Agnico’s Meliadine mine reaches commercial production, stock jumps

Agnico Eagle Mines (TSX: AEM; NYSE: AEM) reported Friday Meliadine mine—its largest gold deposit in terms of resources— has achieved commercial production ahead of schedule and below the initial capital budget.

The news of Meliadine sent Agnico’s shares up C$2.54 or 4.5% to C$59.20 in mid-morning trading on the TSX.

Total project construction costs after crediting pre-commercial gold sales came in at below the 2017 guidance of $900 million. Total project construction costs after crediting pre-commercial gold sales came in at below the 2017 guidance of $900 million

The mine, near Rankin Inlet in Nunavut, is expected to produce about 230,000 ounces of gold this year at total cash costs of $612 per oz.

The company forecasts total 2019 production of 1.75 million ounces—with its Amaruq deposit on schedule to reach commercial production in the third quarter of the year.

“The successful delivery of Meliadine into commercial production represents a transition phase for AEM as it begins to exit a period of elevated capital intensity and moves towards a free cash flow inflection in the second half of 2019,” Andrew Kaip of BMO Capital Markets commented in a research note to clients. “In our view, the announcement marks another positive step for the company as it executes on its strategy. … Meliadine represents approximately 30% of our project NPV, 5% for AEM at BMO metal price assumptions.”

Agnico acquired Meliadine in July 2010 and owns 100% of the 111,358-hectare property. The board approved construction of the mine in February 2017.

Over the last year the gold producer’s shares have traded within a range of $42.35 and $62.80 per share. The company has about 235 million common shares outstanding for a C$13.9 billion market cap.

(This article first appeared in The Northern Miner) 

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Pure Gold kicks off exploration campaign at Madsen Red Lake project

Canada’s Pure Gold Mining (TSX-V: PGM), which recently listed in London, has started its 2019 exploration program at the 100%-owned Madsen Red Lake gold mine on Red Lake, Ontario.

The Vancouver-based miner said the plan would focus on the Wedge, Fork, and Russet South satellite deposits with the object of converting and growing mineral resources used in the recently released preliminary economic assessment (PEA).

At peak production, the mine is expected to yield about 125,000 ounces of gold with average annual production in years three through seven of approximately 102,000 ounces.

The move represents the first conceptual expansion scenario for the future phased growth of the Madsen underground mine, expected to run for 12 years and which has an initial capital cost of C$95 million.

The mine plan envisions a combination of methods from conventional cut and fill (59%), mechanized cut and fill (16%) and longhole mining (25%).

Chief executive, Darin Labrenz, said previous drilling had resulted in the discovery of the Wedge deposit and helped the company's understanding of the scale and tenor of gold mineralization, resulting in maiden mineral resources and a PEA.

"With this new programme our exploration team is focused on growth of the current resource and providing the framework for a second phase of development with the goal of not only extending, but potentially expanding the base case production scenario at Madsen," he said.

At peak production, the Madsen mine is expected to yield about 125,000 ounces of gold with average annual production in years three through seven of approximately 102,000 ounces.

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CHART: Worst May for US stocks in 9 years lights fire under gold price

Gold jumped out of the gate on Friday, rising more than 1% in heavy volumes as investors seek a safe haven amid a widening trade war unleashed by US President Donald Trump.

Gold for delivery in August, the most active futures contract, reached a high of $1,309.90 an ounce, the highest in seven weeks with 272m ounces changing hands in New York by lunchtime.

Trump's plan to impose a 5% tariff on all Mexican goods to force the country to do more to stem immigration coupled with a Chinese threat to blacklist foreign companies in retaliation to punitive US tariffs on its exports rattled markets and hurt the dollar.

The S&P 500 index and Dow Jones Industrial Average are on course for the biggest fall for the month of May in nine years.

Gold is seen as a store of value in turbulent times and the price of the metal usually moves in the opposite direction of the US currency. Gold is also finding favour as bond yields in the US fall and a rate cut in the world's largest economy moves from possibility to probability.

In a note Capital Economics, a London-HQed independent research and advisory firm, forecasts safe-haven
demand will continue to lift the price of gold this year.

However, we suspect that the main trigger will be a slump in the S&P 500 as the US economy slows, rather than elevated trade tensions.

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Wall at Vale's Gongo Soco pit begins gradual slide; dam holds intact

After months of anticipation, fragments of the northern slope of Vale’s (NYSE:VALE) Gongo Soco mine, in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, has begun to gradually slide into the bottom of the open pit, reducing the risk of a new dam break, the company said on Friday.

“These pieces settled gently at the bottom of the pit with early assessments indicating that the wall is sliding gradually, verifying evaluations that any further slippage should occur without major consequence,” Vale said.

Local authorities had initially feared that a landslide at Gongo Soco could destabilize the nearby Sul Superior dam, causing damages and polluting the nearby town of Barão de Cocais.

Vale, however said the dam, located just 1.5 km from the mine, remains intact and that it continues to be monitored 24/7 via radar, drones and a robotic station capable of detecting the slightest movements.

Vale said the Sul Superior dam, located just 1.5 km from the mine, remains intact and that it continues to be monitored 24/7 with systems capable of detecting the slightest movements.

Sul Superior dam has been at level 3 alert, which is the highest classification, since late March 22. Almost 700 people living close to it were preventively evacuated in early February after monitoring systems detected abnormal movement in the northern slope of the pit.

Though residents of Barão de Cocais later returned to their home, they have been living seen with the possibility of the dam’s rupture and an emergency evacuation.

They have also been living with the recent memory of a dam burst at Vale’s Córrego do Feijão mine, also in the state of Minas Gerais, which killed 42 people and devastated the nearby town of Brumadinho in January.

Brazil has since banned the construction of new upstream dams, which are cheaper but less stable than other types of tailings dams, and ordered the decommissioning of existing ones.

In March, the company was hit by a local court injunction that forced it to freeze operations at 13 of its tailings dams in the South American country. Under pressure from federal and state prosecutors for failing to do enough to prevent the disaster, Vale named company veteran Eduardo Bartolomeo as chief executive to replace Fabio Schvartsman, who stepped down after the incident.

Shortly after, Brazilian prosecutors began probing more than 100 high-risk dams across the country. They say they doubt the legitimacy of the safety audits carried out at the nation’s mines, especially considering that Córrego do Feijão was certified as stable by German consulting group Tüv Süd only days before the deadly accident.

Gongo Soco is one of 87 mining dams in Brazil built like the one that failed in January. All but four have been rated by the government as equally vulnerable, or worse.

The next few hours, experts, will reveal how the Sul Superior dam reacts to the disintegrating debris coming down from the slope, though Vale insists that any further slippage should not have any major consequence.

Click here for complete coverage of the dam burst at Vale's Córrego do Feijão mine.

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En vidéo : des chimpanzés surpris à manger des crabes en pleine montagne

Grattant le sol boueux, retournant les pierres dans un petit cours d'eau clapotant dans les montagnes Nimba en Guinée, en Afrique de l'Ouest, une mère chimpanzé et son enfant s'adonnent à une partie de chasse au crabe d'eau douce. Des chercheurs de l'université de Kyoto ont surpris ce...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2wtmBM5

Sur Mars, Curiosity explore un nouveau site riche en argile et nous offre un selfie

Quand il ne travaille pas, le rover Curiosity regarde les nuages défiler dans le ciel et se prend en photo. Voici son dernier autoportrait, réalisé dans une région riche en argile sur les pentes du mont Sharp.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2YZjiZa

Supernovae : plus de 1.800 nouvelles explosions d'étoiles découvertes

Le télescope Subaru implanté à Hawaï, un des plus grands télescopes du monde, équipé d'une caméra de 870 mégapixels appelée Hyper Suprime-Cam capable de photographier d'une traite une vaste portion du ciel, a observé la fin tragique et flamboyante de plus de 1.800 étoiles qui ont explosé en...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2wBoJRP

Ce rat-taupe ne ressent pas la douleur

Certains rats-taupes montrent une résistance à différents types de douleurs. Cette caractéristique héritée de l'évolution leur aurait permis de s’adapter à de nouveaux habitats. Elle pourrait aussi servir à mettre au point des médicaments antidouleurs.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2Mo4Us0

Canada’s Desert Gold renews permit for Malian gold project

Desert Gold Ventures (TSXV: DAU) announced this week that the Malian government approved the renewal of its permit to operate the Djimbala project, located in southern Mali.

In a press release, Desert explained that the permit renewal is for an initial 3-year term, renewable for two additional 2-year terms, which gives the Canadian company control of Djimbala until May 2026.

At present, the Delta, British Columbia-based miner is working on assaying 2,150 soil samples that its field team collected over the north-western portion of the property. “This work, in conjunction with follow-up field evaluation and property-scale mapping and soil sampling over the remaining portion of the permit, is expected to lead to the development of a significant number of drill targets on the property which has seen no reported drilling to date,” the media statement reads.

Djimbala is a 100-square-kilometre land pack located in Mali’s Yanfolila gold belt. The project is close to several large operating mines and gold deposits including Hummingbird’s 2.2-million ounces Komana East and West deposits, Wassoul Or’s Kodieran mine and Endeavour’s 3.25-million ounces Kalana deposit.

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ZEN partners with Canadian university to produce low-cost graphene

ZEN Graphene Solutions (TSXV: ZEN) announced that it has signed an initial agreement to in-license certain intellectual properties from a Canadian university that when combined with ZEN's graphite from the Albany mine, produces low-cost, environmentally-friendly graphene.

In a press release, the company explained that the production process rapidly exfoliates Albany graphite into few-layer graphene or FLG with a conversion efficiency of over 90%.

TheAlbany graphite project is located near Thunder Bay, in northeastern Ontario. It is a microcrystalline graphite deposit with a completed PEA

“The challenge in the emerging graphene industry has been to produce consistent FLG, available in industrial quantities at prices that permit industrial adoption,” Francis Dubé, ZEN's CEO, said in the media brief. “We believe that with this exciting new process applied to our unique Albany Graphite product, ZEN Graphene Solutions possesses all the components to solve this challenge within a single vertically integrated company.”

According to Dubé, the company collected 110 tonnes of graphite-mineralized material with an estimated average grade of 6% graphitic carbon during a bulk sample program that was carried out in early 2019.

The collected material is going to be purified into approximately 99.8% graphite. This exfoliation process combined with other techniques will be used to transform the graphite into graphene and graphene oxide.

“The company has commenced searching for an industrial location that will house a pilot production centre, a research and development lab as well as office space. The graphene produced by the pilot production centre will be offered for sale as permitted by the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines,” Dubé said.

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La Chine dévoile un train qui circule à 600 km/h !

La société ferroviaire chinoise compte mettre au point un prototype de train à sustentation magnétique capable d’évoluer à 600 km/h. Ce « Maglev » pourrait glisser au-dessus des rails dès 2021.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2W3i90X

Le chat marsupial moucheté repart à la conquête de l'Australie

[Image du jour] Apparenté au fameux tigre de Tasmanie (Thylacinus cynocephalus ou thylacine) éteint depuis les années 1930, le chat marsupial moucheté (Dasyurus viverrinus) a quant à lui disparu de l'Australie depuis les années 1960 et ne vit plus aujourd'hui que sur l'île de Tasmanie. Il figure...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/30XbKrQ

SpaceX : suite à l'explosion de Crew Dragon, incertitudes sur le retour en vol

Les causes de l'échec de l'essai au sol de la capsule Crew Dragon, essai qui s'est soldé par son explosion, ne sont toujours pas officiellement connues. La Nasa, qui ne disposera plus de place à bord des capsules Soyouz au printemps 2020, est dans l'expectative. Elle qui pensait que les capsules...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2EJ2r5m

Néandertal : sa disparition expliquée par une baisse de la fécondité

Comment expliquer la disparition de l'Homme de Néandertal, cette ancienne espèce humaine ? Des chercheurs suggèrent qu'elle pourrait s’expliquer par une baisse légère de la fécondité des jeunes femmes néandertaliennes, selon leur étude parue mercredi dans la revue scientifique américaine Plos One.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/3106rIi

Plus de 1.800 nouvelles supernovae découvertes

Le télescope Subaru implanté à Hawaï, un des plus grands télescopes du monde, équipé d'une caméra de 870 mégapixels appelée Hyper Suprime-Cam capable de photographier d'une traite une vaste portion du ciel, a observé la fin tragique et flamboyante de plus de 1.800 étoiles qui ont explosé en...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2QAdMsX

La police américaine inaugure un pistolet qui lance un lasso paralysant

Le BolaWrap envoie un câble en Kevlar à plus de 200 mètres par seconde qui vient neutraliser un suspect à distance. Ce nouveau dispositif devrait intéresser la police française montrée du doigt pour son usage du LBD lors des manifestations des gilets jaunes.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2JP6G3v

Pêche : deux fois plus de bateaux pour 80 % de poisson en moins

Malgré un doublement de la flotte de pêche et des bateaux de plus en plus gros et puissants, les quantités de poisson ramenées se réduisent comme peau de chagrin. La preuve que les ressources ne suivent pas, et de loin, cette course effrénée à la productivité.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2QxOiwz

Twin River : le PC portable double écran signé Intel

Numéro un des processeurs, Intel imagine le PC portable de demain avec un deuxième écran pour remplacer le clavier, mais aussi des matières inédites comme du tissu à base de Lycra. Avant que ce projet arrive dans le commerce, il faudra que Microsoft modifie Windows pour qu'il s'adapte à ce...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2Z2jR4K

L’activité du Soleil influencée par les planètes ?

L’activité du Soleil suit un cycle régulier de onze ans. C’est un astronome allemand qui l’a déterminé pour la première fois dès 1843. Depuis, les mécanismes qui se cachent derrière cette régularité sont restés mystérieux. Aujourd’hui, des chercheurs avancent que les forces de marée planétaires...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2I8fONp

La biodiversité menacée par l’effet domino

L’extinction d’une espèce du fait du changement climatique peut déclencher une cascade de coextinctions. Un effet domino mis en lumière aujourd’hui par des chercheurs qui se sont intéressés au devenir des plantes à fleurs et de leurs insectes pollinisateurs. 

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2WAugXy

De Beers’ Victor mine ends production

Production has officially ceased production at the first and only diamond mine in the Canadian province of Ontario– the Victor mine owned by De Beers Canada. The news comes 10 years and 10 months after the mine was officially opened in July 2008.

Mining ceased on March 5, and the recovery plant treated stockpiled material since that time. The last economic ore was processed on May 25, 2019, followed by several days of treating low grade ore and limestone to purge the plant of any remaining diamonds. The mineral processing plant will be completely shut down by the end of  June.

De Beers said it has spent $2.6 billion to build and operate the mine, of which $820 million has gone to Indigenous and local businesses in northern Ontario. In addition, it paid $110 million in royalties to the government of Ontario and another $100 million in corporate social investment and payments to communities.

During its operation, the Victor mine yielded roughly 8.1 million carats of diamonds.

The Victor mine won its share of awards – 2009 International Mine of the Year from Mining Magazine, 2010 Ontario Chamber of Commerce Large Mine of the Year and four straight John T. Ryan Awards for mine safety (nationally in 2015 and 2016, regionally in 2017 and 2018).

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)

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Mapped: Who owns the world’s gold reserves

Central banks around the globe have been on a gold buying spree this year, with Russia and China, leading the pack.

In the first three months of 2019, gold purchases by the country’s top banks hit the highest in six years, as nations diversify their assets away from the U.S. dollar.

Global gold reserves, in fact, rose 145.5 tonnes in the first quarter, a 68% from a year earlier, based on figures released by the World Gold Council earlier this month.

To better visualize where most of the world’s gold is seating these days, the experts at How Much.net came up with this map, which shows exactly that:

You can read more about it here.

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SolGold’s shares crater on possible mining referendum in Ecuador

Shares in Ecuador-focused SolGold  (LON, TSX:SOLG) took a hit on Thursday, following media reports about a potential referendum on mining in Imbabura, the province in which its flagship Cascabel copper-gold project is located.

The company stock dropped more than 28% in London to 24.26 pence in early morning, but recovered in the afternoon to close at 32p. In Toronto, in turn, shares were last trading 10.2% down at 53 Canadian cents.

The Australian miner, which holds 72 mineral concessions in Ecuador through four subsidiaries, responded to the sharp fall of its stocks with a press release in which it said its interests in the country were not as risk. SolGold also noted that it continued to receive “full and objective support” from the government.

The copper and gold explorer explained that, under Ecuadorean law, individuals are allowed to put forward petitions to the Constitutional Court for the inclusion of specific questions in a future vote. In this case, a group of locals wants to have a saying on the future of mining in the province.

If that question is viewed as valid and legal by the body, the next phase is for the petitioning party to gain 10% of the signatures of the voting population of the provinces involved, SolGold said.

Next week, the Ecuadorian Constitutional Court will receive arguments from those who have put forward the referendum, as well as those who oppose it.

The court will then decide if the question on future mining is valid and legal, after which the question must be approved by the electoral council to be included on ballot papers.

In March, Girón — in the province of Azuay — voted against mining activities in a popular referendum held alongside a regional election. The move casted a doubt on the future of INV Metals’ (TSX-V: INV) Loma Larga gold, silver and copper project. The Canadian miner, in fact, has already announced would relocate the proposed processing and tailings facilities outside of Girón canton.

In two landmark cases last year, Ecuadorian courts sided with rural and indigenous communities who argued the national government had failed to inform them it was setting aside parts of their territories for mineral exploitation.

“The Cascabel project is a key project in Ecuador's developing mining industry and a critical driver for the future of Ecuador's economy. SolGold continues to receive full and objective support from the Ecuadorean government," the company emphasized.

Earlier in the day, SolGold had announced that initial exploration of its Rio Amarillo project, also in Ecuador, had identified five different prospects in two concessions with significant copper and gold.

Cascabel copper-gold project has piqued the interest of major miners, including BHP (ASX, NYSE:BHP). The world’s largest mining company last year acquired a 6.1% stake in SolGold, increasing its exposure to copper.

The move pushed Australia’s largest gold producer, Newcrest Mining (ASX: NCM), to up its holding in the company, consolidating its position as SolGold’s top shareholder.

While Ecuador has gained ground as a mining investment destination in the past two years, existing and future projects risk delays and potential halts due to growing local opposition to the extraction of the country’s resources, the latest report by Fitch Solutions Macro Research shows.

As mining projects face headwinds from rising tensions, investors' courage will be tested, the study concluded, which could thwart Ecuador’s plan to attract $3.7 billion in mining investments in the next two years, up from $270 million in 2018.

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Comment la pomme a réussi à conquérir le monde

Un chercheur allemand a réalisé une étude sur l’histoire de la pomme et son évolution. Il montre que les pommiers se sont répandus d’abord grâce à la mégafaune qui les consomme, ensuite par les échanges commerciaux le long de la route de la soie.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2Menh2r

Découverte d’une exoplanète « interdite »

Une mini-Neptune appelée NGTS-4b a été découverte dans une zone jugée insoutenable pour les exoplanètes de ce type, autour d'une étoile à 920 années-lumière de nous. Surnommée la « planète interdite » par les astronomes qui l'ont dénichée, NGTS-4b a un rayon 20 % inférieur à celui de Neptune,...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2HOABGV

Fiore to start $2-million drill program at Gold Rock project

Frank Giustra-backed Fiore Gold (TSXV: F) will invest $2 million on metallurgical test work and resource expansion drilling at its Gold Rock project in Nevada.

In a press release, Fiore said that the work is aimed at supporting a Preliminary Economic Assessment targeted for the end of the year, which should lead to a construction decision by mid-2021.

Among other things, the company is planning approximately 10,000 metres of core and reverse circulation drilling to expand the existing resource, upgrade inferred resources to measured and indicated, and collect samples for orebody characterization and metallurgical testing.

Fiore might use Pan’s existing carbon handling and refinery facilities as well as the power line to serve the Gold Rock project

It is also planning to run metallurgical testing to determine the most economical recovery method and establish expected gold recoveries.

“We're especially pleased that we're able to fund the work internally thanks to the strong performance of our nearby Pan Mine,” Tim Warman, Fiore's CEO, said in the media statement. “With the federal permits for mining and processing issued last year, the timeframe for development of Gold Rock is largely in our hands.”

Gold Rock is located some 13 kilometres southeast of Pan and it is one of the few federally-permitted development projects in Nevada. It received its Record of Decision in late 2018 from the United States Bureau of Land Management for the construction of a mine, process facilities and other infrastructure.

According to the Canadian miner, Gold Rock hosts an indicated resource of 238,700 gold ounces or 9 million tonnes at 0.82 g/t gold, and an inferred resource of 180,900 gold ounces or 7.8 million tonnes at 0.72 g/t gold. This mineral resource is centered around the former Easy Junior open pit mine and covers approximately 3.1 kilometres of a 16.5 kilometre-long trend of prospective geology, structure, and alteration with pervasive gold and pathfinder element anomalies in soil and rock samples.

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Anglo maintains 100% earn-in option on Silicon project in Nevada

AngloGold Ashanti (JSE:ANG) (NYSE:AU) paid Renaissance Gold (TSX.V:REN) $300,000 to maintain its 100% earn-in option on the Silicon project in Nevada.

AngloGold already kicked off a planned 17,000-metre, Phase 2 drill program on the property with one RC and one core rig.

If Anglo completes the payments and exercises the purchase option, RenGold would retain a 1% net smelter return royalty on future production from the project

According to the company's 2H 2018 report, drilling has taken place over a strike length of more than 3 kilometres along the Silicon-Thompson structural corridor.

AngloGold also reported multiple induced polarization geophysical surveys over the project, which are being used along with surface mapping to delineate additional targets within the Silicon claim block.

"Based on the observed amount of drilling they have completed and the recent comments by AngloGold's CEO, we think it is safe to say they are significantly encouraged by the results generated to date," RenGold's president, Robert Felder, said in a media statement.

AngloGold entered into an agreement with the Nevada-based prospect generator in 2017. The deal entails that Anglo has the option to acquire a 100% interest in the Silicon project by paying RenGold $3 million by June 21, 2020. Payments to date add up to $600,000.

Silicon is located 12 kilometres northeast of the town of Beatty, in the Bare Mountain mining district.

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Vélo électrique : les moteurs et batteries Bosch 2020 sont prometteurs

Bosch, l'un des principaux fabricants de moteurs et batteries pour vélos électriques, a revu en profondeur son couple moteur batterie avec à la clé d'importants gains de poids et de puissance.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2EJvS7d

La pluie d’étoiles filantes des Bêta Taurides pourrait cacher de grosses météorites

La Terre passera dans quelques jours au plus près, depuis plus de 40 ans, du centre de l’essaim des Bêta Taurides. Pour des astronomes, ce sera l’occasion de vérifier s’il n’y a pas de gros morceaux qui se cachent en son sein, par exemple des fragments d’une comète qui pourraient entrer en...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2wz6zQF

Diabète : le lait de chamelle réduit l'inflammation

Le lait de chamelle serait bénéfique pour les patients souffrant de diabète de type 2. Une nouvelle étude britannique montre que, in vitro, ses graisses réduisent l'inflammation liée aux macrophages.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2KcgK5N

Wenco moves into Brazil with TecWise partnership

Wenco International Mining Systems has created a new partnership with TecWise Sistemas de Automaçãon, a provider of technology and communications systems to the Latin American mining industry.

This new agreement makes TecWise the exclusive distributor of Wenco solutions in Brazil.

“We’re excited to enter the strategic Brazilian mine market in partnership with TecWise,” says Andrew Pyne, president and CEO of Wenco. “In line with our focus on growing our presence in Latin America, Brazil is a key strategic priority for Wenco, particularly as we collaborate with Hitachi Construction Machinery on their Solution Linkage for Mining platform."

“We have planned this collaborative entry into the Brazilian market for some time and we took our time to identify the right partner, which we found in TecWise. They will ensure our customers have knowledgeable, on-the-ground local support for Wenco solutions for the long haul.”

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)

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Barkerville updates underground Cariboo resources

Barkerville Gold Mines of Toronto says there are 4.3 million oz. of gold in all categories, according to the latest resource estimate at its Cariboo project near Wells, Ontario. The estimate includes underground resources for the Cow, Island and Barkerville Mountain deposits.

Measured and indicated resources contain 2.4 million oz. of gold in 13.2 million tonnes grading 5.60 g/t gold. That represents a 50% increase in ounces from the estimate made in 2018.

The inferred resource contains 1.9 million oz. in 12.0 million tonnes grading 5.0 g/t gold.

Barkerville said the estimate incorporates the Cow and Valley zones at Cow Mountain, the Shaft and Mosquito Creek zones on Island Mountain, and the BC vein and Bonanza ledge on Barkerville Mountain. A cut-off grade of 3.0 g/t gold was used for the estimate.

Infill and exploration drilling are ongoing at the Cariboo project.

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)

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from MINING.com http://bit.ly/2Wwo2YH

North American Palladium discovers new zone at Lac des Iles

Toronto-based North American Palladium (TSE: PDL) says underground exploration at its Lac des Iles mine 90 kms north of Thunder Bay has discovered a new zone – C zone. Drill results suggest that it is a large area of palladium mineralization in the footwall of the Offset zone.

Assays from C zone include 4.18 g/t palladium over 19.4 metres, 3.06 g/t over 25.0 metres, and 2.93 g/t over 74.9 metres, including 638 g/t over 19.2 metres and 9.00 g/t over 5.0 metres.

“Based on the large and growing number of underground exploration targets, we are increasing our 2019 exploration and definition drilling budget by $5.7 million," said president and CEO Jim Gallagher.

That is enough to add 25,000 metres of underground exploration drilling and 75,000 metres of definition drilling at Lac des Iles this year.

NAP says C zone has become a major focus of exploration because of good drill results, a large modelled target size, and its location near the existing Offset zone. This proximity means the capital costs of development would be low if 43-101 compliant resources can be outlined.

Recent drilling at the C zone target has shown that it consists of two mineralized trends including a north-south trend parallel to the central Offset zone and a southwest striking trend that generally follows the western contact between the intrusion and the basement rocks and the southeast domain of the Offset zone.

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)

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M&A activity surges 200% in BC against backdrop of Newmont Goldcorp deal

What happened: Value of M&A activity skyrocketed in B.C. during the first quarter of 2019

Why it matters: The jump was driven primarily by the $17.4-billion acquisition of Goldcorp Inc.

A first-quarter surge in B.C.-based mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity can be attributed to one particular mega-deal that kicked off the year, according to new data from Crosbie & Company Inc.

A May 29 report reveals the province was home to 145 M&A deals totalling $20.45 billion in value during the first three months of 2019.

(This article first appeared in Business in Vancouver) 

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FLASHBACK: Largest known rare earth deposit discovered in North Korea

There are REEs in them thar hills

Privately-held SRE Minerals on Wednesday announced the discovery in North Korea of what is believed to be the largest deposit of rare earth elements anywhere in the world.

SRE also signed a joint venture agreement with the Korea Natural Resources Trading Corporation for rights to develop REE deposits at Jongju in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for the next 25 years with a further renewal period of 25 years.

The joint venture company known as Pacific Century Rare Earth Mineral Limited, based in the British Virgin Islands, has also been granted permission for a processing plant on site at Jongju, situated approximately 150 km north-northwest of the capital of Pyongyang.

The initial assessment of the Jongju target indicates a total mineralisation potential of 6 billion tonnes with total 216.2 million tonnes rare-earth-oxides including light REEs such as lanthanum, cerium and praseodymium; mainly britholite and associated rare earth minerals. Approximately 2.66% of the 216.2 million tonnes consists of more valuable heavy rare-earth-elements.

According Dr Louis Schurmann, Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and lead scientist on the project, the Jongju deposit is the world's largest known REE occurrence.

The 216 million tonne Jongju deposit, theoretically worth trillions of dollars, would more than double the current global known resource of REE oxides which according to the US Geological Survey is pegged at 110 million tonnes.

Minerals like fluorite, apatite, zircon, nepheline, feldspar, and ilmenite are seen as potential by-products to the mining and recovery of REE at Jongju.

Further exploration is planned for March 2014, which will includes 96,000m (Phase 1) and 120,000m (Phase 2) of core drilling, with results reported according to the Australia's JORC Code, a standard for mineral disclosure similar to Canada's widely used National Instrument 43-101.

An industry in turmoil

The majority of the 17 rare earth elements – used in a variety of industries including green technology, defence systems and consumer electronics – were sourced from placer deposits in India and Brazil in the late 1940s.

During the 1950s, South Africa mined the majority of the world's REEs from large veins of rare earth-bearing monazite.

From the 1960s to 1980s, rare earths were supplied mainly from the US, mostly from the massive Mountain Pass mine in California, which was eventually mothballed in 2002.

China then took over the industry completely, producing more than 95% of the world's REEs centred in Inner Mongolia and also becoming the top consumer ahead of Japan and South Korea.

Worries about China's monopoly of production sent prices for all rare earths into the stratosphere from 2008 onwards with some REEs going up in price twenty-fold or more.

That reignited interest in the sector with dozens of explorers active around the globe making major discoveries from Canada and Greenland to Madagascar and Malawi.

Molycorp's (NYSE:MCP) Mountain Pass is almost back to full production, Lynas Corp's (ASX:LYC) Mount Weld mine in Australia and plant in Malaysia opened last year, while Saskatoon-based Great Western Minerals (CVE:GWG) is recommissioning the Steenkampskraal mine in South Africa with Chinese backing.

Prices have now come back down to earth with most REEs dropping in price by 70% or more after peaking in 2011.

For instance, the most abundant and cheapest of these, cerium oxide which is used to polish TV screens and lenses is now trading at $8.50 from all-time highs of $118 in the September 2011. The price for cerium oxide was $4.56 in 2008.

The reversal in europium oxide – the priciest of the widely-used heavy REEs used in medical imaging and the nuclear and defence industries – has also been dramatic.

The price of europium increased more than 10-fold from $403 in 2009 to an average of $4,900 in the third quarter of 2011.

It is now worth $1,110 a kilogram in the export market, while Chinese domestic europium is another $500 cheaper at $630/kg.

Image of mural of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at the crater lake of Baekdusan by yeowatzup

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FLASHBACK: Rare earth mining in China — low tech, dirty and devastating

This month China will start forcing rare earth producers out of business if they don’t qualify for new value-added tax permits being allocated.

It’s China’s latest bid to curb resource plundering, dangerous artisanal mining and widespread pollution.

China produces over 95% of the world’s REEs used in a variety of industries including green technology, defence systems and consumer electronics and the country's monopoly is currently before the World Trade Organization for arbitration.

A recent report by state news agency Xinhua paints a particularly grim picture of China's rare earth industry which belies the notion, held by many in the West, that China's crackdown has more to do with managing supply and extracting lofty profits than it is about cleaning up a notoriously dirty business.

To the contrary, according to China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, repairing the environmental damage in Ganzhou in Jiangxi province, the epicentre of rare earth mining in the country, will cost a total of 38 billion yuan ($6 billion).

That compares to the profits of the province's rare earth industry of 6.4 billion yuan last year.

Xinhua reports via China Daily on the plight of Zhang Yang'e a 73-year-old farmer near the city of Ganzhou: A green hill where the mine was built has been scraped and turned into a cratered landscape not unlike that of the moon, with piles of rock tailings nearly as high as Zhang's two-story house.

Trees on the hill have been toppled and topsoil has been removed. Chemicals have been pumped into holes drilled in the ground to help recover the rare earth metals located there, Zhang said.
Similar open-pit mines can be found dotting the densely wooded hillsides of Longnan county, which is about a half-hour drive from Dingnan. Plastic pipes and chemical holding tanks can be seen at the foot of the hills. Some of the tanks are filled with a bright blue liquid, while others contain a dark brown solution.

To exploit rare earth metals, some miners use a chemical extraction process that involves digging several holes of just a few feet in depth and feeding pipes into the holes. A concentrated mixture of chemicals is then pumped through the pipes, sinking into the clay below and leaching out rare earth metals as it passes.

It seems incredible that such a low-tech method is used to harvest minerals that are used in some of the world's most technologically advanced products.

Continue reading at China Daily.

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The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act's two-part interference test

Testing for Interference in MSHA 105(c) Discrimination Cases

The legal basis of interference is in Section 105(c)(1) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act (Mine Act) – “No person shall discharge or in any manner discriminate against . . . or otherwise interfere with the exercise of the statutory rights of any miner.” The interference test has developed into a two-part evaluation of an operator’s reaction to protected activity or treatment of miners’ rights. The real question is whether MSHA must show if an operator’s actions were motivated by protected activity or were intended to interfere with miners’ rights to establish an interference claim.

While recent cases have emphasized the concepts of interference, the Review Commission’s reference to an “interference test” dates to at least 1982, when the Review Commission discussed interference in Moses v. Whitley Development Corp. This case involved a claim that an operator interrogated and harassed a miner because it believed he had reported an accident to MSHA.

The Commission determined that coercive interrogation and harassment over the exercise of protected rights were among the “more subtle forms of interference” referred to in the legislative history of the Mine Act. The Commission found that a company interferes with a miner’s protected rights when it instills fear of reprisal or chills the exercise of protected activity.The issue of interference in a discrimination case resurfaced in 2005.

In Secretary of Labor on behalf of Gray v. North Star Mining, Inc., et al., a supervisor allegedly threatened a miner after the miner was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury regarding Mine Act violations. The ALJ determined that the miner and the supervisor were friends and that the threat was essentially a joke. Nonetheless, the Commission stated that operator statements should be evaluated under a test that “has its genesis in section 8(a)(1) of the National Labor Relations Act.”

The Commission decided that the totality of the circumstances surrounding a supervisor’s statements must be considered. The Commission also concluded that the supervisor’s intent or motive and the effect of a supervisor’s statement is a necessary component in determining whether the company interfered with the miner’s exercise of statutory rights.Following the Review Commission’s decision in the Gray case, MSHA proposed a two-part “interference test”:

• A person’s actions can be reasonably viewed, from the perspective of members of the protected class and under the totality of the circumstances, as tending to interfere with the exercise of protected rights; and
• The person fails to justify the action with a legitimate and substantial reason whose importance outweighs the harm caused to the exercise of protected rights.

This two-part interference test was used in UMWA on behalf of Franks & Hoy v. Emerald Coal Resources, LP. This case involved questioning of witnesses during a company investigation following MSHA’s investigation into a complaint.  The ALJ found interference when the operator insisted that the two miners provide information about a possible safety violation and suspended them when they did not. The ALJ applied MSHA’s proposed test for interference, noting that intent of the operator was not an element of that test.

The same ALJ also applied this interference test in Secretary on behalf of McGary et al. v. Marshall County Coal Co. et al. This case involved the CEO’s “awareness meetings” with the work force, specifically requesting that when employees filed anonymous hazard complaints to MSHA, those conditions would also be reported to the company so they could be addressed.

The ALJ applied MSHA’s two-part test and found the operator had interfered with the miners’ rights to make anonymous complaints. On appeal, the Commission affirmed the ALJ’s finding but did not adopt a test for interference. This case is currently pending before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.  Oral argument occurred in January 2019, so a decision could be forthcoming.

Similarly, in Secretary on behalf of Greathouse v. Monongalia County Coal Co., et al., 38 FMSHRC 941 (ALJ Miller May 2016), the same ALJ as in Franks & Hoy and McGary again applied the same test for interference.  This case involved “Safety and Production Bonus Plans” at six underground coal mines. This bonus program disqualified miners from the bonus if there was a lost time accident, S&S citation or withdrawal order at the mine. The ALJ found that this bonus program interfered with miners’ rights by discouraging safety reporting and reducing time spent on safety measures. The ALJ’s decision was appealed to the Review Commission, which split in a 2-2 decision.

The case is also currently before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals pending the outcome of McGary.In a departure from using MSHA’s two-part interference test, the ALJ in Secretary on behalf of Pepin v. Empire Iron Mining Partnership, applied an interference test that was something closer to what the Review Commission used in the Gray case. Pepin involved a confrontation between a manager and an hourly employee after safety cards were filed with the operator and an anonymous complaint was filed with MSHA. In finding there was interference, the ALJ applied a three-part test:

• Respondent’s actions can be viewed, from the perspective of members of the protected class, as tending to interfere with the exercise of protected rights;
• Such actions were motivated by the exercise of protected rights;
• If the foregoing is established, the operator may defend by showing a business justification that outweighs the harms caused.

The Pepin case was not appealed to the Commission, but the three-part test used in this case was rejected regardless of its precedential value. In Wilson v. Armstrong Coal Co., a different ALJ declined to apply the Pepin test – questioning its appropriateness and finding that it would lead to “absurd results.” Instead, the ALJ applied MSHA’s two-part test to find interference. This case was also not appealed to the Review Commission.

Ultimately, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals should provide the Review Commission with some precedential directive regarding an interference test. Hopefully, any test that is developed will be objective and provide an opportunity to consider all the evidence, including operator motivation and intent, when determining whether there is a case of interference.

(By Christopher Peterson, Fisher Phillips)

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Champion Iron secures C$185m refinancing, acquires 100% stake in Bloom Lake

Champion Iron Ltd. (TSX: CIA) (ASX: CIA) today announced that it has concluded an agreement with la Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) for a preferred share offering of C$185 million plus a commitment for a fully underwritten $200 million credit facility with Scotiabank and Societe Generale.

The company has also acquired the remaining 36.8% interest in the Bloom Lake iron ore project for C$211 million. Bloom Lake is located approximately 13 km north of Fermont, Québec, and 10 km north of the Mont Wright iron ore mining complex belonging to ArcelorMittal Mines Canada.

Based on the latest technical report, mineral reserves at Bloom Lake are estimated at 411.7 million tonnes, with an average iron content of 30%. The average annual production of concentrate is 7.4 million tonnes, over a 21-year expected mine life span.

Shares of Champion Iron rose by nearly 6% on Wednesday morning, bringing the company's market capitalization to just over C$1.2 billion.

 

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Rare earth stocks come out winners in China-US trade war

With all the turmoil surrounding the ongoing China-US trade war, companies mining for rare earth elements have come out as "unexpected" winners thanks to market-wide speculation that China may choke off supply of certain critical minerals to the US. Currently the US relies on China for about 80% of its rare earth metals, many of which are essential in applications such as wind turbines, EVs, smartphones and military equipment.

The threat of "weaponizing" rare earths by China means potential sellers of these minerals to the US stand to gain from a tightened international supply and higher prices. The US may not have a choice but to keep importing. At the moment there's only one rare earths miner in the country, MP Materials, which operates the Mountain Pass mine in California. Even so, its ores are exported to China and processed into cerium, neodymium, lanthanum and europium there.

Shares of Chinese rare earth miners already saw significant gains earlier today, including JL Mag Rare-Earth (up 10%), whose processing plant President Xi Jinping visited last week.

Meanwhile, in Canada and Australia: Lynas Corp (ASX: LYC), based in Western Australia and the only other major producer outside China, was up 16% on Wednesday morning. Toronto-based Avalon Advanced Materials Inc (TSX: AVL), which is exploring a feasibility-stage rare earth project in Northwest Territories, surged by 33%. Another Canadian rare earth miner, Niocorp Developments Ltd (TSX: NB), moved up 5%. Other Canadian-based junior miners including Geomega Resources Inc (TSX-V: GMA), Ucore Rare Metals Inc (TSX-V: UCU) and Commerce Resources Corp (TSX-V: CCE) also advanced, up 12.5%, 48% and 21% respectively.

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Une nouvelle arme tueuse de superbactéries résistantes aux antibiotiques

Selon l’Organisation mondiale de la santé, trouver de nouveaux traitements pour lutter contre les bactéries à Gram négatif doit aujourd’hui devenir une priorité. Celles-ci causent en effet des infections dont les taux de mortalité sont élevés. Et elles semblent capables de rapidement devenir...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2EHM60R

Samsung Galaxy Fold : sortie du smartphone à écran pliable pas avant juillet

Selon plusieurs médias coréens, notamment Yonhap News qui s'est entretenu avec des experts du secteur, le lancement du Samsung Galaxy Fold a été repoussé bien au-delà du délai du 31 mai fixé par la Commission fédérale du commerce (FTC). Au mois d'avril, Samsung annonçait un lancement retardé de...

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50 ans d'Airbus : cinq innovations qui l'ont fait décoller face à Boeing

Airbus fête ses 50 ans. Futura fait le point sur cinq technologies qui ont fait décoller l’avionneur européen face à son concurrent Boeing.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2EG73cq

Golden Share acquires Basking project in Ontario

Golden Share Resources (TSXV: GSH) announced that it acquired the Basking project in Ontario, Canada.

In a press release, the miner indicated that Basking, which is made up of four small non-contiguous claim blocks totaling 34 single cell mining claims, was acquired through map staking.

In detail, the project is located near the western edge of the James Bay Lowlands and approximately 100 kilometres north-northwest of the Ring of Fire nickel and chromite deposits in northern Ontario.

Two of the Basking claim blocks are centered on base metal targets and the other two are diamond and/or base metal targets

According to Golden Share, two of the Basking claim blocks are centred on base metal targets in an area of linear, northwest-trending magnetic axes immediately north of an interpreted belt of metavolcanics north of the North Kenyon fault.

"The other two claim blocks are diamond and/or base metal targets (coincident EM and magnetic anomalies) in mafic to ultramafic intrusives just south of the North Kenyon fault," the company's media statement reads. "It has an aeromagnetic signature similar to other important structural features in the Superior Province that are known to host important gold mining camps."

The Markham, Ontario-based firm said that following small confirmatory airborne or ground geophysical surveys, all four targets should be ready for drill testing.

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CanAlaska to start drilling at West McArthur uranium project

CanAlaska Uranium (TSXV: CVV) announced that it will soon begin a drill program at its 70%-owned West McArthur uranium project.

In a press release, the miner said that the program is intended to locate high-grade uranium hosted in faults along the C10 horizon, the major regional fault structure.

According to CanAlaska, two previous drill holes intersected high-grade uranium – up to 5% U3O8 – just west of the projection of the C10 horizon and near the unconformity contact.

In late 2018, CanAlaska Uranium and Cameco formed a joint venture and agreed on a $2.4-million exploration budget for 2019

"CanAlaska believes the controlling structure of this high-grade mineralization has yet to be intersected in drilling," the miner's media statement reads.

The Vancouver-based company also said that the summer drill program follows on the three-year target definition by Cameco's drill team. In that campaign, 10 holes were drilled along a 1.6 kilometre long stretch of Grid 5 and included three significant uranium mineralized drill holes.

“The wide spaced drilling also mapped an extensive zone of intense fluid alteration extending into the sandstone above the unconformity with basement rocks. The alteration rises 700 metres above the unconformity and is marked by broad halos of uranium, boron, arsenic and accompanying base metals, typical environments of major uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin,” the press brief states.

West McArthur is located in the Athabasca Basin in Saskatchewan and lies between 6 and 30 kilometres west of the McArthur River mine, which produced 225.5 million pounds U3O8 grading 13.5% U3O8 per tonne from 2000 to 2012.

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Les entreprises pharmaceutiques émettent plus de CO2 que le secteur automobile

Le secteur du médicament génère 52 millions de tonnes de CO2 par an, selon une nouvelle étude, soit l’équivalent d’un pays comme la Suisse ou le Danemark. Les grandes entreprises du secteur pharmaceutique sont ainsi bien moins vertueuses que celles d’autres activités pesant pourtant plus lourd...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2YRXGxS

Un banc de 257 poissons fossilisés datant de 50 millions d'années

[Image du jour] Pour une raison encore inconnue, pas moins de 257 minuscules poissons se sont retrouvés figés dans la roche il y a 50 millions d'années (Ma) alors qu'ils nageaient vraisemblablement tous ensemble. Tel un arrêt sur image, ce fossile exceptionnel semble avoir immortalisé le...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2HMxKOJ

Une pluie de météorites constante a arrosé la Terre ces deux derniers millions d’années

Dans le désert d’Atacama, des chercheurs ont mis la main sur la plus ancienne collection de météorites à la surface de la Terre. Ils en ont profité pour en tirer des informations relatives à l’évolution du flux de météorites qui ont percuté notre planète au cours des deux derniers millions d’années.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2I660mX

La première preuve de la relativité générale a 100 ans !

Le 29 mai 1919, le monde changea. Ce jour-là, l’astronome et astrophysicien anglais Arthur Eddington obtint des clichés pris à l’occasion d’une éclipse totale de Soleil visible sur l’île de Principe. Ce fût la première preuve convaincante de la théorie de la relativité générale d’Einstein.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2W9T2yw

Le burn-out n'est finalement pas reconnu comme maladie par l'OMS

Alors que l'agence spécialisée de l'ONU annonçait lundi que le burn-out avait fait son entrée dans la Classification internationale des maladies, un porte-parole de l'OMS déclarait hier qu'il s'agit en fait d'un « phénomène lié au travail » mais pas d'une maladie.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2Kb5Ayd

Une fusée Soyouz frappée par la foudre lors de son lancement

Une fusée Soyouz au décollage du cosmodrome de Plessetsk, en Russie, ce lundi 27 mai, a été frappée par un éclair. Malgré cette décharge inattendue, le lanceur ainsi que le satellite qu'il transportait n'ont subi aucun dommage et ce dernier a été placé en orbite comme prévu, a annoncé le...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2Wa9Ghe

Votre stress mesuré par un simple test de salive

Une bandelette placée sous une lampe UV permet de détecter différentes hormones du stress dans la salive, le sang, l’urine ou la sueur. Un dispositif facile à utiliser et qui pourrait bientôt être vendu en pharmacie aux États-Unis.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2EFi8dw

Un système révolutionnaire produit de l’hydrogène pur à bas coût

Des chercheurs ont mis au point un réacteur chimique thermodynamiquement réversible pour produire de l’hydrogène. Une façon de se passer des coûteuses opérations de séparation qui accompagnent généralement la production d’hydrogène par vaporeformage du méthane. 

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2ER9oBx

Nubia met un ventilateur dans son smartphone Red Magic 3

Parce que les smartphones sont équipés de processeurs de plus en plus puissants et que les jeux sont de plus en plus gourmands en ressources, le fabricant chinois a décidé de combiner deux systèmes de refroidissement dont un authentique ventilateur. Avec un prix d'entrée à 479 euros, le Red...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2QyLXBA

Ce bois sans lignine refroidit les bâtiments de 10°C

Des scientifiques ont mis au point un nouveau type de bois entièrement blanc qui réfléchit la chaleur et absorbe celle de l’air ambiant, permettant de refroidir les bâtiments. Une alternative écologique à la climatisation qui nécessite de plus en plus d’électricité.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2VXbeGr

Drill results boost Nighthawk Gold shares

Shares of Nighthawk Gold (TSX: NHK) soared 21% to 44¢ in mid-morning trading following news of drill results at the junior’s Colomac project in the Northwest Territories.

The first assay results from its 2019 drill program returned 56 metres of 13.49 grams gold per tonne, including 31 metres of 22.12 grams gold from 238 metres downhole in C19-08, and 111 metres of 2 grams gold, including 24 metres of 3.74 grams gold from 276 metres downhole in C19-02.

The company recently completed 16 drill holes (5,329 metres) across Zones 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0, and all of the holes intercepted mineralization.

The drill program was testing specific high-grade targets within the central three-kilometre portion of the nine-kilometre host Colomac Main sill.

Nighthawk has increased its drill program to 35,000 metres for the year, up from the previously forecast 25,000 metres, which makes it the largest drill program in the explorer’s history.

Drilling with three rigs began in March and is expected to run until late-September. The program is focused on the expansion of known high-grade gold zones, advancing the search for similar prospects within the Colomac area sills, and regional exploration at some of Nighthawk’s high priority targets throughout its Indin Lake gold property.

Earlier this month, the company increased the size of a bought deal financing to C$11 million. The deal is expected to close on June 6.

The Colomac project is 200 km north of Yellowknife and lies within the Indin Lake Greenstone Belt. It has an inferred resource of 50.3 million tonnes averaging 1.62 grams gold for 2.6 million contained oz. gold.

(This article first appeared in The Northern Miner)

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First Cobalt refinery output could be doubled

Ausenco Engineering Canada has delivered a study of the refinery in Cobalt, Ontario to Toronto-based First Cobalt Corp. The study says that using third party cobalt hydroxide as feed, the refinery output could be doubled to 5,000 t/y cobalt contained in sulphate.

The estimated cost to double refinery capacity would be C$37.5 million, spent in stages. Any work will first involve eliminating the existing autoclave circuit and debottlenecking the rest of the plant.

Ausenco’s scoping level study outlined three restart scenarios, assuming the refinery would treat cobalt hydroxide feed grating at least 30% cobalt. One: the existing equipment could be refurbished at a cost of C$12 million. Two: debottlenecking the existing solvent extraction circuit would cost an additional C$18.4 million. Three: increase liquid-solid separation capacity by adding more filtration capacity and expand the existing building at another cost of C$37.5 million.

First Cobalt has not yet committed to restarting the refinery, and it is in talks with Glencore to supply the feedstock and financing.

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)

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Bonterra releases resource estimates for Urban Barry camp

Bonterra Resources, based in Val d’Or, Quebec, has released a new resource estimate for its three projects – Gladiator, Barry and Moroy – in the Urban Barry camp about 200 km northeast of Val d’Or.

For all the deposits, the indicated resource is 3.2 million tonnes averaging 6.33 g/t gold and containing 643,000 oz. of gold. The inferred resource is 6.2 million tonnes averaging 7.04 g/t and containing 1.4 million oz.

Highlights for each deposit:

• Gladiator: 743,000 indicated tonnes at 8.46 g/t gold for 202,000 contained oz. and 2.7 million inferred tonnes at 9.10 g/t for 897,000 oz.
• Barry: 2.1 million indicated tonnes at 5.84 g/t for 385,000 oz. and 2.7 inferred tonnes at 5.14 g/t for 453,000 oz.
• Moroy: 302,000 measured tonnes at 5.66 g/t for 55,000 oz., 3.2 million indicated tonnes at 4.77 g/t for 56,000 oz., and 396,000 inferred tonnes at 4.32 g/t for 55,000 oz.

The Gladiator and Barry deposits are located on the Urban-Barry property. The Moroy deposit is located on the property of the former Bachelor gold mine and includes the Urban-Barry mill where all ore would be processed.

The mill is undergoing an expansion to 2,400 t/d by the second half of the year. The existing rod and ball mills and the 12-metre thickener are being removed. In their places, a SAG mill, two new ball mills, a gravity circuit, a 23-metre thickener, and five leaching tanks are being installed.

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)

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Alamos receives permit for expansion of Island Gold mine

Toronto-based Alamos Gold has received the amended permit for expansion of the Island Gold mine to 1,200 t/d from the provincial Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. The mine is located about 83 km northeast of Wawa, Ontario, Canada.

Alamos said the permit was received ahead of schedule. Underground mining rates are to reach 1,200 t/d in 2020, and the company is seeking ways to reach that level before the end of 2019.

The benefits of the phase two expansion are a production increase to 125,000 oz. per year and a lowering of the all-in sustaining costs to $550.

The company is also conducting a large ongoing exploration program that has already increased the resources at Island Gold. The mine has proven and probable reserves of 3 million tonnes grading 10.28 g/t gold. Measured and indicated resources are 969,000 tonnes at 8.77 g/t, and inferred resources are 4.2 million tonnes at 11.71 g/t gold. There are close to 2.8 million oz. of gold contained in all categories. A phase three expansion study is also underway.

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)

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Sirios drills 187 g/t gold at Cheechoo

Montreal-based Sirios Resources is enjoying bonanza gold grades from drilling at its Cheechoo property in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region.

Vein 112 yielded the highest grade in hole CH19-240: 25.5 g/t gold over 6.8 metres, including 187.0 g/t over 0.8 metre. Hole CH19-245 returned 18.9 g/t over 1.0 metres.

Again hole CH19-245 in the Jordi zone returned 106.0 g/t gold over 1.3 metre. When CH19-240 hit this zone, it returned 26.7 g/t over 1.2 metre.

(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)

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Delrey Metals up 17% following successful re-assay of Four Corners project

Shares of Delrey Metals Corp. (CSE:DLRY) surged by 17% on Tuesday morning following positive re-assay results from its Four Corners iron-titanium-vanadium project in Newfoundland. The company's market capitalization currently sits at C$3.8 million.

During a recent visit to the project, the company collected nine samples from drilling programs done in 2010-2011 and used both lithium metaborate fusion and ICP-MS with 4-acid digestion assay methods to test the samples. The company found that results obtained from lithium metaborate fusion were consistently higher compared to ICP-MS with 4 acid-digestion.

Most notably, the fusion assays returned, on average, 21% higher V205 (ranging from a 14% to 28% increase). Recoveries of iron and titanium were also higher using the fusion method.

Moving forward, lithium metaborate fusion will be the preferred assay technique it will use for an upcoming drill program at Four Corners, the company says. The company believes this method has the ability to unlock additional vanadium potential at the project.

The Four Corners project area covers 7,655 hectares in southwestern Newfoundland and Labrador, 25 km east of the town of Stephenville. It hosts a large vanadium-enriched deposit based historic drilling and government mapping, with several other zones yet to be tested. Delrey Metals recently acquired an 80% interest in the project.

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Osisko Mining makes new gold discovery at Windfall Lake

Osisko Mining Inc. (OSK:TSX) has announced the discovery of a new gold-bearing zone at its Windfall Lake project located in the Abitibi greenstone belt of James Bay, Québec. The new zone is about 350 metres north of the main zone.

Four of the nine holes drilled at the new discovery contained visible gold. Notable drill results include 393 g/t gold over 2.2 metres, 31 g/t gold over 6.1 metres and 82.9 g/t gold over 2.3 metres.

The Windfall Lake project consists of 285 individual claims covering a total area of 12,467 hectares. The project hosts 2.38 million tonnes of indicated resources, according to a technical report published in May 2018.

In addition to Windfall Lake, Osisko has four other projects in Québec, including the nearby Urban Barry (1,997 claims) and Quévillon (4,211 claims). It is currently the largest stakeholder in the Urban Barry greenstone belt, holding over 40% of the land staked.

"Today’s results are very encouraging and reflect the continued assertion that Windfall is part of a larger, dynamic gold mineralized system. At this point, we await follow-up drilling to better understand orientation and grade continuity," analysts at Haywood Securities said. The investment firm also maintained its projection for Osisko's net asset value (NAV) of C$1.66 billion, or C$4.48 per share.

Shares of Osisko rose over 2% on Tuesday. The company's market capitalization now stands at about C$767 million.

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Vale downplays risk of dam break at Gongo Soco mine

Brazil’s mining giant VALE (NYSE: VALE) said Tuesday the risk of a new dam break as a consequence of an unstable embankment at its nearby Gongo Soco open pit, in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, had decreased.

The miner and emergency services had warned that a section of the now defunct mine had an estimated 10% to 15% chance of disintegrating. If that happened, Vale had said, it would rupture the Sul Superior dam, located only 1.5 kilometers (nearly one mile) away, risking the nearby town of Barão de Cocais.

Vale's Operations Director, Marcelo Barros, said all preventive measures for any possible scenario have been taken. "All the residents of [the potentially affected area] were relocated, we removed more than 3,000 animals and transferred pieces of sacred art to places outside the Self-Rescue Zones (ZAS)," he noted.

Even if  the pit slide doesn't rupture the Sul Superior dam, the emergency level remains at 3, which is the highest classification.

Even if  the pit slide doesn't rupture the Sul Superior dam, the emergency level remains at 3, which is the highest classification.

Almost 700 people living around the dam were evacuated in early February after monitoring systems detected abnormal movement in the northern slope of the pit.

The latest alert comes four months after 242 people were killed when a dam burst at Vale’s Córrego do Feijão mine, also in the state of Minas Gerais.

Brazil has since banned the construction of new upstream dams, which are cheaper but less stable than other types of tailings dams, and ordered the decommissioning of existing ones.

In March, the company was hit by a local court injunction that forced it to freeze operations at 13 of its tailings dams in the South American country. Under pressure from federal and state prosecutors, for failing to do enough to prevent the disaster, Vale named company veteran Eduardo Bartolomeo as chief executive to replace Fabio Schvartsman, who quit after the incident.

Brazilian prosecutors began probing in March more than 100 high-risk dams across the country early. They say they doubt the legitimacy of the safety audits carried out at the nation’s mines, especially considering that Córrego do Feijão was certified as stable by German consulting group Tüv Süd only days before the deadly accident.

The Gongo Soco dam is one of 87 mining dams in Brazil built like the one that failed in January. All but four have been rated by the government as equally vulnerable or worse.

Click here for complete coverage of the dam burst at Vale's Córrego do Feijão mine.

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Cannabis : 10 usages thérapeutiques avérés ou à l'étude

En France, un médicament à base de cannabis est autorisé (le Marinol, ou dronabinol). Il est prescrit contre des troubles de l’appétit et pour limiter les effets secondaires des chimiothérapies. Zoom sur les vertus médicales du cannabis, alors que sa légalisation fait toujours débat dans...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2wm3ALA

La structure d’un monstrueux supercomplexe crucial pour la photosynthèse

[Image du jour] Faisant un pas énorme pour élucider la complexité du mécanisme de la photosynthèse, des chercheurs ont déterminé la structure d'un supercomplexe appelé PSI-IsiA. Révélée par la technique de cryo-microscopie électronique, la modélisation tridimensionnelle de cet assemblage de plus...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2Qv0DBm

Le cockpit du taxi volant d'Airbus dévoilé

Après les premiers essais en vol de l'Alpha One, Vahana, la filiale d'Airbus, a présenté un deuxième prototype de taxi volant axé sur le développement du cockpit.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2wo6W0r

Portofino receives encouraging results from Yergo lithium brine project in Argentina

Portofino Resources (TSXV:POR) made public this week initial sampling results from its Yergo lithium brine project, located at the Aparejos salar in the province of Catamarca, northwestern Argentina.

In a press release, Portofino said that the exploration program consisted of surface and near-surface brine sampling and geological mapping. “Hand augers were utilized to obtain the brine samples from surface to a maximum depth of 1.3 meters. A total of 22 locations across the property were sampled within the project concessions with samples returning values of up to 373 mg/L lithium, and up to 8,001 mg/L potassium. In all, the analyses for the 22 sample sites averaged 224.4 mg/L Li, 4,878 mg/L K and 184.4 mg/L magnesium,” the release states.

The 2,932-hectare Yergo project encompasses the entire Aparejos salar and is located in the southern part of the “Lithium Triangle”

The Vancouver-based company explained that due to the unusually high levels of water in the salar, most of the sample sites are located in the southeast portion of the property. The 16 "southeast corner" sample sites averaged 278.1 mg/L Li, 6,091 mg/L K and 86.2 mg/L Mg and their analyses also indicated low Mg:Li ratios (0.4 avg).

In Portofino’s view, due to the proximity of the salars comprising Neo Lithium's 3Q project and Portofino's Yergo project, it is likely that they have experienced similar geological histories and are similarly enriched in lithium and potassium as a result of their common evaporitic climate and local geology.

“We are encouraged with these very good, initial lithium and potassium sample results combined with extremely low magnesium/lithium ratios,” David Tafel, the firm’s CEO, said in the media brief. “As soon as weather permits, our geological team will continue their exploration work to follow up on the potential surface extent of the mineralization.”

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Uncertain future for Hume Coal's mine in Australia

The government of New South Wales, in southeastern Australia, issued a communiqué where it says that the state's Independent Planning Commission found that Hume Coal needs to address certain environmental and social issues before being approved for the construction of an underground mine.

In detail, the subsidiary of South Korea’s Posco is seeking planning approval to build and operate a large underground mine on a 5051-hectare greenfield site near Berrima, in the Southern Highlands, some 100 kilometres southwest of Sydney.

There are also plans to build railway infrastructure that facilitates product transportation to Port Kembla.

The independent commission said the proposed location of the mine and community concerns about potential impacts would require close attention in the next stage of the assessment process

If approved, Hume's mine is expected to produce 50-million tonnes of run-of-mine coal over 23 years.

But whether the mine has a future is still to be determined as the State Significant Development applications were deemed 'not in the public interest' by the Department of Planning & Environment in its Preliminary Assessment Report.

That initial report also concluded that the project should not be approved.

For the new assessment carried out by the Independent Planning Commission, the officials in charge of the task met with the applicant, the Department of Planning & Environment and with NGO Coal Free Southern Highlands. They also hosted a two-day public hearing at Moss Vale to listen to the community’s concerns.

In their review, the officials wrote that issues raised by the community at the hearing and in written submissions included impacts on groundwater and surface water, air quality impacts, noise impacts, impacts on visual amenity, loss of property value and impacts on the significance of heritage items and the cultural landscape of the area.

Hume, on the other hand, has said that the low-impact first-workings will ensure faster recovery of groundwater levels in private bores once mining in an area has been completed. According to the miner, this guarantees that there will be no impact on town water supplies and no subsidence impacts on natural waterways or surface features such as farm dams.

However, for the independent commissioners, the information provided by the company was not enough. “Having considered the information presently available, the views expressed at the public hearing and the submissions it has received, the Commission finds that it is not presently able to adopt a definitive position on the merit of the projects as a whole,” their evaluation reads.

In its report, the Commission asked for additional information and further expert consideration to determine whether or not the project has merit as an innovative approach to the mining of metallurgical coal with acceptable environmental impact.

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Des microorganismes découverts dans l’endroit le plus chaud sur Terre

La région de Dallol (Éthiopie) est une région tout à fait inhospitalière. Pourtant, des chercheurs y ont découvert de minuscules organismes vivant dans des conditions qualifiées de multiextrêmes. Un aperçu, peut-être, de ce qui pourrait se jouer sur d’autres planètes.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2JIkuNa

Barrick Gold mulls $1B expansion of Pueblo Viejo mine

Canada’s Barrick Gold (TSX:ABX)(NYSE:GOLD), the world's second largest producer of the precious metal, said it was considering a $1 billion expansion of its Pueblo Viejo mine, in the Dominican Republic, a 60-40 joint venture with Newmont Goldcorp (NYSE: NEM)(TSX: NGT).

Having recommitted Barrick to its Latin American portfolio earlier this year, president and CEO Mark Bristow said the company expected to complete in 2020 a feasibility study for the expansion of the gold mine, already a “tier one” asset.

$1B project includes an expansion of the Pueblo Viejo's processing plant and tailings capacity and it has the potential to extend the life of the mine into the 2030s.

The gold giant defines as "tier one" a mine with a projected life of more than 10 years and production, as of 2017, of at least 500,000 ounces of gold.

The project includes an expansion of the Pueblo Viejo's processing plant and tailings capacity and it has the potential to extend the life of the mine into the 2030s and beyond.

"We look forward to continue making a significant and growing contribution to our communities and other stakeholders and to unlocking the enormous value of its mineral potential while addressing the historical third-party environmental issues," Bristow said in the statement.

The executive noted that Barrick and its JV partners had already invested $5.2 billion in Pueblo Viejo, which represented about 20% of the total foreign direct investment in the Central American country over the past 10 years.

Pueblo Viejo, located nearly 100km northwest of Dominican Republic’s capital Santo Domingo, began production in 2012. Last year, it churned out 581,000 ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining cost of $623 an ounce in 2018 and is forecast to produce 550,000 to 600,000 ounces this year at an AISC of $610-$650 an ounce.

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Zenbook Pro Duo : Asus met deux écrans sur son PC portable

Dans le cadre du Computex, Asus a créé l'évènement avec plusieurs PC portables équipés d'un deuxième écran tactile. La gamme Zenbook Duo propose ainsi deux modèles, à 1.500 et 3.000 euros, avec un pavé tactile déporté sur le côté pour laisser place à ce deuxième écran.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2Wc22TC

La forme de l'orbitale d'un électron dans une boîte quantique déterminée pour la première fois

Contrôler le spin des électrons dans une boîte quantique permettrait aux chercheurs de mettre en oeuvre des qubits de spins, unité d'information d'un futur ordinateur quantique. Mais pour cela, ils doivent connaître la forme de l'orbital d'un électron dans une telle boîte. Et aujourd'hui pour la...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2K9TLIP

Sibanye, Lonmin create world’s No.2 platinum producer as merger approved by shareholders

Shareholders of both precious metals miner Sibanye-Stillwater (JSE:SGL) (NYSE:SBGL) and struggling rival Lonmin (LON:LMI) approved Tuesday the planned merger of the companies, effectively creating the world’s second-largest platinum producer.

Sibanye-Stillwater said that 87% of its shareholders backed the all-share offer, which it revised down in April, valuing the smaller miner at 226 million pounds ($286 million), 60 million pounds less than initially offered.

Later in the day, the majority of Lonmin's shareholders rubber-stamped the deal.

South Africa's Competition Appeal Court had cleared the way for the business combination earlier this month, blocking Lonmin's main mining union’s attempt to block the takeover or have re-examined. The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union’s (AMCU) move was an effort to avoid some of inevitable layoffs, originally estimated at 3,000, that will take place after the merger.

The takeover is seen as a rescue deal for Lonmin, severely hit by weak platinum prices during the 2016-2017 downturn, costs related to the strengthening rand, a large labour force and expensive deep-level mines.

For Sibanye, is just one more of many deals struck by chief executive officer, Neal Froneman, who has transformed the gold miner by expanding its operations into the platinum-group metals sector.

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Antiobiotiques : l'inquiétante pollution des fleuves dans le monde

Les antibiotiques ont sauvé des dizaines de millions de vies mais aujourd’hui, les concentrations de ces médicaments se retrouvent dans les rivières du monde et dépassent largement les niveaux acceptables. Une situation généralisée qui n'épargne aucun continent, de l'Europe à l'Asie en passant...

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2MnvktQ

Mars : découverte d’un des plus grands réservoirs d’eau de la planète

Deux nouvelles études démontrent qu’il y a plus de glace d’eau sur Mars qu’on ne le pensait. Les vestiges d’anciennes calottes glaciaires ont été découverts, enfouis sous le pôle Nord de la planète. Ces couches de glace renferment la mémoire du climat passé de notre voisine.

from Les dernières actualités de Futura-Sciences http://bit.ly/2HYb24U