The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
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Preliminary feasibility study envisions production of 2.5 million ounces of gold at Courageous Lake. Amid the recent surge of interest in mining lithium and rare earth elements, some companies exploring the Northwest Territories remain focused on gold. Seabridge Gold Inc., for example, is revisiting its long-held Courageous Lake Gold Project more than a decade after shelving an initial mineral resource estimate and preliminary economic assessment of the venture in 2012....
While a small group of dedicated explorers returned in 2022 to advance production and development projects in Nunavut, a growing number of newcomers fanned out across the northern territory in search of a variety of minerals. Some came seeking gold deposits like those being explored and mined by Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd., while others chased historical occurrences of newly designated critical metals, especially copper and certain base metals, now in high demand for...
In response to an increasing number of precious metals investors wanting to know that the bullion they are buying is responsibly sourced, the Royal Canadian Mint has introduced its first gold bullion coin completely sourced from a single operation – Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.'s Meliadine mine in Nunavut. "Agnico Eagle is proud to be a partner of choice as a trusted source of responsibly produced gold for the Royal Canadian Mint's first-ever single-source mined gold bullion c...
Underwater mining conjures images of the dredging up gold-rich marine placers off the beaches of Nome, Alaska, diamonds from the ocean floor of the coast of Namibia, or collecting potato-sized nodules of manganese off the deep-ocean floor. Arctic Canadian Diamond Company, however, has a completely different use for submersible mining technology – recovering diamonds from the bottom of previously mined pits that have since filled with water at its Ekati Mine in Canada's N...
Tungsten could be held ransom unless domestic mines open Tungsten, or wolfram, is the 74th element on the periodic table of elements and, like many other metals that have found their way onto critical mineral lists in Canada, Europe, and the United States, this sturdy metal is vulnerable to supply disruption. Tungsten has been known since prehistoric times, and as far back as 350 years ago, Chinese porcelain makers were using this element as a pigment to incorporate a unique...
Unlike the European prospectors seeking the gold, silver, copper, and the New World's wealth of other metals, oftentimes First Nations, Native Americans, and Indigenous peoples throughout North America sought a different rock that was precious to their very survival, obsidian. From as far north as the Gates of the Arctic national park to as far south as the Gulf of California, and even eastward and at the bottom of the Great Lakes, this microscopically sharp volcanic rock has...
"Grade is king" is an adage that guides mineral exploration and mining. The premise behind this basic axiom of the mining business is the less ore that needs to be mined and processed per ounce of precious metals, pound of base metals, kilogram of critical minerals, or carat of gemstones produced, the more profitable an operation will be. The kingliest of orebodies would be of such high grade that a mining company would simply need to dig up the ore, crush it, and then ship it...
Seeking asylum from the persecution of the Klu Klux Klan, Peter Risby fled north to Canada with his family. In so doing, his upbringing would be one of adventure and survival in the harsh arctic lands of the Far North. There, he would be welcomed by the local Indigenes and become a bridge between the First Nations Cree people and the ever-encroaching westernization of European settling. Risby's true pioneering spirit, contributions to mining and exploration in Canada, as well...
Found within the newest territory of Canada, Nunavut may seem barren and inhospitable, yet it has provided resources and succor to its First Peoples for thousands of years. While European colonizers and the indigenous peoples in their ancestral home suffered many differences, it was the shared efforts of the two groups in trade and labor that bridged this gap, eventually leading to the formation of Nunavut itself. While it may seem strange, as history often describes events...
From the Coast Mountains in the west to the lower parts of the Yukon's Boreal forest in the north, the Cassiar Mountain range in the east, and the headwaters of the Nass and Skeena Rivers in the south, an ancestral indigenous people known as Tahltans has called Northern British Columbia home for thousands of years. According to a 2003 sourcebook prepared by the Museum of Anthropology entitled "Mehodihi: Well-Known Traditions of Tahltan People," the Tahltan Nation, which...
North of 60 Mining News recently spoke with Ramzi Fawaz, president and CEO of Ambler Metals LLC, a 50-50 joint venture between South32 Ltd. and Trilogy Metals Inc. to develop the rich mineral resources at the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects in Alaska. In a candid conversation, Fawaz talks about what attracted him to Ambler Metals; the company's Alaska-based team and partnerships; the strategy for developing Arctic Mine and the other rich metals deposits at the Upper Kobuk Mineral...
Strong metal prices and an infusion of cash from notable resource investors helped to salvage much of a 2020 mineral exploration season in Alaska that became lethargic with disruptions, delays, and shelving of field programs infected by the COVID-19 pandemic early in the year. At its onset, 2020 was looking like it would be the best year for Alaska's mining sector in a decade. Australia-based mining companies were slated to invest nearly US$100 million in mineral exploration...
While Contango ORE Inc. opted not to carry out a 2020 field program in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, this unconventional mineral exploration company oft referred to as CORE churned out some of the most exciting results of the 2020 season. CORE entered 2020 with the appointment of Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, one of the most prominent names in Alaska's mining sector, as president and CEO. The Alaska-based company exited the year as 30% owner of Alaska's next million-ounce gold...
In the few months since taking the helm at Contango ORE Inc., Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse has steered this unconventional mineral exploration company toward being the 30% owner of Alaska's next million-ounce gold producing mine. This coming mine at Contango ORE's Peak Gold deposit quickly surpassed Donlin Gold, Livengood, and other top contenders for Alaska's next large gold operation when Kinross Gold Corp. acquired a 70% interest in the high-grade gold project and unveiled a...
Kinross Gold Corp. has agreed to pay US$93.7 million to buy a 70% stake in the Peak Gold project near the crossroads town of Tok in eastern Alaska, an acquisition slated to deliver high-grade feedstock to the mill at Kinross' Fort Knox Mine near Fairbanks. "The relatively high-grade, low-cost Peak Gold project is an excellent addition to our portfolio, as it allows us to leverage our existing mill and infrastructure at Fort Knox and strengthens our medium-term production and...
Trilogy Metals Inc. and South32 Ltd. Aug. 25 announced that former Newmont Corp. senior executive Ramzi Fawaz has been appointed as president and CEO of Ambler Metals LLC, the 50-50 joint venture company formed by South32 and Trilogy to explore and develop the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects (UKMP) in Northwest Alaska. Fawaz served as senior vice president of projects at Newmont from 2011 until 2019, with responsibility for the development and execution of Newmont's major gold...
Next year will mark the 175th anniversary of one of the greatest institutions in the world – the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. and certainly the pride of our nation's capital. The patron of this American Institution was a geologist who willed its creation with $500,000 in gold despite the fact that he had never stepped foot in the United States. The story behind the Smithsonian is an interesting one, but the gold that funded its founding tells an equally intriguing tale of fi...
Contango ORE Inc. May 6 announced that management of the Peak Gold joint venture – Contango ORE (60%) and Royal Gold Inc. (40%) – has decided to postpone exploration on the Tetlin gold project in eastern Alaska in order to protect the health of workers and stakeholder during the COVID-19 outbreak. "These are certainly difficult times for everyone, and our primary concern is to ensure that our employees, contractors and community members remain safe and healthy," said Con...
North of 60 Mining News is proud to introduce 20 questions for 2020. Over the course of this series, Mining News will interview mining and political leaders from Alaska, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon. Each interview will include 20 questions on mining, markets and doing business across Alaska and Canada's North. For the inaugural 20 questions for 2020, Mining News talks with Contango ORE Inc. CEO Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, a longtime mining executive...
Contango ORE Inc. Jan. 6 announced that Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse has taken over as President and CEO of the Texas-based mineral exploration company advancing the Peak Gold project in eastern Alaska. Former President and CEO Brad Juneau has transitioned to executive chairman of Contango ORE, a company he co-founded and lead for the past decade. "I have known Rick for several years and followed his success with admiration," said Juneau. "We are extremely pleased that he has agreed...
HighGold Mining Inc. Dec. 10 reports that assay results from the nine-hole drill program completed this year at Johnson Tract continue to confirm the robust gold-silver-copper-zinc-lead mineralization this Southcentral Alaska project in known for. This batch of results is from five holes aimed at upgrading and expanding the JT deposit, which is also referred to as Johnson Tract Main deposit. Based on 88 holes drilled prior to 1995, JT deposit hosts 1.04 million metric tons of...
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...
Contango ORE Inc. Nov. 19 reported gold, silver and copper mineralization in its first two holes at Hona, a prospect on state of Alaska mining claims about 15 miles west of the Peak Gold deposits, which are located on a 675,000-acre land package leased from Tetlin Village, an Alaska Native corporation in eastern Alaska. Peak Gold LLC, a joint venture between Contango ORE (60 percent) and Royal Gold Inc. (40 percent), staked 183,422 acres of state mining claims covering Hona...
When it comes to mineral exploration incentives, currency exchange and infrastructure, Alaska is at a disadvantage in the realm of attracting exploration investments from Canada and Australia, countries that are home to the majority of mining companies. The Far North State's vast and underexplored mineral potential, however, trumps these handicaps in the minds of a growing number of miners and mineral explorers. Mining executives from around the globe perennially rank Alaska...
Building upon the strong economics of developing a mine at the high-grade Peak Gold project, joint venture partners Contango ORE Inc. (60 percent) and Royal Gold Inc. (40 percent) are investing US$6.9 million on exploring some of the intriguing outlying targets across this highway-accessible property in eastern Alaska. Discovered by Contango ORE in 2009, Peak Gold (sometimes referred to as Tetlin) hosts two skarn deposits – Main Peak and North Peak – on an underexplored proper...
