The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 78
Capstone Mining Co., Alexco Resource Corp. and Yukon Zinc Corp. have crossed the Rubicon. Unlike other mining companies in Yukon Territory who continue to grapple with the complexities and uncertainties of exploration and development, the operators of the Minto, Bellekeno and Wolverine mines are working to master a new set of challenges - optimizing their mining and milling processes. Going gangbusters at Minto It will be five years in October since Sherwood Copper Corp. (Capstone Mining Corp.'s predecessor) commenced...
As Northern Freegold Resources Ltd. heads into a fifth season of exploration on the Freegold Mountain Project in central Yukon Territory, a picture is slowly emerging of yet another large natural repository of precious and base metals in the prolific Tintina Gold Belt. Not only does the district-scale property loom above still-producing placer gold creeks in the heart of a proven gold and copper mining belt in central Yukon, its sprawling 198 square kilometers (75 square miles) lie just 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of...
British Columbia, Yukon Territory and Alaska - the headliners of the Association for Mining Exploration British Columbia's annual Mineral Exploration Roundup - tallied more than C$1 billion of mineral exploration spending and some C$12.7 billion in mine production in 2011. "We are going to talk in the next three sessions about the wrinkly parts of western North America - B.C., Yukon and Alaska. The geological phenomena that has created these mountain chains that we have in...
For Yukon geologist Jean Pautler, the busy 2011 field season also may end up being one for her personal record book. "I was lucky to spend a week in one place," she told Mining News in a recent interview. Pautler, a geological consultant through her company, JP Exploration Services, has spent more than 30 years tramping through the Canadian bush in search of mineral deposits. A sprite of a woman with a cheerful smile, Pautler works alone, except for her German Shepherd mutt, Shadow, who accompanies her into the field....
Yukon Territory continues to be in the limelight with the previous years' gold exploration successes leading to definition of gold deposits in 2011. Gold is the leading commodity in terms of exploration, but silver, base metals and tungsten are the leading commodities in terms of mine development. A number of regions are continuing to attract high-profile attention with two of Yukon's operating mines expanding their reserves and new discoveries continuing throughout the territory. The year has been very exciting so far. A...
Throughout the 2011 field season, explorers pushed the envelope in Yukon Territory, scrambling to target and assess rapidly increasing numbers of deposits of gold, silver and base metals mineralization being identified as the exploration rush that overtook the region in 2009 stretched into its third consecutive year. With gold prices climbing to new highs and a stable investment climate, the lure of the Yukon attracted miners and investors in numbers not seen in a century. "Both Yukon and Nunavut are entering a period of sust...
From college students seeking their first job in the minerals industry to executives of the world's leading mining companies, a record-setting 7,003 people packed the Westin Bayshore Hotel in Vancouver, B.C., Jan. 24-27 to attend the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia's 2011 Mineral Exploration Roundup. "The theme this year is 'Exploring Today for Tomorrow's Resources' - it couldn't be more important a theme, and it couldn't be more important an activity,"...
For more than a century Prince of Wales Island has been known as a rich source of gold, copper, platinum group elements and silver. The 2,577-square-mile, or 6,674-square-kilometer, Southeast Alaska isle later gained renown for its stores of uranium and rare earth elements. While modern explorers have investigated several of the uncounted historical mines that dot the island, Niblack and Bokan Mountain have emerged recently as standout exploration projects. Both located near...
A revitalized Yukon Territory is ushering in a new era of mining prosperity as two more mines enter production this winter. "For the first time in a generation," the territory will have three operating mines that together will employ more than 400 workers and provide 100 direct service jobs and countless indirect positions and generate C$800 million for the Yukon economy annually," said Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie. "That's almost as much as the Government of Yukon's entire C$1 billion yearly budget." The recent startup of...
As mining heats up in Yukon Territory, professionals from around the globe are finding new roles in the region and employing a host of unique experiences and perspectives in pursuit of exploration, development and production of the territory's minerals. This growing international contingent covers the industry spectrum and hails from around the globe. Their presence is most evident in exploration camps scattered across the Yukon; however, the new manager of Yukon's sole producer, Capstone Mining Corp.'s Minto Mine, is a...
Primed for booming exploration for several years, the Yukon Territory appears to have hit big in 2010, both literally and figuratively. Emerging as one of the world's mining hot spots, the Northwest Canada jurisdiction is reporting industry investment exceeding C$120 million. Propelled by record gold prices and key gold discoveries, as well as surging demand in Asia for base metals and a mining friendly government, miners flocked to the territory in growing numbers, bringing generous exploration budgets and fresh theories...
THISTLE CREEK, Yukon Territory - The Bell Jet Ranger helicopter just landed, while the A-Star unloaded passengers before powering down its engines on the other side of the creek. A third, smaller copter whined as its rotors buffeted bystanders with gusts of dust and debris during takeoff. Meanwhile, a small plane soared overhead. Welcome to the Dawson Mining District of central Yukon in early August. Or as one wag joked: "JFK West!" Visitors prepared to tour Kaminak Gold Corp.'s mining exploration camp here as a three-man...
The race to become the next operating mine in Yukon Territory is heating up as two projects, Alexco Resource Corp.'s Bellekeno silver project and Yukon Zinc Corp.'s Wolverine volcanic massive sulphide project, appear to be running neck and neck as they enter the home stretch. Currently, Yukon Territory has only one operating mine, the high-grade Minto copper-gold mine, which began commercial production in October 2007. Owned by Minto Explorations Ltd., a subsidiary of Capstone Mining Corp, the open pit mining operation is...
Recession, what recession? That could have been the cry of some gold exploration companies in Yukon Territory in 2009. Thanks to several very impressive gold discoveries in 2008 at a time of unprecedented highs in gold prices, momentum lost in other sectors of Canadian mineral exploration seemed to hardly touch the gold-rich hills of this mining-friendly jurisdiction. Some 63 companies started 2009 with planned exploration programs in Yukon, but before all was said and done, a horde of additional gold seekers poured into the...
For the past two years, mines in Alaska and Northwest Canada have encountered problems with unusually large volumes of stormwater runoff or snowmelt during spring breakup, but it's too soon to determine if it is a trend. This year, the Minto Mine just east of the Yukon River in west-central Yukon Territory, ran into troubles when excess water, over and above what could be contained in the mine's water storage pond, had to be diverted into its open pit during breakup in order to prevent a non-compliant discharge. Capstone...
If it were entirely up to Copper Ridge Explorations Inc., the project generator would explore most of its mineral properties in Yukon Territory, northern British Columbia and Alaska this summer. But tough economic times have forced the Vancouver, B.C.-based junior to pick and choose among its 12 key projects, betting precious dollars on a handful of ideas that could pay off with additional exploration by catching the eye of future partners or investors. Fortunately, some of Copper Ridge's projects have already hit that magic...
Yukon Territory has one producing mine, the Minto copper-gold-silver operation near the Yukon River north of Whitehorse. During 2008, more than 150 active hardrock exploration projects in the territory, 73 of which recording spending greater than C$100,000, and 22 posted outlays greater $1 million. Here's a look at some of the mining companies active in Yukon Territory. Producing mines Sherwood Copper Corp., now a part of Capstone Mining Corp., took the Minto Mine, Yukon Territory's only producing hard rock mine, to new...
The Northwest Territories has four operating mines: three diamond producers and one long-running tungsten operation. Exploration and development activity was brisk in 2008 with the most advanced projects located in the Slave Province. Here's a look at mining companies active during 2008 in the Northwest Territories: Producing mines BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc. (80 percent) and partners C. Fipke (10 percent) and S. Blusson (10 percent) produced about 3.5 million carats of rough diamonds at the Ekati diamond mine in 2008, making...
The plummet in base metal prices in 2008 will be felt across Alaska and Northwest Canada's mining sectors. Miners of the far north reaches of North America enjoyed a bounty when base metal prices reached record values in 2007, carrying into 2008. The escalation of base metal prices was driven by expanding markets in China and India, as well as a building, retail and technology boom in the West. Mines producing the industrial metals enjoyed unprecedented returns from the ore sh...
DAWSON CITY, Yukon Territory - Underworld Resources Inc., like a growing number of juniors, owes its chance to make a huge mineral discovery in Yukon to a couple of modern-day prospectors, Shawn Ryan and Cathy Wood. But Ryan and his wife and partner, Wood, are a far cry from stereotypical prospectors. No grizzled, elderly loners, these two are quiet parents in their 30s. Ryan is an energetic entrepreneur with a boyish grin and a rapid-fire style of conversing. He began tramping up and down the steep hills of western Yukon 11...
Sometimes less can be more and then other times, more is just plain more. That's the word from Sherwood Copper Corp. The company posted a major jump in mineral resource estimates June 17 for its Minto Mine in central Yukon, based on results of 101 new holes drilled across four deposits - Area 118, Ridgetop, Main Minto and Area 2 deposits - in 2007. Sherwood said the net result of all adjustments produced a 50 percent increase in contained copper and a 40 percent hike in precious metals in Minto's latest mineral resource...
Two of Canada's westernmost governments are moving forward with power transmission projects aimed at bringing lower cost energy and jobs to rural residents while spurring mine development in remote areas. British Columbia and Yukon Territory announced progress in October on separate public-private partnerships pursuing the power projects. B.C. government said Oct. 1 it would pursue the Northwest Transmission Line project, a C$400-million extension of B.C.'s electrical grid into the remote northwest region of the province...
With startup of the Minto advanced stage copper-gold project in the central Yukon just around the corner, Sherwood Copper Corp. has already embarked on a plan to add to reserves and extend production at the site. Minto, a relatively small project by industry standards, is a standout because of its exceptionally high grade copper reserves. Its reserves currently exceed 356 million pounds of copper, with estimated recovery rates of 95 percent for copper and silver and 75 percent for gold. Sherwood, a Vancouver, British...
Vancouver-based Sherwood Copper is rapidly developing the Minto copper-gold project, the first new hard rock mine in the Yukon. Minto is on land belonging to the Selkirk First Nation, which numbers about 600 people, many of whom live in the nearby community of Pelly Crossing. Sherwood has worked hard to establish good relations with the Selkirk, the company's president and CEO, Stephen Quin, said at Roundup. "You really have to be dealing with Selkirk right from the beginning on everything you do," Quin said. The Selkirk...
The State of Alaska moved one step closer Dec. 15 to reopening the Skagway Ore Terminal in mid-2007 when the agency handling the reactivation project opened three bids for major construction work needed at the facility. The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority bought the terminal in 1990 to bring stability to the business of shipping ore through the 6.7-acre waterfront facility, then a year-round industry. The terminal ceased operating in 1998 when soft metals prices forced the Yukon Territory's zinc mines to...
