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 41
Felix Gold Ltd. May 25 announced that it has leased 6,203 acres of gold prospective properties in the Fairbanks Mining District from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Land Office. Lying between Felix' Northeast Fairbanks and Treasure Creek claim packages, this newly leased MHT group of claims lies within 400 meters of the mill at Kinross Gold Corp.'s Fort Knox Mine and roughly 200 meters from the Dolphin deposit on Freegold Ventures Ltd.'s Golden Summit project. Felix says the...
Seeking economic and cultural prosperity for its more than 23,000 Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian shareholders while also looking to provide even greater benefits for future generations, Sealaska takes a balanced approach to developing the resources growing above and stored beneath its lands in Southeast Alaska. This does not mean the Southeast Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) corporation shuns mining or other resource development in its region, a nearly 600-mile... Full story
Mining and mineral exploration helped to bolster an Alaskan economy plagued by COVID-19 during 2020. According to a report prepared by the McKinley Research Group, a renowned Alaska-based research and consulting firm formerly known as McDowell Group, Alaska's mining industry injected roughly $2 billion into the Alaska economy last year. Commissioned by the Alaska Miners Association and Council of Alaska Producers, "The economic benefits of Alaska's mining industry" report... Full story
The United States imported more than 90% of the 1.4 million metric tons of titanium minerals it consumed during 2019. What the mass majority of this critical mineral was used for, however, may come as a surprise. While titanium's lightweight and extreme durability make it an excellent material for aircraft and high-performance sporting equipment, more than 90% of this mineral mined each year is used to impart a stark whiteness to a surprisingly wide variety of consumer goods w... Full story
As the rest of the country suffers through the Dog Days of summer, Alaska is approaching the end of a topsy-turvy summer season that saw unseasonably hot, dry weather in some parts of the state during some parts of the summer, while other parts of the state have seen record rainfall and unseasonably early snowfall. Gold prices have skyrocketed over the $1,500 per ounce mark and silver prices have moved strongly up, now trading at a one-year high. However, copper and zinc are a... Full story
Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. July 31 reported that it has received state approvals for underground exploration at Palmer, the next major step in the advancement of this zinc-copper-gold-silver-barite project in Southeast Alaska. In June, Constantine published a preliminary economic assessment that outlines plans for a 3,500-metric-ton-per-day operation at Palmer that would produce 1.07 billion pounds of zinc, 196 million lb of copper, 18 million ounces of silver, 91,000...
Alaska Miners Association April 10 released "The economic benefits of Alaska's mining industry," a report put together by the McDowell Group that details roughly $1.26 billion in direct economic benefits from Alaska's mining sector during 2018. Healthy paychecks being brought home to more than 60 communities across Alaska is mining's biggest single economic contributor to the state. Alaska's mines, development and mineral exploration projects paid roughly $459 million to some...
Seeking economic and cultural prosperity for its more than 22,000 Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian shareholders while also looking to provide even greater benefits for future generations, Sealaska takes a balanced approach to developing the resources growing above and stored beneath its lands in Southeast Alaska. This does not mean the Southeast Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) corporation shuns mining or other resource development in its region, a nearly 600-mile... Full story
I, for one, feel vindicated, relieved and ready to face the New Year! How so, you ask? Please let me explain. For those of you who remember my column in November, I noted that EY Global Mining and Metals publishes an 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 was for the years 2017-2018 and stated that "Our number one risk this year is digital effectiveness." If you... Full story
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 ratio and corrosion resistance makes this critical metal ideal for these applications, roughly 93 percent of the world's titanium is used to impart a stark whiteness to many of the consumer goods we use every day. "Titanium is different than most other metallic elements in that it...
Cobalt is an essential ingredient to optimizing the performance of batteries in the growing number of electric vehicles on global highways, yet essentially none of this battery metal is mined in the United States. With at least one advanced stage exploration project in Alaska looking into the potential of producing cobalt alongside its copper, America's 49th State could provide a domestic source for this critical metal. In its annual report, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2018,...
11 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the Palmer copper-zinc-silver-gold project in Southeast Alaska. A roughly US$9 million exploration program outlined by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. on May 10 proposes not only the annual tradition of resource expansion and new discoveries but also plans to provide the first peek into the economics of mining the copper- and zinc-rich volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits found there so far. Being carried out by a joint venture...
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 ratio and corrosion resistance makes this critical metal ideal for these applications, roughly 93 percent of the world's titanium is used to impart a stark whiteness to many of the consumer goods we use every day. "Titanium is different than most other metallic elements in that it... Full story
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 metals that are used in the chemical and nuclear-reactor industries in applications for which corrosion resistance, structural stability at high temperatures, and specific alloying properties and (or) specific neutron-absorption characteristics are required," the United States... Full story
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 electrical devices. "Globally, the leading use is in the manufacture of cathode materials for rechargeable batteries – primarily lithium-ion, nickel-cadmium, and nickel-metal-hydride batteries – which are used in consumer electronics, electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, energy sto... Full story
Undoubtedly, one of the most fun parts of my vocation is introducing Cheechakos to mining in Alaska. Obviously, even the most experienced miners in the state can, and often do, get cross-wise with the impenetrable rules and regulations of which Alaska seems to boast. For these newcomers to Alaska, the risk of failure for political reasons far exceeds the risks of failing to find gold and other valuable minerals. The very first layer of complexity is the land status. As most... Full story
Bureau of Land Management April 28 announced a 30-day public comment period on a request from Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. to extend the planned road at its Palmer project near Haines by 800 feet. Last year, Constantine gained approval to build 2.5 miles of new road that will provide access to the Glacier Creek deposit at Palmer. This authorization by BLM allows for up to 40 acres of ground disturbance to carry out exploration on their federal claims. The extension requested by Constantine would involve about 0.5 acres...
PacRim Coal LP March 31 said it has suspended its pursuit of the permits for development of the Chuitna coal mine in Southcentral Alaska. "Following several months of internal review and discussions, the partners in PacRim Coal LP have decided to suspend pursuit of its permitting efforts to invest in other projects," the company posted in a statement. Officials at PacRim declined to comment further on the decision. If developed as planned, Chuitna would have produced at least...
The water resources section of the Alaska Division of Mining, Land & Water Oct. 7 published its decision on the Chuitna Citizens Coalition Inc.'s reservation of water applications for Middle Creek/Stream 2003, a tributary of the Chuitna River. These reservations were requested by the conservation group to protect flows for the purpose of protection of fish and wildlife habitat, migration, and propagation, one of the four purposes authorized under Alaska statute. The decision...
Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. July 28 reported that Dowa Metals & Mining Alaska Ltd. has selected a small subset of the Haines Block mining lease that surrounds the Palmer Property to become part of the Constantine-Dowa option and joint venture agreement. The Haines Block is a roughly 99,000-acre property that Constantine leased from Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority, a state corporation within Alaska. Dowa has selected 3,483 acres of this land with both surface and...
The state of the world's exploration industry was recently summarized in SNL Metal & Mining's annual "World Exploration Trends" publication, released at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto. Not surprisingly, it painted a grim picture of 2014, a year we are all glad to have behind us. The statistics indicate that worldwide exploration expenditures declined a further 26 percent to $11.4 billion, compared with $15.2 billion in 2013 and... Full story
Like an iceberg, it appears the 4.75 million metric tons of massive sulfide mineralization outlined so far at the Glacier Creek deposit near the top of Mt. Morlan at Constantine Metal Resources' Palmer project in Southeast Alaska may be just a glimpse of the precious metals enriched copper-zinc mineralization that lies below. To find out, Dowa Metals & Mining Co. Ltd. has agreed to invest US$6.2-million on a 2014 exploration program that included at least 10,000 meters of...
As a result of its timely partnership with Dowa Metals & Mining Co. Ltd., Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. has launched the largest single-season exploration program ever carried out the Palmer volcanogenic massive sulfide project near Haines in Southeast Alaska. At US$6.2-million, this year's exploration expenditures at the precious metals enriched copper-zinc project also ranks among the largest programs expected to be carried out in the 49th state during 2014. "The Palmer...
GFMS formerly known as Gold Fields Mineral Services) recently announced their outlook for gold prices in the coming months, estimating average 2014 gold prices in the US$1,225 per ounce range. The price forecast is 13 percent less than the 2013 average of US$1,411/oz. Physical demand, including official sector purchases, came in at an all-time high of 4,957 metric tons in 2013, a 15 percent increase over 2012 and some 703 metric tons higher than the supply of new gold and...
There are some new statistics just out from the Alaska Miners Association that I thought you might like to see. For 2011, the Alaska mining industry accounted for 4,500 direct jobs and 9,000 indirect jobs. The industry paid US$620 million in payroll with the average salary totaling US$100,000 per year, which is double the statewide average for all sectors. The industry paid US$148 million in rents, royalties, taxes and other fees to the State of Alaska (up 170 percent over...
