty interests, and our considerations for any potential transfer of ownership will include a commitment to advance the project...
Contango ORE Inc. Jan. 23 announced that the Peak Gold mine project near the crossroads town of Tok in Eastern Interior Alaska is officially up for sale. The Peak Gold project is owned by a joint venture between Contango ORE (60 percent) and a subsidiary of Royal Gold Inc. (40 percent). Royal Gold, which manages the work under the joint venture, has retained Scotia Capital Inc. to conduct a joint process for the sale of the Peak Gold properties in Alaska. Given the high gold...
Excited about the robust economics outlined in a preliminary economic assessment finalized in October, Peak Gold partners – Contango ORE Inc. (60 percent) and Royal Gold Inc. (40 percent) are now looking at the potential of bringing on a partner to advance their high-grade gold deposit in eastern Alaska toward development. "We are at a point I think where it would be healthy to have somebody else come in and move the project forward with their skill set," Royal Gold P...
When it comes to mineral exploration incentives, currency exchange and infrastructure, Alaska is at a disadvantage in the realm of attracting exploration investments from Canada and Australia, countries that are home to the majority of mining companies. The Far North State's vast and underexplored mineral potential, however, trumps these handicaps in the minds of a growing number of miners and mineral explorers. Mining executives from around the globe perennially rank Alaska...
Building upon the strong economics of developing a mine at the high-grade Peak Gold project, joint venture partners Contango ORE Inc. (60 percent) and Royal Gold Inc. (40 percent) are investing US$6.9 million on exploring some of the intriguing outlying targets across this highway-accessible property in eastern Alaska. Discovered by Contango ORE in 2009, Peak Gold (sometimes referred to as Tetlin) hosts two skarn deposits – Main Peak and North Peak – on an underexplored proper...
