North of 60 Mining News - The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North

In late August, I was forced to send an email to Curt Freeman, owner of the Fairbanks-based Avalon Development, with the subject line, "Smoke hinders travel." Throughout the prior week, I could not fly from my remote home 60 miles east to... — Updated 9/12/2004

Rich Hughes, a former project manager at the Nolan Creek mine in northern Alaska, has been selected by the state of Alaska to serve as the development specialist for mining in Fairbanks. Hughes started the job July 1, working in the Office of... — Updated 9/12/2004

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... — Updated 9/12/2004

Vancouver, British Columbia-based War Eagle Mining Co. Inc. has partnered with Strategic Metals Ltd. to drill for the first time the Antimony Mountain copper-silver-gold porphyry prospect, 65 kilometers (40 miles) northeast of Dawson City, Yukon Te... — Updated 9/12/2004

Seattle-based Nevada Star Resource Corp. in mid-August began a 2,000 meter (6,561-foot) reverse circulation drilling program on the northern portion of the MAN nickel, copper and PGE property in central Alaska. It's the latest development in an act... — Updated 9/12/2004

This summer's exploration, engineering and environmental baseline data work at the Pebble prospect in southwest Alaska is progressing "exceptionally well," according to a spokesman for the deposit's developer, Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.... — Updated 9/12/2004

An experienced geologist in Alaska himself, Charles Caldwell "Chuck" Hawley has compiled a well-documented and compelling story about one of Alaska's pioneer prospectors and mining engineers, Wesley Earl Dunkle. An economic geologist who prospected... — Updated 9/12/2004

One of six new 190-ton Caterpillar haul trucks hit the dirt at the open pit Fort Knox gold mine near Fairbanks, Alaska, on Sept. 1, part of a $15 million-plus capital investment in the mine's dirt-moving fleet this year. Fairbanks Gold Mining Inc.,... — Updated 9/12/2004

NovaGold Resources appears to have hit another prospecting grand slam one year after optioning the Galore Creek project in a remote section of northwestern British Columbia. The Vancouver, British Columbia-based junior in August released... — Updated 9/12/2004

Vancouver, British Columbia-based Silverado Gold Mines Ltd. has been auctioning gold nuggets mined from its northern Alaska gold mine on eBay, an on-line auction site. So far, the company has auctioned five nuggets and it began the sixth on-line... — Updated 9/12/2004

The Red Dog zinc and lead mine in remote northwest Alaska appears to be the victim of another misleading environmental report - this time, one causing some residents in neighboring villages alarm about the quality of berries and greens gathered as... — Updated 8/8/2004

After years of contentious debate, lawsuits and sporadic negotiations, the two major players involved in the Healy Clean Coal Project, an experimental coal-fired power plant built with $300 million in state and federal funds and shuttered since... — Updated 8/8/2004

MAX Resource Corp. recently completed its first phase of core drilling on its new Interior Alaska property, the Gold Hill project about 10 miles off the Denali Highway. In early July, drilling crews and geological consultants from Alaska Earth... — Updated 8/8/2004

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... — Updated 8/8/2004

Teryl Resources Corp. continues to prospect on ground nearby the Fort Knox mine northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, this time drilling on some placer claims with historical gold occurrences just downstream from the mine's fresh water dam. Reverse circu... — Updated 8/8/2004

Freegold Ventures has some recently acquired high-grade rock samples taken in July from a new portion of the Golden Summit project northeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, to show off during a planned tour and investor presentation in mid August. The Vancou... — Updated 8/8/2004

Long-time Alaska prospector Freegold Ventures has ventured across the border into the Yukon Territory, optioning a gold property west of Ross River with a previously drilled, 221,000 ounce gold and 835,000 ounce silver resource. In a July 14 press... — Updated 8/8/2004

Developers hoping to restart production at the underground, shuttered Nixon Fork gold-copper mine in central Alaska announced more high-grade drilling results from an underground drilling program this summer. The best intercept from new drilling re... — Updated 8/8/2004

Usibelli Coal Mine Inc., Alaska's only commercial coal producer, will send a shipment of its Healy coal south this fall to be test burned in a power plant operation in Chile, opening the door to a potential new international market. The test... — Updated 8/8/2004

Alaska's largest mine and the world's largest producer of zinc counters its national top ranking by the Environmental Protection Agency for toxic releases, saying that the agency's decision to count naturally occurring metals contained in unmilled... — Updated 7/11/2004

Golden Summit gave up some of its glory in high-grade gold samples taken during a 4,900-foot drill program completed this spring at the gold property about 25 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska. Partners in the hard-rock property, Freegold Ventures... — Updated 7/11/2004

Two Fairbanks-based exploration geologists trapped in a remote camp threatened by a huge wild-lands fire burning out of control in Alaska's Interior were rescued by a helicopter pilot dispatched from the Pogo construction camp. Shortly after their... — Updated 7/11/2004

In the final hot and dry days of June, the Boundary wild lands fire was burning its way across rolling hills in Alaska's Interior three to five miles from the Fort Knox gold mine, although workers couldn't see its proximity due to smoke shrouding... — Updated 7/11/2004

Alaska state and federal regulators overseeing the proposed Kensington Gold Mine project 45 miles northwest of Juneau have released draft permits, public notices and state decisions for public review and comment. Released on June 21 were draft... — Updated 7/11/2004

The skies north of Lake Iliamna in southwest Alaska are buzzing with helicopters that are supporting numerous drill crews working on exploration projects at and surrounding the Pebble gold-copper-molybdenum-silver deposit. Leading this summer's... — Updated 7/11/2004