The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 156
Alaska saw robust mining activity in 2008 across the full spectrum of the industry, from small placer operations to major producers, and from exploration programs to advanced development projects. Here is a look at companies reporting significant progress during the year. Placer mining Silverado Gold Mines Ltd. has recovered 26,879 ounces of placer gold from channel and bench deposits in the Nolan Valley through 2007. The largest nugget recovered from the property, located about 280 miles north of Fairbanks, weighed 41.35...
The game is afoot all across Alaska with the drills turning to the right on projects all across the state. The operating mines turned in strong first-quarter results and several new acquisitions, joint ventures and new players were announced in the last month. Western Alaska Teck Cominco American announced first quarter results from its Red Dog Mine. In the first quarter, the mine produced 138,500 metric tons of zinc in concentrate. Zinc ore grade increased to 21.3 percent while mill recoveries remained steady at 83.8...
After decades of doggedly chasing the legendary allure of the gold-rich Chandalar District northern Alaska, Little Squaw Gold Mining Co. is showing signs of closing in on its recent goals. The Spokane, Wash.-based junior changed its name in May to Goldrich Mining Co. It also released findings April 30 from an independent, conceptual economic scoping study of its alluvial gold deposit discovery in the Little Squaw Creek drainage on the property. Goldrich controls key acreage in the Chandalar district, which is about 190 air...
Freegold Ventures Ltd. is returning to explore the gold-rich hills of the Goodpaster Mining District this summer and follow up on its quest for mineral riches near Fort Knox. The busy miner outlined its 2008 exploration program March 31 for the Rob gold property in Interior Alaska about 110 miles southeast of Fairbanks as well as plans for its Golden Summit property north of Fairbanks. The 2008 program will include ground geophysics, geologic mapping and additional core drilli...
As is commonly the case in late January, an over abundance of news has come out in the last month, in part to coincide with year-end financial releases and in part to coincide with the annual Cordilleran Roundup mining convention in Vancouver. The news itself included an $819 million year-end 2007 profit at one Alaska mine, new gold resources of 32.8 million ounces for the state's largest gold deposit and the sale of 70 percent of another mine for a whopping $750 million. That doesn't count new resource estimates on two other...
Even though the concept of global warming is a welcome idea to many companies working in Alaska, its effects are not being felt fast enough to allow companies to complete all of the work they had hoped to finish in 2007. Drills are still turning all over the state, but the first signs of "termination dust" are showing on the higher peaks and the smell of fermenting berries fills the air, giving us all a not-so gentle prod to get ready for winter. Western Alaska Teck Cominco...
Exploration spending in British Columbia hit a record high of C$265 million in 2006, a figure that the province's mining minister, Bill Bennett was proud to announce at the recent Mineral Exploration Roundup in Vancouver. Unfortunately for Bennett, he probably won't be invited to boast about the industry's successes next year, since he was forced to resign in early February after sending an obscenity-laced email to a gun club member. "British Columbians want good jobs, and they also, frankly, want the tax revenues that come...
Ahhhh, the calm before the storm! Over the last month the industry slowed and took a collective breath to enjoy friends, family and the holidays in anticipation of another busy year in the Alaska mineral industry. The last month has already seen another new player enter the Alaska mining scene and behind closed doors drilling, helicopter and personnel contracts are being negotiated. The annual Cordilleran Roundup mining convention in Vancouver is right around the corner and promises to be the most exciting conference in over...
In a week when lead and zinc hit record-breaking high prices, it was particularly appropriate for Vancouver-based Teck Cominco's president and CEO, Don Lindsay, to be visiting Alaska for the seventh time. The state is home to the world's largest lead-zinc mine, Red Dog, and the company has further demonstrated its commitment to Alaska with the recent opening of Pogo gold mine, a partnership with Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining. The Alaska Miners Association presented Teck Cominco with its new mine award this year. Walter Sampso...
Construction costs for Alaska's Pogo gold mine near Fairbanks have risen again to $378 million, Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining said in a release Aug. 23. Sumitomo owns a 51 percent stake in Pogo and the operator is Vancouver-based Teck Cominco. The original construction cost estimate in May 2004 was $280 million. The latest estimate in October 2005 was $357 million. Some of the increases were due to rising material prices, including oil and steel. Additional investment of $21 million is now required to install a third filter...
By most years' standards, the last month has been a barn burner for mining news. By 2006 standards it hardly measures on the Mining Industry Care-O-Meter, a highly subjective, totally unscientific measurement of what is happening in Alaska's mineral industry. In the last month we have seen the state's largest primary gold deposit resources increase to a mind-boggling 32 million ounces, we've seen one new mine begin commercial construction, we've seen one mine under construction receive a partial injunction against part of...
The game is afoot! The last month has seen the start of a number of field programs in Alaska, marking the beginning of the traditional "field season" in the Great Land. With demand for metals remaining extraordinarily high, Alaska's mining industry is operating at capacity but well below demand. An acute shortage of drills and drillers, geologists and engineers and helicopters to move them all around is affecting exploration, development and production plans around the state. For the first time in my career, money is not in...
In the early days of exploration at a property near the small town of Delta Junction in Interior Alaska, a bunch of geologists who'd had a few too many beers began jumping up and down. They may have been jumping for joy, imagining a rich gold vein beneath their feet, or more likely they were jumping to keep warm, as this region is one of the coldest on the planet in winter. Someone nicknamed the strange dance the Pogo dance, and the name stuck. Today in the same spot, Pogo mine is producing its first gold bars, a joint ventur...
The Pogo Gold Mine Project near Delta Junction began gold production Feb. 12, nearly a month ahead of schedule, Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd. and Sumitomo Corp. jointly announced Feb. 13. The companies said construction at Pogo progressed well enough to enable the project to advance production from an originally scheduled start in March. Pogo is estimated to contain 7.7 million tons of gold ore that should yield just under a half-ounce of gold per ton. The mine employs about 240 permanent workers. Sumitomo Metal is the...
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....
Teck-Pogo Alaska is back on track to achieve first production this quarter at the Pogo gold mine project near Delta Junction after clearing up a dispute that erupted last year with Golden Valley Electric Association over electricity rates. Teck-Pogo complained to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska in October that GVEA planned to renege on a contract the two companies entered in January 2005 in which GVEA agreed to provide up to 13 megawatts of power to Pogo during its operating life and binding the mine's owner to a yearly...
Over the course of the last several months, a series of new gold and base metal discoveries have been made. Several of these new discoveries were reported in the last month and highlights of these and other activities were presented at the annual Alaska Miners Association convention in Anchorage in early November. The convention was one of the most exciting and up-beat events in nearly a decade. The new discoveries are a trend that, while long in coming, are an inevitable...
Construction work at the $320 million Pogo Gold Project near Delta Junction slowed in late April when a gastrointestinal virus plowed through workers at the remote site. The 24-hour bug, which caused nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and vomiting, is similar to noroviruses that have attacked cruise passengers in Alaska waters in recent years, according to state health officials. About 60 percent of Pogo's work force took sick just days after the first victim was reported April 27, said Karl Hanneman, vice president of...
Nearly half a decade after embarking on development of the huge Pogo gold resource in Interior Alaska, operator Teck-Pogo Inc. is eyeing light at the end of the tunnel - first production in early 2006. The company is also gearing up for additional exploration near the known deposit later this year. Pogo, 85 miles southeast of Fairbanks near the town of Delta Junction, is estimated to contain 7.7 million tons of ore that should yield just under a half-ounce of gold per ton. Karl Hanneman, the project's manager of public and...
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...
The month of November started off with a bang with favorable results for the mining industry from both the state and federal elections standpoint. As it closes the price of gold is flirting with $450 per ounce, the highest price for this metal since mid-1988. The Alaska Miners Association convention was very well attended in early November and results were revealed there from many of Alaska's exploration, development and production properties. A quick tally of spending across...
Inco, the world's second largest nickel producer, is now in pursuit of a 50 percent increase in output by 2009. The Toronto-based company has ended a two-year hiatus by resuming work on its US$1.9 billion Goro project in New Caledonia and is six months ahead of schedule with its Voisey's Bay project in Canada's Labrador region. It confirmed Oct. 19 that the C$3 billion Voisey's Bay undertaking will start production by late 2005, instead of closer to mid-2006. The Goro project is now chasing a September 2007 start-up after hea...
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...
Partners in the Pogo gold project northeast of Delta Junction, Alaska, have officially approved the final feasibility study and production program, announcing plans on June 4 to complete construction and begin initial gold production in March 2006. Production will ramp up to commercial rates by the end of August, 2006, the three partners said in a joint press release. Development partners in the Pogo project, 40 miles northeast of Delta Junction in the upper Goodpaster River valley, include Teck Cominco Ltd., Sumitomo Metal...
