Articles from the June 1, 2019 edition
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 30
The 2019 mining game is afoot in Alaska
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... — Updated 9/25/2020 Full story
Small win in big case for U.S. rare earths
Ucore Rare Metals Inc. May 29 announced a victory in the legal row over its option to acquire IBC Advanced Technologies Inc., part of Ucore's plans to establish a rare earth elements processing... — Updated 9/25/2020
Nighthawk taps highest-grade Colomac gold
Nighthawk Gold Corp. May 28 reported it cut record high-grade gold in a hole at Colomac, the flagship project on the company's Indin Lake gold property in Northwest Territories. The company kicked o... — Updated 9/25/2020
Junior plans to drill deep for answers
Triumph Gold Corp. is making significant, new strides toward unlocking the geological secrets of Freegold Mountain, a district-scale property that could produce one of the richest copper-gold... — Updated 9/25/2020
Before the Klondike there was Forty Mile
There are many mine sites, towns and claims that invoke familiarity and prestige in the minds of present-day prospectors, but probably none as famous as the Klondike. Klondike, and the Yukon... — Updated 9/25/2020 Full story
Ahtna offers great mineral opportunities
When it comes to managing its more than 1.5 million acres of land in a region of Southcentral Alaska renowned for its natural beauty, Copper River salmon, abundant wildlife and one of the richest lo... — Updated 9/25/2020 Full story
Indispensable twin metals critical to US
With nearly indistinguishable characteristics, niobium and tantalum are considered the "indispensable twins" among the 35 minerals and metals considered critical to the United States. "Niobium and... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
Copper turns green with critical minerals
While copper is not on the United States Geological Survey's list of 35 minerals and metals critical to America, there is no doubt of this metal's importance to both the everyday and avant-garde... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
New battery tech revives vanadium interest
The strength and durability of steel and other alloys is greatly enhanced by adding a small amount of vanadium, currently the primary use of this critical mineral. While this toughness is... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
Tin – Alaska's gateway critical mineral
With more than 100 known tin occurrences, Alaska is considered the best place in America to establish a domestic source of this critical alloy metal that has defined human progress since the dawn... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
Strategic beryllium makes critical list
Roughly 78 percent of the United States' beryllium needs are met by domestic mine production, making it unique among the 35 minerals and metals that have been listed as critical to America. While... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
Gold – a pathfinder to critical minerals
Since the stampedes of prospectors trekked North in the latter half of the 19th Century, the lure of Alaska's rich gold lodes has drawn dreamers and miners North. Today, four hardrock mines and... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
Antimony – resists heat, draws criticality
Antimony is a poor conductor of heat, an attribute that lends itself to this semi-metal's most common use, as an ingredient to make clothing, mattresses and other products flame resistant. While... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
Tellurium – solar lights metalloid future
Extremely rare, yet a vital ingredient to emerging solar panel technologies, tellurium is the epitome of what it means to be a critical metalloid, an element that possesses the properties of both a... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
China domination makes tungsten critical
Extremely hard and with the highest melting point of all the elements on the periodic table, tungsten is vital to a broad spectrum of commercial and military applications, yet there are no mines in... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
Titanium – the lighter, whiter metal
Titanium conjures images of the durable and lightweight metal used to build aircraft, replacement hips, high-end bicycle frames and even quality golf clubs. While its outstanding weight-to-strength... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
Zirconium-hafnium – bound beyond nature
Zirconium and hafnium are closely related elements that share bonds that tie them together in nature, an affinity that carries over into their industrial applications. "Zirconium and hafnium are... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
PGEs – the hard-working precious metals
The six platinum group elements – platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, and osmium – are amongst the rarest metals on Earth. This scarcity, coupled with PGEs' uses in the aut... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
No viable substitute for critical chromium
A vital ingredient in stainless steel and superalloys, chromium is considered by the United States Geological Survey as "one of the nation's most important strategic and critical materials."... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
EV batteries to drive 9x graphite growth
At least 125 million electric vehicles are expected to be traveling global highways by 2030, which means the world is going to need a lot more graphite in the coming decade and beyond. This is... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
Fiber-optics, solar drive germanium demand
In addition to being a past producer and a future source of most of the 35 minerals and metals considered critical to the United States, Alaska currently contributes a globally significant amount... — Updated 6/22/2020
Indium – the everyday metal you never see
If you are reading this article on your computer, tablet or phone, you are almost certainly looking through indium as we speak; and, if that devise happens to be a touchscreen you have the unique... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
Barite weighs in on critical minerals list
While not the flashiest of the 35 minerals on the United States Geological Survey's critical list, barite plays an essential role in America's energy sector. Barite derives its name from barús, the... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
Batteries create critical cobalt situation
Cobalt is a critical safety ingredient in the cathodes of lithium-ion batteries powering the ever-increasing number of electric vehicles traveling global highways and a plethora of cordless... — Updated 6/22/2020 Full story
Mining is making it in the Last Frontier
It is difficult not to be optimistic about the future of the mining industry in Alaska these days. Although the industry is still No. 2 – as compared to oil and gas – it remains lucrative, safe and... — Updated 5/30/2019 Full story