The cyclical nature of mineral exploration markets is reminiscent of my early years spent as a placer gold miner a few clicks south of the Arctic Circle. The summers were a time of frantic activity as I, and my fellow gold miners, endeavored to make the most of every minute of the long, warm summer days that the land North of 60 has to offer. When winter enveloped this northern land with snow, we placer miners of the North hoped that our summer bounty would be enough to sustain us through the cold, dark months to come.
Not unlike the seasonal cycles of mining alluvial gold in the Arctic, junior mineral explorers face the extremes of working busy market summers and surviving long winter months when the rivers of equity are frozen.
As an observer of both cycles, it seems to me that mineral exploration markets this time around have reached early March – a time when sunlight reflecting off of the white landscape of the Far North provides the promise of the coming spring but radiates little warmth on those eager for the prosperous days of summer to return.
For mining explorers with gold left in the poke (money in the bank), this transition to spring is a time to revel in the prospect of warmer days to come. Those who are eating their last cans of soup, however, yearn for an early spring, while pondering ways to survive a lingering winter. For all, a freshet of venture capital will be a welcome event that will once again fund a season of robust exploration across the North.
Even in these waning months of a harsh equity winter, more than 40 companies mounted million-dollar-plus exploration programs at promising mineral projects across Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and northern British Columbia during 2014.
Drawing on its unparalleled coverage of the mining industry in these jurisdictions, North of 60 Mining News is proud to present Mining Explorers 2014, the sixth annual edition of the magazine that showcases these explorers who endure the extreme seasonal fluctuations to seek the rich troves of minerals for which Alaska and Canada’s North are known.
To stay up-to-date on whether a break in the current financial winter will come in time to provide for the mining explorers seeking to unlock the vast mineral potential of Alaska and Canada’s North in 2015, please visit us at www.miningnewsnorth.com.
From the informative News Nuggets in our weekly online newsletter to the in-depth analysis in our monthly editions, North of 60 Mining News keeps readers up to date on the activities of mining and exploration companies Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and northern British Columbia as well as the issues and events important to the mining sector across this vast and mineral rich region.
Thank you, and I hope you enjoy Mining Explorers 2014.
- Shane Lasley, publisher, North of 60 Mining News
