Mining News: Junior finds REEs, niobium on gem claims 01/17/2010
True North Gems confirms significant mineralization at aquamarine property near the Ketza River gold mine south of Ross River
After focusing on its ruby-rich claims in Greenland for the past few years, True North Gems Inc. has returned to Yukon Territory to hunt for rare earth elements rather than gems. The junior has confir...

Mining News: Wanted: Mineral prospectors with skills 01/17/2010
Far North territories, B.C. governments use mining incentives to ease financial burden of grassroots exploration by individuals
Just as junior and major mining companies have important roles to play in the chain of developments that lead, hopefully, to discovery of substantial mineral deposits and subsequent commercial develop...

Mining News: Seasoned mine builder joins NovaGold 01/17/2010
Gil Leathley's five decades of experience is expected to be invaluable as the company continues to build world-class mines
NovaGold Resources Inc. tapped a wealth of mining experience recently when it appointed Gil Leathley as senior advisor to the junior's president and CEO, Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse. "Mr. Leathley is one of...

Mining News: Prospector looks beyond White Gold find 01/17/2010
Yukon's Shawn Ryan sees bright future for mining district; expects major to purchase Underworld property then grab Coffee deposit
The prospector who discovered the highly promising White Gold property near Dawson City, Yukon Territory says he believes the future is beyond bright for the region – it's blazing. Shawn Ryan, a self-...

Mining News: Junior jumps in with both feet at Ambler 01/17/2010
NovaGold agrees to buy Arctic VMS project for US$29 million; opts to focus on environmental studies, Northwest community in 2010
NovaGold Resources Inc. has cut a deal with Rio Tinto subsidiary Kennecott Exploration Co. to purchase 100 percent interest in the precious-metal-rich Ambler copper-zinc property in Northwest Alaska....

Mining News: Junior scores 'major' coup in Far North 01/17/2010
AngloGold Ashanti Holdings Plc joins Commander Resources Inc. quest for 'elephant' gold on district-scale Baffin Island property
Among juniors actively working to attract majors to invest in mineral exploration projects scattered across Canada's Far North, one Vancouver, B.C.-based company leaped to the front of the pack recent...

Mining News: New year, decade brings opportunities 01/17/2010
Alaska mining industry will continue to supply world's demands for mineral resources, despite ups and downs in global markets
As we plunge headlong into a new year and a new decade, the broad economic indicators for the mining industry suggest continued strong prices for most commodities in 2010 followed by slightly lower av...

Mining News: Terrane seeks partner to build mine 01/17/2010
Terrane Metals Corp. has decided to move ahead with construction of a C$900 million open-pit copper-gold mine at the Mt. Milligan Project in north-central British Columbia. Robert Pease, Terrane's pr...

Mining News: Movie gives industry a big black eye 01/17/2010
James Cameron's 'Avatar' exploits outdated stereotype; gifted earth scientists and engineers lead most successful mining companies
I must join what appears to be a growing parade of voices criticizing some aspect of the mega-blockbuster sci-fi movie, Avatar, and add my two cents. Critics have complained about the movie's story l...

Mining News: Usibelli thrives on coal exports in 2009 01/17/2010
Miner anticipates continued strength in overseas sales in 2010; groups file suit to curb alleged 'Clean Water Act' violations
Increased interest in Alaska coal from buyers in Asia and Chile boosted exports from the Usibelli Coal Mine to record levels in 2009. According to Steve Denton, vice president for business developmen...

Gas could be answer in warming fight 01/03/2010
Utilities looking at natural gas because it emits half as much carbon as coal when burned to generate same amount of electricity
An unlikely source of energy has emerged to meet international demands that the United States do more to fight global warming: It's cleaner than coal, cheaper than oil and a 90-year supply is under ou...

ANGDA resolves EIS project description 12/27/2009
Authority's board approves moving ahead with Beluga to Fairbanks gas line permitting work, exclusive agreement on propane project
The Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Land Management appear to have come to an agreement on a project description of ANGDA's Beluga-to-Fairb...

Mining News: Arsenic spill dusts worker at Giant site 12/20/2009
Agency followed safety procedures; studies technology that could permanently lock up hazardous material in underground workings
An accidental discharge of deadly arsenic trioxide at the old Giant gold mine in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories this fall has brought into focus the potential impact of an ongoing project to recla...

Mining News: Junior lauded for innovative reclamation 12/20/2009
Western Copper cleans up abandoned workings on Casino property, while targeting zero environmental impact from current activities
Western Copper Corp. won the coveted Robert E. Leckie Award for 2009 for outstanding reclamation of old abandoned workings on the Casino Property in west-central Yukon Territory. But the junior explo...

Mining News: Pebble bobs to, fro on waves of opinion 12/20/2009
Fisheries board rejects plan to establish Bristol Bay fish refuge; Native corporations differ sharply on mining project's impact
The Pebble Partnership, a 50-50 joint venture between Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. and Anglo American plc, can chalk up one win and one potential loss toward the development of a mine at its copper-...

Mining News: Interior property shows huge potential 12/20/2009
Junior cuts 400 meters of gold mineralization during 2009 exploration program aimed at seeking prospects beyond Whistler zone
Kiska Metals Corp. cut long intercepts of gold-rich mineralization in two of the five holes that it drilled during the newly formed company's fall 2009 exploration program. These intercepts indicate t...

Mining News: Explorer targets winter drilling at Livengood 12/20/2009
While International Tower Hill contemplates building a mine capable of producing more than 400,000 ounces of gold per year at Livengood, the exploration saga continues at the rapidly growing project....

Mining News: Livengood explorer could build mine 12/20/2009
Junior seems reluctant to turn over multimillion-ounce Alaska gold asset to major; vows to assemble operations team in early 2010
International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.'s rapidly expanding Livengood gold project could prove to be the catalyst that transitions the Vancouver B.C.-based junior from explorer to producer. "The Livengoo...

Mining News: Yukon mining stays strong in recession 12/20/2009
Territory and First Nations leaders: Mining plays important role in Yukon; vigilance needed to remain globally competitive
WHITEHORSE – Since the Klondike Gold Rush when tens of thousands of fortune-seekers stampeded to this northern land looking for gold, the mining industry has been the backbone of Yukon Territory's eco...

Mining News: Junior plans drilling program at Niblack 12/20/2009
Heatherdale intends to spend US$15 million on aggressive exploration to earn majority interest in precious metal-rich VMS project
Heatherdale Resources Ltd., the Hunter Dickinson subsidiary that joined forces with CBR Gold Corp. on the Niblack project, plans an aggressive exploration campaign at the copper-gold-silver-zinc proje...

Mining News: Miners, like boats, rode tide in 2009 12/20/2009
But the fortunes of some mining companies foundered even as commodities prices marched steadily higher during the past 12 months
Although commodities prices have improved for the mining industry over the past year, 2009 has been the kind of year most of us hope not to repeat. The best analogy I can come up with is the one that...

Mining News: Kinross signs JV pact to explore claims 12/20/2009
Gold producer joins Millrock Resources in targeting grassroots prospects on Seward Peninsula; drill program scheduled for 2010
Kinross Gold Corp. has agreed to team up with Millrock Resources Inc. to explore more than 900 square kilometers, or 222,000 acres, of gold properties in the Council Mining District about 60 miles, or...

BBNC opposes offshore leasing, Pebble 12/20/2009
Native regional corporation says oil and gas leasing, mine development are too risky for fish-rich Bristol Bay; others fire back
A major stakeholder in the Bristol Bay region has come out against offshore oil and gas leasing in the North Aleutian basin. The Bristol Bay Native Corp. announced Dec. 11 its board passed a resolutio...

NANA splits departments 12/13/2009
As reported in the October edition of North of 60 Mining News, a sister publication to Petroleum News, NANA Regional Corp. said Oct. 21 that it had separated its lands and natural resources department...

Remote basin exploration moves forward 12/13/2009
Independent Trio Petroleum plans to drill first well in Selawik basin in late 2010, permitting for both oil and gas
A Bakersfield, Calif., independent is preparing to drill an oil and gas well next year in one of North America's last unexplored basins - northwest Alaska's Selawik basin, in more recent years referre...