Any new diamond exploration venture that gets off the ground these days is a notable one.Indeed, Bruce Counts, the CEO of Lithoquest Diamonds (TSXV: LDI), was involved with private company Proxima Diamonds, an explorer focused on the Slave Craton in the Northwest Territories that was planning to launch publicly in 2014."Unfortunately, the timing wasn't great," Counts says, and the public listing d...Read More
The U.S. southwestern states continue to be a hotbed of junior activity in exploration, development and mining, with gold, silver, copper and lithium still the targets of choice. The following is a sampling of seven such companies with active programs in the region.AMERICAN PACIFIC MININGAmerican Pacific Mining (CSE: USGD) describes itself as a new gold explorer focused on precious metal opportuni...Read More
While the world's commodity markets and the broader stock markets weather a jittery season of lower lows and seething dread, there is one relatively obscure metal that is doing just fine, thank you: vanadium.The minor metal that is a key ingredient in advanced steelmaking is seeing record price highs as we go to press in mid-November.Three-year chart of vanadium pentoxide price in US$ per pound. C...Read More
In 2013, De Beers Canada turned down a chance to own a majority stake in Peregrine Diamonds' Chidliak project in Nunavut.Five years later, it now owns the project outright.What changed in that time period? De Beers Canada CEO Kim Truter says that the timing just wasn't quite right the first time around."I always say to people that to develop a mining business, you need a few stars to line up and o...Read More
Lucara Diamond (TSX: LUC) announced in October that its new sales platform Clara Diamond Solutions, is ready for its first sale of diamonds in November.The platform is meant to modernize the diamond selling process and improve margins for both buyers and sellers. Sales through Clara will be stone by stone rather than by assortments, which the company says will achieve the best possible price for p...Read More
Pan American Silver's (TSX: PAAS; NASDAQ: PAAS) friendly acquisition of Tahoe Resources (TSX: THO; NYSE: TAHO) in a cash-and-share deal valued at US$1.07 billion will double the company's silver reserves and create the largest publicly traded silver mining company by free float.Tahoe Resources owns and operates the Escobal silver mine in Guatemala (now on care and maintenance), the La Arena and Sh...Read More
Gold rose 0.9% to close the trading week at US$1,221.10. The Philadelphia Gold and Silver Index rose 2.9% to 66.08, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 2.2% to 25,413.22. The S&P 500 Index fell 1.6% to 2,736.27.Shares of Sibanye-Stillwater rose 12.2% to US$2.67, after the company signed a three-year wage agreement with three unions. The company failed, however, to reach an agreement with...Read More
The S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index fell 4.13% to finish the trading week at 624.50.White Gold posted the largest value gain with a 27 ? jump to $1.44 on the back of drill results from its JP Ross property in Canada's Yukon. The junior released results from three rotary air-blast (RAB) holes and 11 reverse-circulation holes drilled at the property's Vertigo target. The most significant hole, 18-6,...Read More
Daniel JamesRecorded live from the mezzanine of the Intercontinental Hotel in Sofia, Bulgaria, this bonus mini-podcast features an interview with Medgold Resources president Dan James as he discusses Serbia's mining potential with Northern Miner editor-in-chief John Cumming. RELATED LINKS:Medgold hunts for gold in Serbia with Fortuna SilverNevsun agrees to $1.86B Zijin takeover bidRead More
This episode concludes our two-part feature interview with Rob McEwen, chairman and chief owner of McEwen Mining, in conversation with Northern Miner publisher Anthony Vaccaro, recorded live on the sidelines of the Silver & Gold Summit in San Francisco in late October 2018.Rob and Anthony continue their freewheeling conversation, touching on topics including: innovation in the mining industry; Pet...Read More
This special episode features Rob McEwen, chairman and chief owner of McEwen Mining, in a freewheeling conversation with Northern Miner publisher Anthony Vaccaro, recorded live on the sidelines of Cambridge House's Silver & Gold Summit in San Francisco in late October 2018.Rob and Anthony cover a wide variety of topics, including: gauging management's commitment to a company; the history of inflat...Read More
This episode features Rick Howes, president and CEO of gold miner Dundee Precious Metals, in a keynote speech recorded live at The Northern Miner's Progressive Mine Forum held at the MaRS Discovery District in downtown Toronto, in October 2018.Rick delves into the many complex issues revolving around driving innovation at a mining company, especially during the current era of accelerated technolog...Read More
Since its official mine opening on Oct. 24, Harte Gold (TSX: HRT; US-OTC: HRTFF) has finished commissioning its process plant and says it is on schedule to declare commercial production by the end of December at its Sugar Zone mine.Mill throughput at Ontario's newest gold producer has reached the initial target rate of 575 tonnes per day, and the tailings management facility and paste fill plant w...Read More
YERINGTON, NEVADA - For the townsfolk of Yerington, Nevada Copper's (TSX: NCU; US-OTC: NEVDF) plan to begin production next year at its Pumpkin Hollow copper mine has been 40 years in the making.The waste dumps left by Anaconda Mining Co. after it shut copper operations in 1978 still loom large over this town in Nevada's Mason Valley, not far from Lake Tahoe and the California state line.There hav...Read More
Eureka Resources acquired Kore Mining via a reverse takeover in late October, 2018. The new company took Kore's name, stylized KORE Mining (TSXV: KORE). It filled out its management team with Kore executives and created a new board of directors. Kore had been looking for a vehicle to become public and expand its project portfolio. The new company is now moving forward, focused on Kore's two develo...Read More
In mid-2018, First Vanadium (TSXV: FVAN; US-OTC: FVANF) drilled 69 reverse-circulation holes as part of the phase-two drilling program at its Carlin vanadium project, 9.6 km south of Carlin, Nevada.Of those, 33 were step out holes and 36 were infill holes. The company recently reported results from 10 of those step-out holes.The drilling focused on a 220-by-300-metre area and connected shallow, ne...Read More
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management recently granted Nevada Sunrise Gold (TSXV: NEV; US-OTC: NVSGF) permits to drill the company's newly optioned Coronado volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) project, located 48 km south of Winnemucca, Nev., near the past-producing Big Mike copper mine.The Bureau approved nine drill locations at the 19-sq.-km Coronado project. The company wants to drill more than 1,...Read More
While mineral production has been hard hit in Canada's Prairie Provinces in line with the extended downturns in potash and uranium prices, the junior and mid-tier sector remains active in the region, with uranium and gold among the most favoured exploration and development targets. Here are profiles of eight such companies.APPIA ENERGYToronto-based junior Appia Energy (CSE: API; US-OTC: APAAF) is...Read More
Rockcliff Metals (TSXV: RCLF; US-OTC: SVVZD) is set to drill its Laguna gold property in Snow Lake, Man. - the first drilling the property has seen in over 70 years.Kinross is funding the 2,500-metre program. The two companies partnered in July 2018, with Kinross Gold (TSX: K; NYSE: KGC) intending to earn a 70% interest in both Rockcliff's Laguna and Lucky Jack gold properties by spending $5.5 mil...Read More
In one of the few exploration projects it is funding next year, Cameco (TSX: CCO; NYSE: CCJ) and its joint-venture partners Orano Canada and Purepoint Uranium (TSXV: PTU) are planning a 36 km ground-electromagnetic survey and 6,000 metres of diamond drilling at their Hook Lake uranium project in Saskatchewan.Cameco owns 39.5% of the project in the province's Patterson uranium district, with Orano...Read More