The mining newspaper for Alaska and Canada's North
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Reliance on imports for this white metal could darken days. When people see something pristine white, they often think of it as pure or clean – this imagery is plastered everywhere, from unblemished lab coats to sterilized hospitals. Yet, it may be surprising to know that the rich whiteness seen in many consumer products actually comes from a critical metal, titanium. From the whiteness of milk to the foundation used in makeup, if it is used to lighten or brighten, it most l...
Federal, private, academic, and public sectors collaborate to find critical minerals through unexpected methods. In the quest for a sustainable and secure supply of critical minerals, North America is turning to unconventional sources that promise to redefine the landscape of resource extraction. As the drive toward a green economy intensifies, innovative methods are emerging to harvest essential minerals through atypical means. These efforts, bolstered by significant...
China dominates global supplies of future-leaning tech metal. With a growing range of unique properties that are being leveraged in next-generation smartphones, shape-shifting robots, and catalysts that scrub carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, gallium is an uncanny tech metal that teeters on the edge of science fiction and science fact. Gallium's unusual properties begin with its 85.6-degree Fahrenheit melting point, which means it is a solid at normal room temperatures but...
Indispensable, expensive, and rare – PGMs get a green upgrade. Back in 1950, the first catalytic converter in the United States was a box bolted onto a car's undercarriage to reduce tailpipe emissions. It was patented by French mechanical engineer Eugene Houdry, who was concerned about the effects of automobile exhaust on the good people of Los Angeles. And it would have worked if it had not been for the octane-boosting lead then being added to fuel, which could choke any c...
An all-of-government strategy is beginning to unfold in the US. Over the first two years following the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, the U.S. Department of Energy has invested billions of dollars into establishing a clean energy supply chain in the United States. These heavy investments, however, have neglected one vital link – the domestic mines needed to supply the processing facilities, battery plants, and other energy t... Full story
Pentagon turns to Idaho gold mine for a strategic domestic supply of critical metalloid. Falling in the grey area between metals like zinc and nonmetals like carbon, antimony is a semi-metal that possesses some interesting properties that make it a vital ingredient in a wide range of household, industrial, high-tech, and military goods. Despite its widespread uses, many people have never heard of antimony and fewer still realize that this intriguing metalloid is considered... Full story
From rocket engines to lunar habitats, 3D printing is revolutionizing aerospace, turning dreams into reality. In the not-so-distant past, the idea of constructing a rocket engine or spacecraft components with just the click of a button seemed like pure science fiction. Yet today, 3D printing is rapidly transforming the aerospace industry, turning once-impossible designs into tangible reality, and bringing us closer to the stars than ever before. Aerospace has always been on th...
Import-reliance a top concern for national security officials. America's heavy reliance on China and others for the minerals and metals critical to the nation's economic competitiveness, military strength, and clean energy future is high on the list of strategic concerns for top brass at the U.S. departments of Defense and Homeland Security. While much of this concern is rooted in the fact that the United States' ability to defend its strategic interests at home and abroad... Full story
Updated estimate adds Boundary and End Zone deposits, increasing zinc equivalent in indicated resources by 300%. Fireweed Metals Corp. Sept. 5 announced a significant milestone with an updated mineral resource estimate for the company's Macmillan Pass project in Yukon, Canada, marking a 300% increase in zinc equivalent in the indicated resource category for Tom and Jason, and inaugural resource estimates for the Boundary and End Zone deposits. Situated in eastern Yukon,...
As China curbs exports of the strategic and critical metalloid, America's Last Frontier reemerges as potential domestic supplier. China's coming state-controlled restrictions on antimony exports has significantly elevated the criticality and price of this semi-metal that is already a top concern from many officials within the U.S. Department of Defense due to its use in military hardware and the dearth of antimony mines in the United States. An element that has properties that... Full story
U.S. GoldMining and Nova Minerals work side-by-side to advance gold, copper, and antimony projects at end of West Susitna Road. WEST SUSTINA MINERAL DISTRICT – The 4,000-foot Whiskey Bravo airstrip about 100 miles northwest of Anchorage as the Cessna 206 flies is serving as the operational headquarters of an emerging Alaska mining district with the potential to be a domestic source of minerals and metals critical to America's economic wellbeing, national security, and clean e... Full story
Vital hires Corem to establish a process flowsheet for the world-class rare earths deposit at Nechalacho. Vital Metals Ltd. Aug. 15 reported that it has hired Corem to complete a preliminary rare earths process flowsheet for the world-class Tardiff deposit on the Nechalacho project in Canada's Northwest Territories. Lying about 60 miles (100 kilometers) southeast of Yellowknife, NWT, the Tardiff deposit at Nechalacho hosts 31.1 million metric tons of measured and indicated...
A graphite supply agreement struck with Lucid Motors provides a key link to forging a mine-to-EVs supply chain. Graphite One Inc. has struck a battery materials supply agreement with California-based electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Motors that is expected to forge a complete mine-to-EVs graphite supply chain with links in Alaska, Ohio, and Arizona. Alaska's delegation in Washington, D.C., is hailing this battery materials agreement as a win both for America's 49th State an...
Mining's benefits to the state's economy are poised to grow as the world seeks sustainable sources of the minerals Alaska is enriched with. A new study carried out by Alaska-based McKinley Research Group found that mining and minerals exploration contributed over $2.5 billion to Alaska's economy during 2023. "The mining industry continues its role as a powerhouse of Alaska's economy, partnering with local communities to drive significant economic benefits and support...
Final assays from the 2023 program are expected to upgrade rare earth resources ahead of scoping study; new CEO leads the company forward. Vital Metals Ltd. July 23 reported that final results from its 2023 drill program continue to demonstrate the world-class rare earths potential of the Tardiff deposit on the company's Nechalacho project about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. According to a calculation completed in April, the...
High-grade REE concentrate previously destined for China is now on its way to Saskatchewan for further processing. As home to the first rare earths mine in Canada, Vital Metal Ltd.'s Nechalacho project in Northwest Territories grabbed national headlines as the initial link of a burgeoning rare earth supply chain that would be completely independent of China. With this being hailed as a major milestone for Canada and its allies, Vital's announcement late last year that it...
Embark on a journey through Radium Point, a pioneering uranium mine that shaped the history of NWT and perhaps the entire world. With the recent ban on Russian uranium imports, the United States has initiated a countdown on the pressing need to diversify its sources for this crucial clean energy metal. While the nation currently enjoys a three-year supply buffer before potential challenges arise in securing its uranium supply, revisiting the legacy of Radium Point – a h... Full story
Gov. Dunleavy urges BLM to consider recent Alaska Native support as it finalizes its reassessment of the Ambler Access Project. "I strongly believe that the road will greatly benefit my community and I'm not alone. Many of my neighbors also support the road, as do other villages in the region," Native Village of Ambler President Miles Cleveland said of the proposed Ambler Access Project that would extend to within 30 miles of his community. This support is reflected in... Full story
Tribal council unanimously passes resolution in support of the Ambler Access Project. Trilogy Metals Inc. March 21 announced that the Ruby Tribal Council has passed a resolution in support of the Ambler Access Project – a proposed 211-mile, industrial-use-only road that would connect the mineral-rich Ambler Mining District in Northwest Alaska to the Dalton Highway and global markets. Ruby is an Alaska Native community that lies about 150 miles south of the Ambler Mining D...
Initial resource outlines thick zones of high-grade mineralization at the carbonate-hosted silver-zinc deposit on Western Alaska's Illinois Creek project. Western Alaska Minerals Corp. Jan. 22 reported a high-grade silver-zinc-lead resource for Waterpump Creek (WPC) that demonstrates the potential of the carbon replacement deposit (CRD) mineralized system that is believed to extend for more than five miles and serves as a foundation for further exploration and development acro... Full story
Vital Metals reports a 79% expansion of resources within the Tardiff rare earths deposit; further growth expected with inclusion of 2023 drill results. Vital Metals Ltd. April 4 announced a significant increase to the resources within the Tardiff deposit on the company's Nechalacho rare earths project about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. This includes a 49% increase in the tonnage of neodymium and praseodymium, a pair of rare earths...
HB122 would authorize AIDEA to issue up to $300 million in bonds and leverage federal funding for critical mineral infrastructure projects in Alaska. Home to 49 out of the 50 minerals deemed critical to the United States, Alaska has the potential to be a reliable domestic source of the mined materials vital to high-tech, clean energy, and national defense. America's Last Frontier, however, is often lacking when it comes to the infrastructure needed to fully unlock the state's... Full story
Company tracks toward 17 million oz of silver in 2024 as the clean energy transition powers large increases in demand for precious industrial metal. With increased output at its mines in Alaska, Idaho, and Yukon, Hecla Mining Company produced 4.2 million ounces of silver during the first three months of 2024, a 43% jump over the 3.3 million oz produced during the previous quarter. "The 43% increase in silver production reflects the consistent, strong performance from Greens... Full story
Don Lindsay Teck Award in Mining Engineering contributes $2 million to foster the next generation of mining talent at UBC and Queen's University. In a fitting tribute to former president and CEO Don Lindsay, Teck Resources Ltd. has awarded C$2 million to establish scholarships for mining engineering students at Canada's two largest mining schools – the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering at the University of British Columbia and the Robert M. Buchan Department of... Full story
Vital Metal Ltd. Jan. 24 provided an update on its exploration and development strategy for the Nechalacho rare earths project in Northwest Territories. The Australia-based company began mining rare earths from a small, high-grade deposit at Nechalacho in 2021. However, technical and financial difficulties led Vital to rethink its previous strategy to establish a relatively small mine at Nechalacho and rare earths processing plant in Saskatchewan. Upon completion of a...