The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
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While copper did not make it onto the list of 35 minerals and metals critical to the United States, the red metal's criticality to the global transition to renewable energy and electric mobility cannot be overstated. No matter which battery chemistries power tomorrow's electric vehicles, what renewable energy solutions recharge those EVs, or if rare earth magnets are used to generate that electricity and propel those vehicles more efficiently, any path to a decarbonized...
From a world-class graphite deposit in the Northwest to rare earths on the Southeast Panhandle, Alaska has the potential to offer a sustainable and secure supply to meet the coming explosive demand for the minerals and metals crucial to the renewable energy and electric vehicle sectors in North America and around the globe. International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group, estimates that this shift to low-carbon energy and electric mobility will create nearly...
Benchmark Metals Inc. March 31 said shallow zones of strong gold and silver mineralization tapped with 2020 drilling at the AGB zone indicate the potential for this deposit to be the site of early mining at the Lawyers project in Northern British Columbia. AGB is one of three main resource areas in the central portion of the more than 20-kilometer- (12.4 miles) long Lawyers mineralized trend that runs across the property. Benchmark sees the potential of building a...
This article originally appeared in the March 3, 2021 edition of Metal Tech News, a Data Mine North LLC publication focused on mining technologies and technology metals. To find out more, visit the Metal Tech News website at www.metaltechnews.com. A dinner conversation between two highly successful Canadian businesswomen led to the creation of Onyen – a powerful, affordable, and easy to use ESG reporting solution designed specifically to meet the needs of junior and m...
Benchmark Metals Inc. March 3 announced plans to explore several precious metal discovery targets across the wider Lawyers property in Northern British Columbia. A road accessible property about 45 kilometers (28 miles) northwest of the Kemess gold-copper porphyry deposit, Lawyers is home to a small underground mining operation that produced 171,200 ounces of gold and 3.6 million oz of silver over a four-year period beginning in 1989. Benchmark has identified additional...
Like nearly every other aspect of human existence, the COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the mineral exploration industry in Canada and Alaska. The Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia embraced this change with the first ever AME Remote Roundup, a virtual rendition of the long-lived mineral exploration convention that traditionally brings thousands of people to Vancouver, British Columbia at the onset of each year. "This is one of the first meeting...
Benchmark Metals Inc. Feb. 3 reported that bulk tonnage and high-grade gold intercepts in the southern portion of Cliff Creek has expanded the length of this deposit area on the company's Lawyers project in northcentral British Columbia to more than 1,200 meters. Home to a small underground mining operation that produced 171,200 ounces of gold and 3.6 million oz of silver over a four-year period beginning in 1989, the Lawyers property covers a more than 20-kilometer- (12.4...
Challenged by a global pandemic and a particularly wet summer, many of Northern British Columbia's mineral explorers became adept to adjusting on the fly as they endeavored to unlock the rich precious, base, and battery metals potential of this section of the Pacific Cordillera. With companies like Skeena Resources Ltd. and Ascot Resources Inc. running year-round drill programs as they seek to establish a new era of gold-silver mines at historic operations in the Golden Triang...
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair." I cannot help but to reflect on this famous opening passage in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities when considering the dichotomy of mineral exploration across Alaska and Canada's North...
Benchmark Metals Inc. Jan. 4 announced plans for up to a C$30 million 2021 exploration and drilling program focused on advancing its road accessible Lawyers gold-silver project in northcentral British Columbia toward feasibility. Toward this goal, the company completed 87,298 meters of drilling in 388 holes during 2020. Results from the drilling, which are still rolling in, will be incorporated into a new resource estimate for Lawyers in the first quarter and a preliminary...
After raising a staggering C$50 million through a financing led by Sprott Capital Partners, more than twice the C$21 million original 2020 offering, Benchmark Metals Inc. announced plans to complete up to 300,000 meters of drilling at its Lawyers gold-silver project in Northern British Columbia by the end of 2021. Eric Sprott, who already owned roughly 15.6 million Benchmark shares, bought another 7.8 million during the financing that closed in September. As a result, the...
Benchmark Metals Inc. Nov. 9 reported that long sections of gold and silver mineralization tapped at the southern end of Cliff Creek has underscored the resource building potential of this zone on the company's Lawyers project in Northern British Columbia. "Infill drilling at the south end of Cliff Creek has generated significant, long intersections of gold-silver mineralization. This area is providing multiple new benefits that include more gold and silver than anticipated...
Benchmark Metals Inc. Nov. 4 reported the discovery of significant new mineralized zones that may develop into future satellite deposits along a 20-kilometer- (12.4 miles) long mineralized trend on its Lawyers gold-silver project in Northern British Columbia. "As we continue to systematically explore our highly prospective 140-square-kilometer (54 square miles) land position with comprehensive geological mapping, soil and rock sampling, ground and airborne geophysics, and...
Benchmark Metals Inc. Aug. 24 said it plans to complete up to 100,000 meters of drilling this year and 200,000 meters during 2021 at its Lawyers gold-silver project in northern British Columbia. This massive expansion of its exploration at Lawyers follows the announcement that it would be raising C$48 million through a brokered private placement financing led by Sprott Capital Partners, which is more than twice the C$21 million original offering. "The keen interest and...
Benchmark Metals Inc. Aug. 6 reported that drilling has tapped a wide section of gold-silver mineralization that includes a parallel zone outside the known resource area of the Cliff Creek zone on the company's Lawyers project in northern British Columbia. Situated about 45 kilometers (28 miles) northwest of the world-class Kemess gold-copper porphyry deposit, Lawyers is home to a small underground mine that produced 171,200 ounces of gold and 3.6 million oz of silver over a...
Benchmark Metals Inc. June 17 said it has begun mobilizing drill rigs and crews for a planned 50,000-meter drill program at its Lawyers gold-silver project in northern British Columbia. This drilling will focus on establishing a multi-million-ounce gold-silver mineral resource at four targets – Cliff Creek, Dukes Ridge, Amethyst Gold Breccia (AGB) and Phoenix – that have been identified within a 3,000-meter radius in the central portion of the greater than 20-kilometer- (12...
Fortune Minerals Ltd. May 7 announced that it continues to make progress on a new mine plan for its Nico cobalt-gold-bismuth-copper project in Northwest Territories during the coronavirus pandemic. The company said it is complying with government COVID-19 protocols, including temporary closure of its head office in Ontario, prohibiting non-essential travel and social distancing. Working from home, Fortune employees, with some assistance from engineering consultants, continue...
Benchmark Metals Inc. Nov. 21 reports that it continues encounter strong gold-silver mineralization with drilling at the Amethyst Gold Breccia (AGB) Zone at its Lawyers project in northern British Columbia. Amethyst Gold Breccia is one of four mineralized areas – AGB, Cliff Creek, Dukes Ridge and Phoenix – that have been identified within a 3,000-meter radius in the central portion of the greater than 20-kilometer- (12.4 miles) long Lawyers trend. Three of these zones – Cliff...
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...
Benchmark Metals Inc. Oct.7 reported that its first 2019 hole at the Phoenix zone on its fully owned Lawyers project in northern British Columbia cut 2.87 meters averaging 46.9 grams per metric ton (1.5 ounces per metric ton) gold and 3,056 g/t (98.2 oz/t) silver. Phoenix is one of four mineralized areas – Cliff Creek, Dukes Ridge, Amethyst Gold Breccia (AGB) and Phoenix – that have been identified within a 3,000-meter radius in the central portion of the greater than 20-...
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) have teamed up to introduce bipartisan legislation aimed at addressing America's "Achilles' heel" – a heavy dependence on foreign countries for its growing mineral needs. "Our nation's mineral security is a significant, urgent, and often ignored challenge. Our reliance on China and other nations for critical minerals costs us jobs, weakens our economic competitiveness, and leaves us at a geopolitical d...
Benchmark Metals Inc. April 22 announced it plans to complete 14,000 to 25,000 meters of drilling during the 2019 exploration program at the Lawyers gold-silver project in northern British Columbia. Located about 45 kilometers (28 miles) northwest of the Kemess copper-gold mine project, Lawyers is home to a small underground mine that produced 171,200 ounces of gold and 3.6 million oz of silver over a four-year period beginning in 1989. This historical mining, carried out by...
U.S. President Donald Trump sparked a renewed interest in critical minerals and metals when he issued an executive order calling on federal agencies to devise a strategy to ensure the United States has reliable supplies of these commodities vital to America's economic and strategic security. "It shall be the policy of the federal government to reduce the nation's vulnerability to disruptions in the supply of critical minerals, which constitutes a strategic vulnerability for...
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 because graphite serves as the anode in the lithium-ion batteries that power these EVs, not to mention the growing number of portable tools and electronics that use the same type of battery. According to Mineral Commodity Summaries 2019, an annual report published by the United States...
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...
