Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources revealed on Tuesday the discovery of a gold deposit with estimated resources of 1 million ounces, worth about $1.8 billion at today’s prices.
The asset was found in the mineral-rich Eastern Desert, on a mining concession run by the state-owned Shalateen Mining Company, Ahram Online reports.
The government noted it expected more than $1 billion in investments related to the development of the deposit over the next 10 years. It did not provide details on the methodology used to determine the deposit’s size.
Deposit is part of a mining concession run by state-owned Shalateen Mining Company.
It also said that Shalateen and the state regulator, the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority, would form a new company to develop the deposit.
Egypt has been trying to lure foreign investors to its mining sector with new regulations and has set a goal of attracting $375 million in the next two years. Direct investments, in turn, are expected to rise from $700 million to $1 billion by 2030.
Canada’s Aton Resources (TSX-V: AAN) secured a gold mining license in the country in February. It was the second permit issued in Egypt since 2005, when Centamin (LON:CEY) (TSX:CEE) — the country’s main gold producer — was granted its licence for the Sukari mine.
Luring investors
A month later, Cairo began auction of 56,000 square kilometres of exploration concessions in the Eastern Desert.
It recently extended the auction’s original July deadline to Sept. 15 due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic and to extend the opportunity to more potential bidders.
Unlike Egypt’s natural gas sector, the country’s mineral wealth remains largely under-explored and undeveloped
The lack of activity was due, in part, to Egypt’s past system of royalties and profit-sharing agreements. They made it difficult and unprofitable for miners to explore for and exploit minerals.
Fresh rules introduced this year eliminated the need for miners to form joint ventures with the Egyptian government and limited state royalties to a maximum of 20%.
Une nouvelle souche grippale semblable au virus pandémique H1N1 vient d'être identifiée par des chercheurs chinois. Que savons-nous à son sujet à l'heure actuelle ?
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C’est en mémoire de l’événement de Toungouska que la Journée mondiale des astéroïdes, Asteroid Day, est célébrée chaque année à la même date. Parce que les chercheurs sont aujourd’hui convaincus que l’explosion qui a ébranlé la forêt sibérienne le 30 juin 1908 est due à un astéroïde. Un des...
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Parti du Sahara il y a plus d’une semaine, un immense nuage de sable a traversé l’Atlantique. Il a atteint l’Amérique centrale et les États-Unis il y a quelques jours. Obscurcissant le ciel et menaçant la santé des populations.Ground-based and satellite observations have confirmed that the...
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En général, personne ne passe à travers les murs, à part peut-être les particules quantiques... Cette étrange propriété baptisée effet tunnel n’intervient qu’à très petite échelle. Découvrez en vidéo grâce à Tout Est Quantique cette incroyable capacité de la matière.
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Conçue par une start-up polonaise, la Triggo peut passer de 148 à 86 cm de largeur pour se faufiler entre les voitures telle une moto ou se garer dans un espace exigu.
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Comme les écureuils volants, certains serpents arboricoles sont capables de planer pour passer d'arbre en arbre. Lorsqu'ils sont dans les airs, ces derniers ondulent selon un schéma bien précis. Des chercheurs ont voulu comprendre comment ces mouvements permettaient aux serpents de planer et...
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Arrêter de se toucher le visage est l’un des nombreux gestes barrières recommandés par les autorités sanitaires contre la contamination au Covid-19. Une recommandation pas toujours facile à respecter, surtout avec le port du masque qui a tendance à bouger ou à gratter. Heureusement, la...
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Researchers at The University of Hong Kong co-developed an autonomous ‘hunter drone’ that seeks out targets at night using a scanning laser. The mechanism could effectively be used to find new mineral deposits.
In a paper published in the journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution, the scientists explain that the application of laser-stimulated fluorescence or LSF to an aerial system is possible because of the laser’s ability to project over great distances with little loss in power.
The technique has been highly successful in paleontology, making fossil bones glow and revealing otherwise invisible details like skin and cartilage.
Hotspot on laser ‘scan strip’ produced by the Laser Raptor drone system is ~2cm wide fragment of a fossil mammal tooth. (Image courtesy of Thomas G Kaye & Michael Pittman, The University of Hong Kong)
Fluorescence is also extremely sensitive to differences in mineral composition so the new system’s creators believe it is ready to seek out a whole range of fluorescent targets including minerals, for example, to study rare and unusual geology or to search for gemstones.
The drone has been nicknamed ‘Laser Raptor’ and it is loaded with pre-programmed flight paths during the day. Then, at night, it flies rapidly to search locations using its onboard navigation and then descends and maintains an altitude of 4 metres above ground so it can ‘mow the lawn’ in search of glowing targets as small as a thumbnail. After each “mission” is complete, a video of the laser scan is processed to find hotspots that are investigated the next day.
Co-creators Thomas Kaye and Michael Pittman said they are now working to develop LSF applications for the study of geologic landscapes beyond Earth.
A previously side-lined EV battery cathode material – LFP, composed of lithium iron and phosphate – has come to the forefront in 2020, thanks to its inherent safety, low cost, and the simplified battery pack design that it allows, a white paper published by Roskill reveals.
According to the market analyst, the abovementioned set of reasons may be the driving forces behind Tesla’s, BYD’s and Volkswagen’s decision to choose LFP cathodes to power their electric vehicles in the Chinese market.
When it comes to safety, for example, Roskill points to the fact that the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued new regulations this year which will require EVs to inhibit any fire or explosion within five minutes after a thermal runaway incident happens in battery cells.
To avoid costly mitigation systems needed in the new regulatory context in China, carmakers seem to be resorting to inherently safe LFP cathode materials
“To achieve that level of protection, Chinese EVs using nickel-based chemistries such as NCM will require mitigation systems; these may include the use of fire-proof mica plates between pack and vehicle, ‘aerogel’ segments distributed throughout the pack, or robust but heavy steel beams, among many other solutions,” the paper’s summary reads. “Such protection systems come at a monetary cost but, more importantly, an energy density cost (given their weight and volume), undoing advances in cell performance that were designed to lower pack cost and, therefore, EV prices.”
After describing the issue, Roskill points to the fact that to avoid costly mitigation systems, carmakers can resort to using inherently safe LFP cathode materials, which would allow them to build simplified battery packs without modules, and without the otherwise necessary but voluminous safety and auxiliary components.
“In the last 12 months, companies such as BYD, CATL and Honeycomb (SVOLT) have revealed several pack architectures using this approach,” the analyst’s document states. “As a result, some of these companies claimed up to 30% higher volumetric energy density, while decreasing the cost by as much as 30%, thanks to a more streamlined pack design.”
Besides safety features, cobalt prices may be pushing the LFP comeback.
“Cobalt price rises in 2018 made the cathode cost on a 50kWh battery pack move up 13-28% y-on-y. Although the cost impact at total vehicle level was much smaller, at 4-7%, this change could wipe out the margin obtained in smaller mass-market cars,” the whitepaper reads. “In comparison, the cost of LFP moved just 1% y-on-y in the same period, with a marginal effect on total car cost.”
To the prices of the blue element, Roskill adds the fact that labour and human rights conditions linked to its mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is responsible for over 50% of the cobalt produced worldwide, remain murky.
“These environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns, coupled with the fact that around 25% of global cobalt reserves could be depleted by 2030 (even when considering ultra-high nickel chemistries and cobalt recycling), pose a significant risk to supply chain disruptions,” the report reads.
Whether LFP will overtake nickel-based cathodes, in Roskill’s view, that’s yet to be seen. The reasoning behind this is that 95% of LFP cathode manufacturing is produced in China and that patent restrictions that confine its production to the Asian country will be lifted only in 2022.
En attendant l'ESA qui devrait bientôt dévoiler le nom des entreprises qui construiront les deux modules qu'elle réalisera pour le Gateway, l'Agence spatiale canadienne a indiqué que MDA construirait le système robotisé qui équipera cette petite station située à proximité de la Lune. Ce...
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Pour la première fois une équipe d’alpinistes a filmé le sommet de l'Everest avec un petit drone multirotor dans le cadre d’un documentaire pour National Geographic.
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AMEBC and Integra Resources have launched the #MiningFeedsBC Food Bank Challenge to help fundraise for Food Banks BC, specifically supporting food security efforts in rural, remote and Indigenous communities in British Columbia. So far the challenge has raised over C$30,000.
Instead of simply straight donations (which are still accepted), the twist on this challenge is calling individuals and companies to also share their best “mining meal memory” on social media and challenging others.
Wheaton Precious Metals is stepping in with a corporate donation of C$25,000 and will match all additional donations up to C$25,000 to bring the total to C$100,000.
SolGold (LON, TSX:SOLG) is trying to buy Canada’s Cornerstone Capital Resources (TSX-V: CGP), which owns a minority stake in the Alpala copper-gold project, part of the Ecuador-focused miner’s Cascabel asset.
The all-stock offer would see SolGold paying C$3.90 for each Cornerstone Capital Resources share, a 22% premium to its closing price on Monday.
Chief executive Nick Mather said the consolidation of Alpala into a single listed entity made “eminent sense” as it would simplify the structure of the $2.8bn project. He also said it would reduce the risk of dilution and future development costs for Cornerstone shareholders.
Une Indienne de 28 ans a donné naissance à une petite fille sans bras ni jambes le 26 juin dans le village de Sironj Tehsil, au centre de l’Inde dans le Madhya Pradesh. Une malformation due à une anomalie génétique rare et récessive nommée tétra-amélie et qui se caractérise par l’absence des...
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Pour succéder aux imposants casques Oculus, Facebook travaille sur des lunettes ultra-légères de réalité virtuelle. Une vraie prouesse technologique réalisée grâce à une lentille holographique.
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Des chercheurs américains fournissent l'étude la plus complète sur la nocivité de la pollution atmosphérique et ses conséquences sur la santé des personnes âgées. Ils suggèrent que leurs standards de la qualité de l'air, qu'ils estiment actuellement peu protecteurs, soient abaissés afin de mieux...
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Les étoiles variables lumineuses bleues sont des hypergéantes très massives mais rares. L'une d'elles semble avoir disparu sans exploser en supernova, ce qui est possible en devenant directement un trou noir. Ce serait la première observation de ce type de phénomène pour des étoiles aussi...
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C’est en mémoire de l’événement de Toungouska que la Journée mondiale des astéroïdes, Asteroid Day, est célébrée chaque année à la même date. Parce que les chercheurs sont aujourd’hui convaincus que l’explosion qui a ébranlé la forêt sibérienne le 30 juin 1908 est due à un astéroïde. Un des...
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Les températures dans l’Arctique atteignent depuis plusieurs années des records, ce qui entraîne une fonte des glaces accélérée. En 2019, le Groenland a ainsi perdu 600 milliards de tonnes de glace. Ce réchauffement ne fait pas que des malheureux. L’allongement de la saison estivale, où la...
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Au début de la crise du coronavirus, les experts l’ont évoqué : la réduction des barrières entre les Hommes et les animaux sauvages augmente les risques de pandémie. Mais une nouvelle étude montre aujourd’hui qu’au-delà de cette problématique particulière, la dégradation de l’écosystème rend...
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Le mercure est naturellement présent dans les écosystèmes. Il y est introduit par les éruptions volcaniques ou par les feux de forêt. Mais les activités humaines — telles que les activités industrielles, l’incinération, l’exploitation minière ou la production d’énergie — augmentent la quantité...
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Les récifs coralliens ne se trouvent pas qu'au large de l'Australie ou dans les eaux tempérées. Ils prospèrent aussi dans les eaux froides et sombres du Groenland. Des scientifiques ont mis au jour un jardin sous-marin unique dans la baie de Davis, le premier en son genre dans cette région.
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La pollution de l’air est un fléau. Pour la combattre efficacement, il faut pouvoir se reposer sur des données fiables. C’est ce que proposent aujourd’hui des chercheurs. Ils présentent la carte de la qualité de l’air la plus précise à ce jour. Et elle réserve quelques surprises.
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Prixtel, le spécialiste des forfaits ajustables, opère une promotion intéressante sur son forfait Giga Série de 50 à 200 Go. Pour une durée limitée, l’opérateur applique une réduction de 2 euros pour chacune de ses offres.
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Certaines personnes aiment être entourées de monde et d'autres apprécient d'être seule et ressentent un décalage entre elles et autrui. Une nouvelle étude suggère que cela pourrait être dû à une différence d'activité cérébrale lorsqu'il s'agit des relations sociales chez les solitaires.
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Quand on cherche à transmettre les sciences, beaucoup de questions se posent au préalable. Mais au fait, que cherche-t-on à transmettre lorsqu'on parle de transmission « des sciences » ? Est-ce que l'on parle des méthodes qu'utilise la science ? Des données qu'elle produit ? De l'esprit et de la...
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WordPress est un remarquable système de gestion de contenu (CMS), c'est pourquoi il y a tant de bons cours WordPress disponibles en ligne. Il est suffisamment puissant et flexible pour créer presque tous les types de blogs ou de sites web que vous pouvez imaginer. Cependant, le vaste monde de...
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UrbanGold Minerals (TSXV: UGM) announced that it has started surface work at its Kiyask property in Quebec, Canada.
In a press release, UrbanGold said that although the property is known to contain at least five gold occurrences, the work will focus on the historical Gunnar showing which has reportedly been traced by near-surface drilling in the late 1950s over a 200-metre strike length within a shear zone.
The initial program will focus on reconnaissance work and surface sampling in preparation for ground geophysics
Based on this legacy information, the miner said the initial program will focus on reconnaissance work and surface sampling in preparation for ground geophysics. The campaign will follow-up on the airborne magnetic survey completed earlier this year, which was designed to cover the potential extensions of mineralized shears zones located approximately 1.5 kilometres from where historical drilling has recorded 40 g/t gold over 3 metres and where 70.6 g/t gold in a grab sample was taken from another location.
Kiyask is a 1,325-hectare property located in Le Sueur Township, approximately 8 kilometres west of the now-closed Lac Shortt mine which produced 2.7 million tonnes averaging 4.6 g/t gold in the 1980s.
The project consists of several blocks of claims all located between 5 and 20 kilometres northeast of the Urban-Barry mill operated by Bonterra Resources.
The world’s second largest miner Rio Tinto (ASX, LON, NYSE: RIO) has reached an agreement with Mongolia regarding the construction of a power plant to supply the giant Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine, located in the Gobi Desert.
The new deal is a revision of the original power source framework agreement (PSFA) signed in 2018. It states that Rio, its subsidiary Turquoise Hill Resources (TSX, NYSE:TRQ) and the Mongolian government will work towards finding a permanent power supply solution by the end of March 2021.
Coal-fired plant is expected to come on stream within the next four years.
The notice confirms that Rio will not have to build its own 300 MW coal power plant, which it had earlier estimated could cost $924 million. Instead, is the government which will begin construction of a coal-fired power plant by July 2021.
The company estimates the plant will come on stream within the next four years. Until then, power supply to the mine and the underground project, which is sourced from China, will continue under the current terms, Rio said.
The massive Oyu Tolgoi deposit was discovered in Mongolia’s southern desert in 2001. Rio Tinto gained control of it in 2012, with the government of Mongolia retaining one-third ownership of the asset.
Canada’s Turquoise Hill, the Rio-controlled company that owns 66% of Oyu Tolgoi, is spearheading an ongoing underground expansion, which has faced multiple delays and costs blowouts.
Rio Tinto and Turquoise estimated last year a cost overrun at the project of up to $1.9 billion due to difficult geology. They noted that total capital expenditure would be in a range of $6.5 billion-$7.2 billion.
The cost of building a power plant would have come on top of that figure.
The project will to lift production from 125,000–150,000 tonnes in 2019 to 560,000 tonnes at peak output, targeted for 2025. This would make it the biggest new copper mine to come on stream in several years.
Oyu Tolgoi produced 35,203 tonnes of copper and 26,154 ounces of gold in the first three months of this year, on track to achieve 2020 production guidance. The coronavirus pandemic, however, has caused operation to slow down since.
Gliese 887. Deux décennies que les astronomes scrutaient cette étoile proche de notre Système solaire dans l’espoir de lui trouver des exoplanètes qu’ils pourraient étudier directement. C’est désormais chose faite. Ils ont découvert au moins deux superterres dans la zone habitable de cette naine...
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With the pandemic news and gold prices reaching new highs, gold heap leach projects are getting a fresh look, but where are the projects?
Since 2017, the gold resources reported at mine projects have grown from 700 million troy ounces in 41 countries to 877 million troy ounces in 52 countries in 2020.
The top five countries in 2017 were United States, Mexico, Chile, Russia and Peru, but in 2020, Uzbekistan displaced Peru to rank as the second largest gold resource behind United States.
The Uzbek resources are contained in three deposits, as the Muruntau deposit contains the world’s largest gold resource. Two other Uzbek mines are Zarafshan and Amanaytau.
The importance of gold mining to countries should not be underestimated due to the enormous economic contribution, because the shiny metal contained in 83 deposits in the US contributed the largest share at 32% of the total of total non-fuel mineral values of $86.3 billion.
So what is this resource worth? If you can get it out of the ground, the in-place value at the current gold price is over $1.5 trillion.
Source: MiningIntelligence.com
So how do you evaluate these projects? Having the best cost estimating tools are a must.
The CostMine team has just released the Gold Heap Leach Cost Estimating Guide. The 2020 release is a fully updated version of the guide first published in 2015.
The Guide will serve as a valuable reference to evaluate the cost, feasibility, design and operations for recovery of gold by heap leach operations. The Guide contains cost models of mining and processing for gold heap leach mine operations in addition to addressing several technical topics on gold heap leach not available elsewhere.
La Colombie compte plus de 88.000 personnes infectées par le coronavirus et 2.800 décès. Parmi les malades du Covid-19, il y a le cas extraordinaire de Diana Angola. Âgée de 36 ans, cette Colombienne a contracté la maladie le 15 mai dernier. Elle a été prise en charge dans une clinique de la...
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Si vous êtes en reconversion professionnelle ou que vous souhaitez développer vos connaissances dans le milieu du web, apprenez des cours de langage de programmation Python en ligne ! Étudiez à la maison un des meilleurs cours du langage Python pour améliorer vos compétences en langage de...
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Vous êtes-vous déjà demandé à quoi ressemblait un coucher de soleil depuis un autre endroit du Système solaire, comme la lointaine Uranus ou la lune saturnienne Titan ?Un planétologue de la Nasa a créé une simulation de coucher de soleil tel qu’on le verrait depuis les planètes et lunes...
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MineHub Technologies announced that BHP (ASX, LON: BHP) and China Baowu have completed their first iron ore trade on MineHub’s blockchain-based platform.
The platform is a decentralized digital system with underlying blockchain technology that connects buyers, sellers and service providers in mining and metals supply chains through shared information. The application allows the parties in a mineral transaction to virtually integrate their trade operations processes like contracting, logistics, specifications and financing services.
MineHub said that the BHP-China Baowu deal is the first of a series of transactions with various industry partners
In a press release, MineHub said that the BHP-China Baowu deal is the first of a series of transactions with various industry partners, as the company is working towards providing commodity supply chains with a fully digital end-to-end fulfillment process.
“Working with the world’s largest mining company and the world’s largest steel producer on designing the digital future of critical supply chains like iron ore is incredibly exciting,” Arnoud Star Busmann, CEO of MineHub, said in the media statement. “This series of transactions, each focusing on different aspects of the post-trade process, will allow MineHub to incrementally expand the platform’s functionality and scalability into the iron ore and other mineral commodity markets, incorporating real-life user experience.”
According to Star Busmann, the tech company he leads from Vancouver is also developing and validating digital solutions in complementary settings and in collaboration with companies that work with base metals concentrates, structured finance and emissions tracking to further prove the value that can be created through digitalization.
“We will incorporate these learnings into the next MineHub release, planned for Q4 2020, and which will start to provide a solution to the increasingly urgent need for industry-wide digitalization, by boosting both safety, transparency and resilience of critical supply chains,” the executive said. “Especially as current pandemic events and fraud cases in the commodity trading industry are causing a step-change in the adoption of digital solutions.”
Sans l'accord de l'utilisateur, de nombreuses applications ont un œil sur le presse-papier du smartphone lorsqu'on copie un lien, une adresse ou un numéro de téléphone. La bêta d'iOS 14 a permis de les débusquer grâce à une nouvelle fonction de sécurité.
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Le diamant Hope est légendaire tant par son apparence que par le récit de ses origines. Les scientifiques ont en effet confirmé que celui-ci proviendrait des profondeurs de la Terre, là où peu de diamants voient le jour.
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Photoshop est un logiciel de retouche photo avec de nombreuses fonctions. Bien que le logiciel ait des capacités et des possibilités presque illimitées, il peut toujours faire peur au premier abord.Pourquoi opter pour une formation Photoshop ?Il y a tout un monde entre avoir des idées de...
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Que vous souhaitiez apprendre par curiosité ou vous réorienter vers les métiers du web, découvrez dans cet article une sélection de formations, passant du Développement web aux Data sciences.
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D'après les dernières prévisions, le chômage devrait se situer aux alentours de 10 % fin 2020, contre 8,1 % fin 2019. Tous les secteurs sont touchés. Toutes les catégories de population. Mais, parmi elles, les jeunes sont particulièrement affectés. Des mesures spécifiques ont-elles été prises ?...
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Si vous pensez déjà tout savoir concernant les médecines dites alternatives, cette enquête conçue en trois volets pourrait vous surprendre. Plongeons ensemble dans le monde merveilleux de ces thérapies particulières. Première étape : savoir différencier médecine conventionnelle et médecine...
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Des traces de coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 ont été identifiées dans des échantillons d’eaux usées à Barcelone datant du 12 mars 2019, soit neuf mois avant l’apparition officielle du virus en Chine, rapporte l’agence Reuters. Cette découverte, effectuée par les chercheurs de l’université de Barcelone,...
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Chez les dauphins, un second cas d'utilisation d'outils a été observé. Et ce n'est pas très surprenant. Mais les chercheurs ne s'attendaient pas à ce que ce comportement culturel soit transmis entre individus d'un même groupe, et pas seulement de parents à enfants.
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Parus dans la revue JAMA, de nouveaux résultats de la Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) font la lumière sur l'absorption par le corps de certains composés de la crème solaire dans le sang. Faisant suite à une étude publiée en mai 2019, ceux-ci apportent des informations complémentaires,...
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The ongoing and global transition to renewable energies is not exempt of human rights abuses, which could create risks in a sector vital to countering the climate crisis, the first benchmark of companies in the sector, published Monday, shows.
According to UK-based Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), the authors of the benchmark, the renewable energy industry has seen a rise in claims of human rights violations. At least 197 allegations against green energy companies have been filed since 2010, with 40 of them registered last year.
Renewables play a key role in reducing C02 emissions, but can come at a cost if companies violate human rights in their operations and supply chains
Those allegations, the watchdog says, include killings, threats and land grabs. They prove that efforts to protect workers and communities are falling short, it notes.
“Renewable energy will play a pivotal role in ‘building back better’ following the covid-19 pandemic,” says BHRRC deputy director Marti Flacks. “This makes it even more crucial that the renewable energy sector avoid the mistakes of other energy providers and urgently build respect for human rights in their operations and supply chains.”
The company analyzed 16 of the largest publicly-traded wind and solar producers using a methodology developed through seven global consultations, involving more than 100 stakeholders.
The lower the score, the more work companies have to do to ensure respect for human rights in their operations and through their supply chains.
Firms analyzed include Enel, Blackrock, NextEra, Jinko Solar, China General Nuclear Power Corp, and PowerChina, among others.
The study concluded that nearly half (7/16) of the firms scored below 10%, with three quarters (12/16) scoring below 40%. No entities scored above 53%.
On the most important indicators, the sector’s average score was on par with other high-risk industries, such as apparel, agricultural products, mining and ICT manufacturing, the NGO said.
The study concluded that nearly half (7/16) of the firms scored below 10%, with three quarters (12/16) scoring below 40%. No entities scored above 53%
It doesn’t include original documents nor full transcriptions of court cases against companies. Instead, it just links to either media reports on an alleged abuse or to research by other NGOs working in the field, such as Amnesty International.
Land use
One of the most pressing issues, BHRRC says, is related to land-use as some projects have threatened environmentally sensitive areas land utilized by indigenous people. Examples include a wind farm in Norway challenged by reindeer-herders over loss of land; a solar park in Mexico sued over lack of community consent, and a wind farm in Kenya cancelled after lawsuits by farmers and local landowners.
BHRRC’s benchmark outlines policy and practice gaps the sector should address to ensure the transition to a net zero-carbon economy is both fast and fair.
The Renewable Energy and Human Rights Benchmark uses 13 core indicators from the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark to assess companies against the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs).
It uses a further 19 indicators developed to assess risks specific to the renewable energy industry.
La plupart des objets astronomiques émettent dans les rayons X. Et grâce à eRosita, les astronomes disposent maintenant d’une carte détaillée de l’ensemble de notre ciel à ces courtes longueurs d’onde. De quoi ouvrir des perspectives nouvelles sur notre Univers et ses objets les plus...
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Le lac de Lonar, situé au centre de l’Inde, s’est subitement coloré en rose dans la nuit du 9 au 10 juin 2020, alimentant les débats de la communauté scientifique et des internautes. Le lac d'environ 1,8 kilomètre de diamètre s’est formé il y a 56.000 ans suite à l’impact d’une météorite ; c’est...
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Un ingénieur de soixante ans, souffrant d’une maladie neurodégénérative rare, présente un symptôme plus qu’étrange. Alors que son cerveau voit des chiffres, ce dernier les perçoit comme des gribouillages.
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Plongez pour un voyage extraordinaire parmi les requins au cœur de la Polynésie française. Le plongeur Steven Surina vous accompagne au large de Tahiti et de l'archipel des Tuamotu à la rencontre de ces incroyables créatures.
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Les patients ayant attrapé le coronavirus de sexe masculin semblent produire davantage d’anticorps que ceux de sexe féminin, selon la NHS, le service de santé britannique. La NHS, qui récolte actuellement le plasma de patients convalescents pour un essai de traitement contre le coronavirus, a...
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Il y a 250 millions d’années, la Terre connaissait sa plus importante extinction de masse. Les chercheurs pensent aujourd’hui qu’elle a pu être le résultat d’un réchauffement climatique causé par la combustion d’une quantité colossale de charbon.
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As the US pushes to dilute China’s monopoly and develop a domestic rare earth supply, Colorado-based Energy Fuels (TSX: EFR) is working towards being at the forefront in the race.
Energy Fuels is the owner of the White Mesa Mill in Utah, the only fully-licensed and operating conventional uranium mill in the United States. The facility is normally used to process radioactive ore and produce yellowcake but now some areas are likely to be transformed to allow for the processing of uranium-rare earth ores.
“Our rare earth elements program intends to make the mill available for miners to process their uranium-rare earth ores in the US. Such a facility does not currently exist,” Mark Chalmers, president and CEO of Energy Fuels, told MINING.COM.
According to Chalmers, the mill’s ability to remove and recover uranium and manage the radioactive byproducts from rare earth ore potentially makes it a key link in the US rare earth supply chain. This is because many rare earth separation facilities are unable to handle uranium or the radioactive byproducts due to either technical or regulatory reasons, which explains why China’s rare earth industry is closely tied to its nuclear industry.
“We are simply looking to do something similar in the US,” the executive said.
It took Energy Fuels one year to assess the possibility of using the White Mesa mill to process REE ore streams and produce rare earth concentrates. Can you explain what this evaluation process consisted of?
Over the past year or so, we were approached by several private entities and the US government, asking about the capabilities of the White Mesa Mill in the rare earth space. So we began to educate ourselves.
We discovered that uranium occurs in many rare earth minerals and that these elements need to be removed before the individual rare earth elements could be separated. Of course, uranium recovery is our main business. We began internal laboratory testing on a number of rare earth mineral samples and got very positive results.
White Mesa mill tank. (Image courtesy of Energy Fuels).
We also began talking to rare earth industry folks who were not aware of the White Mesa Mill, and once they learned about our capabilities, they told us that the White Mesa Mill could fill a vital role in bringing rare earth production back to the US.
We hired some exceptional consultants, including ANSTO, a mining consultancy group in Australia with considerable experience in rare earth mineral processing; Brock O’Kelley, who also has considerable experience in the mining and processing of rare earths in the US; and Constantine Karayannopoulos, who has substantial global experience and relationships in rare earth markets. At the current time, we think we are well on our way toward creating a viable rare earth business.
Will the mill have to undergo any modification to be able to process REE ore?
We are currently evaluating minor modifications to our operations at White Mesa Mill to enable the processing of uranium-bearing rare earth ores and to recover uranium and produce a rare earth concentrate. However, we do not believe significant investment will be required for our initial phases of rare earth recovery.
Can you explain how the process of removing and recovering uranium and thorium from rare earth ore works?
The mill has a long history of recovering uranium from a number of ores and alternate feed streams, including some that contained rare earths. We just didn’t attempt to recover those rare earths in the past. To create a rare earth concentrate, mill personnel will apply chemicals to the rare earth ores and place the rare earth elements, along with uranium, into solution. Then, the mill will use solvent extraction to remove the uranium and the radioactive byproducts. These processes are actually quite similar to what the mill has done over its 40-year operating history.
When do you plan to start this new phase?
We intend to test and evaluate potential sources of rare earth element ores with the goal of entering into commercial processing arrangements with the owners of those ores, potentially as soon as late 2020 or early 2021. If the program is successful, we will produce rare earth oxide concentrates, which can then be sent to existing rare earth separation facilities for further processing.
Why is it important for a company like Energy Fuels to enter the REE market?
China is the dominant supplier of rare earth elements that are used in everything from smartphones to medical devices to clean energy production. The US government declared that rare earth elements are critical to our economy and national defense and has made it a priority to develop domestic production capabilities.
We see an opportunity for our White Mesa Mill, which is already licensed and constructed, to help fill this critical gap and bring rare earth production capabilities back to the US. We don’t expect to significantly displace China in global rare earth markets. However, we would like to play a role in helping the US to rebuild our domestic capabilities.
A little bit of background
Energy Fuels acquired the White Mesa Mill as part of its acquisition of Denison Mines Corp. back in 2012. This transaction combined the only operating uranium mill in the US with Energy Fuels’ resources base.
Built in 1980, the facility has a licensed capacity of 8+ million pounds of uranium per year.
Ore from Energy Fuels mines in Utah, Arizona and Wyoming is crushed into smaller particles and delivered to the mill. Once there, expert personnel use a chemical solution to extract the uranium, which is concentrated and dried to create yellowcake. The yellowcake is then transported to a conversion facility to continue the process of creating nuclear fuel.
Lorsque Frank Drake lance le premier projet de recherche d’intelligence extraterrestre en 1960, il vise les ondes radio qu’une civilisation avancée pourrait émettre dans notre Univers. Aujourd’hui, la Nasa a décidé d’aller plus loin en subventionnant des recherches sur d’autres technosignatures....
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Le satellite de l'astéroïde Didymos, que les sondes Dart et Hera, respectivement américaine et européenne, exploreront dans le cadre de la mission conjointe Aida, vient d'être baptisé officiellement Dimorphos.
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The famous Cullinan diamond, which is now the centrepiece of the British Crown Jewels, likely originated in Earth’s lower mantle, right beneath the rigid and stable continental plates, where the mantle is slowly moving or convecting.
The finding is part of ongoing research carried out by Evan Smith and Wuyi Wang at the Gemological Institute of America. The new insight was presented by Smith at the virtual 2020 Goldschmidt Conference organized by US-based Geochemical Society and the European Association of Geochemistry.
Smith and his team concluded that the Cullinan diamond was likely formed in the lower mantle and can be considered a ‘super-deep’ stone after examining an analog, large 124-carat diamond from Gem Diamonds’ (LON: GEMD) Letšeng mine in Lesotho.
According to the researchers, recent analyses of this walnut-sized diamond revealed that it contains remains of an important element: bridgmanite.
The Cullinan II or the Second Star of Africa, a diamond that weighs 317.4 carats, is mounted in the Imperial State Crown. (Image by Cyril Davenport, Wikimedia Commons).
“Finding these remnants of the elusive mineral bridgmanite is significant. It’s very common in the deep Earth, at the extreme pressure conditions of the lower mantle, below a depth of 660 kilometres, even deeper than most super-deep diamonds,” Smith said in his presentation. “Bridgmanite doesn’t exist in the upper mantle, or at the surface. What we actually see in the diamonds when they reach the surface is not bridgmanite, but the minerals left when it breaks down as the pressure decreases. Finding these minerals trapped in a diamond means that the diamond itself must have crystallized at a depth where bridgmanite exists, very deep within the Earth.”
By aiming a laser at the tiny inclusions trapped inside the diamond, the researchers found that the way the light scattered (using a Raman spectrometer) was characteristic of bridgmanite breakdown products.
The Letšeng mine diamond is so pure that it doesn’t contain nitrogen in its crystal structure. This characteristic classifies it as a ‘CLIPPIR’ diamond, which is the same category as that of the Cullinan diamond.
“What is special about this one is that it is the first CLIPPIR diamond for which we can firmly assign a lower mantle origin, that is, below 660 kilometres,” Smith said. “Previously, we had known that CLIPPIR diamonds are super-deep and speculated that their depth of origin might span 360 to 750 kilometres depth, but we hadn’t actually seen any that were definitely from the deeper end of this window.”
In the researcher’s view, this finding gives a better idea of exactly where CLIPPIR diamonds come from and also shows that there is some overlap in the birthplace for CLIPPIR diamonds and type IIb diamonds, such as the famous Hope diamond. This rare blue gem was owned by monarchs, bankers, heiresses and thieves until it landed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC.
The overlap that Smith refers to points to a previous study in which the researcher showed that the Hope and other IIb diamonds originate in Earth’s deep mantle and that the boron that gives them a blue hue comes from the bottom of the oceans. To get into the diamond, the element is first dragged hundreds of kilometres by plate tectonics down into the mantle.
“It shows that there is a gigantic recycling route that brings elements from Earth’s surface down into the Earth, and then occasionally returns beautiful diamonds to the surface, as passengers in volcanic eruptions,” Smith said.
The International Copper Association Australia (ICAA) commissioned the University of Sydney’s Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering to develop a strategic roadmap to achieve a ‘zero-emission copper mine of the future.’
In a 68-page report, the Warren Centre explains that, typically, greenhouse gas emissions through the copper production process are associated with the consumption of fuel in the mining and materials transport processes and indirect emissions from electrical energy use in extractive and beneficiation processes.
“In general, the energy consumption in the primary copper process is dominated by the earlier stages of beneficiation. This is due to the high energy demand requirement to crush and grind ore. Within the mining process loading and hauling, blasting, and ventilation (in the case of underground mining) all consume a higher proportion of energy to other aspects of the mining process,” the document states.
Based on a literature review, the report concludes that the average energy intensity and GHG intensity is 2.6 t CO2-eq per tonne of copper produced, a figure that varies by location, extraction methodology, and ore grades.
To move towards a greener mine, the report says that one key strategy is to increase transparency and reporting.
To achieve this, copper miners are asked to account for direct emissions, such as those from sources that are owned and controlled by companies, including onsite power generation; indirect emissions, which are those released into the atmosphere due to the consumption of an energy commodity, for example, emissions from the generation of purchased electricity to enable the copper production process; and finally, all other emissions that are generated indirectly as a result of activities from sources that are not owned or controlled by the company, like the emissions as a consequence of the use of the sold copper cathode for the manufacture of semi-fabricated products.
“Measurements of greenhouse gases are recorded relative to carbon dioxide equivalence (CO2-eq). For instance, a manufacturing or processing company emitting 1 tonne of methane into the atmosphere has the same global warming potential as emitting 25 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Hence, 1 tonne of methane would be expressed as 25 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalence,” the report reads.
According to the document, emissions can be reported in absolute terms (total CO2-equivalent emissions, or CO2- eq) and intensity terms (CO2-eq per unit). Absolute measurements, however, should be combined with efficiency metrics to understand performance at a company or sector level.
The review recognizes that there are challenges associated with reaching the zero-emission goal, particularly how to achieve emission reduction outcomes while maximizing economic resource productivity at the industrial level, rather than simply offsetting or abating emissions associated with a given product cycle.
Besides transparent reporting, copper miners are encouraged to reach out to existing innovative mining equipment, technology and services (METS) businesses, which can be an important source of new ideas to address emission reduction pathways in the short and medium-term.
According to the Warren Centre, METS can be key players for finding ways to reduce both costs and emissions through innovation, a path that should also include government and research institutions.
“Applying advanced technologies at the discovery and exploration stage of the mining cycle will enable the development of robust ore-deposit identification and exploration models to improve the likelihood of detection of high-grade deposits in greenfield and brownfield sites. Advanced technologies can optimize attractive host rock settings and subsequent future ore recovery,” the document reads.
In a series of tables, the report presents specific segments of the discovery phase that can be addressed from existing or in-development innovations with the goal of reducing emissions. The tables are also presented for processes related to material movement, ventilation, mineral processing and water usage.
In summary, when it comes to material movement, the Warren Centre’s proposal focuses on the need to further advances in the electrification of mining systems and the transition to automation in all aspects of the mining and material movement process. In particular, it highlights the importance of making use of incremental technologies that are able to deliver technical efficiencies with improved asset availability, reduced maintenance requirements, extended mine life, enhanced productivity and reduced emission outcomes.
For ventilation, the document points to shifts in technology, particularly autonomous systems that are allowing for the deployment of fewer people underground, which means that ventilation systems can be transitioned to be on-demand while power requirements are optimized.
When it comes to mineral processing, targeted innovation efforts that should continue to be explored are technologies to improve crushing and grinding efficiencies, separation and concentrate drying, optimization of processing performance, in addition to measurement technologies to interconnect systems across the whole of plant operations and dry processing technologies.
There is also encouragement to adopt in-situ recovery mechanisms as they have the potential to be a low-impact and selective mining option because they imply the recovery of valuable metals from ore deposits by the circulation of fluid underground and the recovery of the valuable metal from the fluid at the surface for further processing.
Addressing water usage, the report proposes a number of strategies that range from site stormwater capture, treatment and discharge to building slurry pipelines. However, the main focus is on industrial-scale desalination (reverse osmosis) technologies or the use of membrane technology to remove salts and other contaminants from water.
Even though the Centre recognizes that desalinization requires elevated energy inputs, the report also states that the growth in renewable technology is proving to be an effective offset mechanism to the high-energy intensive operations of desalination plants.
Avec la chaleur, le risque de décès augmente. C’est établi depuis longtemps. Mais des chercheurs affirment aujourd’hui que les conséquences de températures qui montent sous l’effet du réchauffement climatique ont été sous-estimées. Selon eux, le nombre de décès liés à la chaleur est d’au moins...
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Le satellite de l'astéroïde Didymos, que les sondes Dart et Hera, respectivement américaine et européenne, exploreront dans le cadre de la mission conjointe Aida, vient d'être baptisé officiellement Dimorphos.
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La maladie de Parkinson apparaît lorsque les neurones dopaminergiques – qui produisent de la dopamine – dégénèrent et disparaissent progressivement, explique France Parkinson. Or, la dopamine est un élément essentiel du contrôle des mouvements du corps. Si chacune des 200.000 personnes touchées...
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Récemment découvert par les astronomes, Pōniuā'ena est le deuxième quasar le plus distant jamais découvert. Sa mise au jour éclaire les théories des chercheurs quant à la formation des trous noirs.
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La crevette Alpheus heterochaelis est un petit crustacé étonnant. Bien qu’elle fasse la taille d’une allumette, elle est dotée d’une paire de pinces particulièrement véloce. Ces dernières se referment si vite qu'elles produisent une onde de choc plus bruyante qu’un tir de pistolet. Une arme...
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Le volcanisme n'est pas limité à la Terre et pas uniquement sous forme de laves silicatées. On trouve des volcans actifs dans bien des endroits du Système solaire et très probablement sur Titan où il prend la forme du cryovolcanisme. Les données radar de la défunte sonde Cassini viennent de le...
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Le diamant Hope est légendaire tant par son apparence que par le récit de ses origines. Les scientifiques ont en effet confirmé que celui-ci proviendrait des profondeurs de la Terre, là où peu de diamants voient le jour.
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La maladie de Parkinson apparaît lorsque les neurones dopaminergiques – qui produisent de la dopamine – dégénèrent et disparaissent progressivement, explique France Parkinson. Or, la dopamine est un élément essentiel du contrôle des mouvements du corps. Si chacune des 200.000 personnes touchées...
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Lors de la fécondation, l'ovule guide les spermatozoïdes jusqu'à lui mais ces derniers ne réagissent pas tous aux signaux chimiques qui leur parviennent. Au final, l'ovule « choisit » les spermatozoïdes les plus réceptifs aux molécules chimioattractantes qu'il sécrète.
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Une espèce menacée d'un côté, une espèce disparue de l'autre. Cette fois, le réchauffement climatique pourrait bien avoir des retombées positives. En aggravant d'année en année la fonte des glaces en Antarctique, il semblerait qu'il facilite la vie des manchots. Tel est le constat de chercheurs...
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Thales Alenia Space réalisera deux modules pressurisés du segment Axiom de la Station spatiale internationale. Ces deux modules seront fixés au module Harmony – ou nœud de jonction Node 2 –, créant ainsi un nouvel espace réservé à Axiom Space qui pourra commercialiser cette partie habitée de l'ISS.
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Pour les 10 ans de son satellite d’observation du Soleil SDO, la Nasa publie un magnifique timelapse couvrant presque tout un cycle d’activité solaire. Regardez notre Étoile fulminer, vibrer, tourner et aussi s'apaiser avec le temps. Une vidéo qu’on ne se lasse pas de regarder.
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Les collisions de trous noirs ne doivent normalement pas s'accompagner d'un flash d'ondes électromagnétiques mais bien d'ondes gravitationnelles et d'un unique trou noir résultant. Toutefois, un tel flash a été observé avec une source d'ondes détectée par Ligo et Virgo. Un scénario explique ce...
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« Nous voulions étudier comment les singes percevaient ces images dans leur cerveau. En voient-ils une seule à la fois ? Ou sont-ils capables de traiter plusieurs images en même temps ? Nous avons pu conclure que les singes pouvaient traiter deux images à la fois en moins de 80 millisecondes...
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L’Europe vient de se doter d’un consortium, baptisé Pilum, destiné à mettre au point un canon électromagnétique, une arme d’artillerie supersonique capable d’atteindre six fois la vitesse du son. Un graal technologique sur lesquels les Américains ont déjà investi des centaines de millions de...
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Le soleil est là, les températures augmentent… c’est enfin la saison des repas en extérieur ! Et qui dit repas en extérieur dit barbecues et planchas. Qui n’a pas rêvé cet hiver de viandes ou de légumes grillés, assortis d’une boisson bien fraîche, le tout au soleil sur la terrasse ou le...
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La Nasa vous met au défi de créer les prochaines toilettes lunaires et lance un appel à idées pour en équiper son prochain alunisseur. S'assoir sur le trône en apesanteur représente toujours un challenge d'autant plus aujourd'hui qu'il doit s'adapter aux équipages féminins. C'est l'une des...
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Avec le koala et le kangourou, le wombat, un marsupial qui a l’air toujours heureux, est un des animaux emblématiques de l’Australie. Cet animal insolite est notamment connu pour la forme cubique de ses excréments. Il appartient au sous-ordre des Vombatiformes qui ne compte plus que deux espèces...
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Vivre bien et longtemps est certainement une préoccupation universelle, mais malheureusement nous ne sommes pas tous égaux face à la vieillesse et l'espérance de vie n'est pas la même pour tout le monde. Futura-Sciences a interviewé Vera Gorbunova, chercheuse en biologie, lors de son allocution...
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PureVPN est l’un des ténors du marché du VPN. Directement accessible pour le débutant qui va simplement choisir un mode d’usage, comme le streaming, par exemple, il est aussi doté d’outils pointus pour les utilisateurs exigeants. L’application bénéficie en ce moment d’une réduction de 40% sur sa...
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L’astrophysique nucléaire et l'astronomie neutrino viennent de remporter un succès de plus. Après plusieurs années de patientes observations du flux de neutrinos solaires par l’expérience Borexino en Italie, les physiciens ont pu vérifier les dernières prédictions concernant les réactions...
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Canadian authorities have given Endeavour Mining (TSX: EDV) the go-ahead for the acquisition of smaller rival Semafo (TSX: SMF), which would create West Africa’s top gold producer.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, said Endeavour, determined there was no need for a national security review of the C$1 million deal, announced in March this year.
Both companies’ boards and Endeavour’s shareholders had already approved the business combination, expected to close on or around July 1.
The transaction brings together six mines with strong cash flow into one portfolio. It also allows for assets optimization and pipeline growth. The combined gold miner will have an estimated annual production of one million ounces a year.
Long-time in the making
Endeavour and Semafo had previously worked as industry partners. In 2019, they began a dialogue to evaluate the merits of a business combination, but were unable to reach a deal. Talks resumed earlier this year.
Semafo’s shares had lost more than 50% of their value since early November 2019, when a convoy of mine employees was attacked in eastern Burkina Faso. The ambush caused at least 37 deaths and triggered an operations halt at the Boungou mine.
The stock, however, jumped on the news and it was trading a C$4.64 in Toronto at 10:00 am local time, 40% higher than the day of the Burkina Faso incident.
La nouvelle peut fasciner ou donner froid dans le dos. Des chercheurs ont réussi à « pirater » l’évolution, en reproduisant en accéléré la transformation du cerveau de singe vers le cerveau humain, grâce à un gène accroissant le nombre de cellules souches de neurones. Une expérience interrompue...
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Les chercheurs ont récemment développé un test de sensibilité, disponible en ligne gratuitement. Composé de seulement 12 questions, celui-ci affirme pouvoir vous placer sur une échelle de sensibilité allant de « pissenlit » à « orchidée ». Si le questionnaire en lui-même semble quelque peu...
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Great Atlantic Resources (TSXV.GR) announced that it has started its 2020 exploration program at the Keymet precious metal – base metal property, located in northeast New Brunswick, Canada.
In a press release, Great Atlantic said the 2020 program will focus on gold exploration in the southwest to central regions of the 3,400-hectare property, where it has identified exploration targets based on historical work.
“Reported historic highlights in these regions include a reported trench chip sample of 2.5 g/t gold over 6.1 metres length, rock grab samples up to 4.3 g/t gold and soil samples of 217 and 325 ppb,” the release states.
Historic Keymet mine. (Image courtesy of Great Atlantic Resources).
To give the summer campaign a head start, the Vancouver-based miner already conducted some prospecting and rock – soil geochemical sampling in the southwest to central regions of Keymet to define trenching and drilling targets.
Later on, it will carry out geophysical surveys for the regions it is currently working on to further define exploration targets.
“Great Atlantic is also planning exploration during 2020 in the northwest region of the Keymet property with the focus being gold,” the brief reads. “Since acquiring the property, the company has discovered gold-bearing float and gold in bedrock (in drill holes and trenches) in this region of the property as well as veins containing high-grade zinc, lead, copper and/or silver.”
Keymet is located near Bathurst. Polymetallic veins were mined during the 1950s in the northern region at the historic Keymet Mine. Historic exploration by multiple companies dates back to the late 1800s with multiple mineralized veins reported in the northern region.
Fremont Gold (TSXV: FRE) announced that it has just kickstarted a drilling campaign at the past-producing Griffon gold project, located at the southern end of the Cortez Trend, Nevada.
In a press release, the miner explained that the Cortez Trend is one of the most prolific gold trends in the world and is home to Nevada Gold Mines’ Cortez mine, which produced 963,000 ounces gold in 2019.
For this campaign, Fremont has been allowed to drill at 20 sites, 10 of which have been selected for drilling in a 2,000-metre Phase 1 drill program
For this campaign, Fremont has been allowed to drill at 20 sites, 10 of which have been selected for drilling in a 2,000-metre Phase 1 drill program.
According to the company, the 10 priority drill holes will test gold-in-soil anomalies, an area of unmined mineralization to the southwest of the Hammer Ridge pit, permissive stratigraphic targets, and the jasperoid-bearing Blackrock fault.
“Griffon is an underexplored Carlin-type gold system that hasn’t been drilled since the 1990s,” Blaine Monaghan, Fremont’s CEO, said in the media brief. “Most of the historic drill holes were concentrated around the two pit areas and did not exceed 100 metres in depth. Recent exploration has identified many prospective targets, which leads us to believe that Griffon has excellent potential to host one or more large gold systems.”
Located 75 kilometres southwest of Ely, the property hosts a past-producing gold mine. Mineralization is Carlin-type and is comparable to the mineralization found at several deposits at the Kinross Bald Mountain Mine complex, which is approximately 70 kilometres to the north and which produced 284 Koz of gold in 2018.
The move makes of Chuquicamata the first major copper asset to close due to the sharp spike of coronavirus cases in Chile in the last two weeks.
The news came on the heels of the country’s environmental regulator filing pollution charges against the miner over a 2016 tailings spill.
Chuquicamata smelter is the company’s, and one of the world’s, largest of its kind.
The century-old copper mine is Codelco’s second largest, after El Teniente. Last year, it churned out just over a quarter of the company’s total production.
The Chuquicamata smelter is the state-owned miner’s, and one of the world’s, largest of its kind.
Codelco said the measure was “transitory” in nature and would be “gradually” implemented. The company estimates around 400 people will stop working at the smelter and refinery.
Nicolás Rivera, General Manager of the division, said that halting processing operations at Chuquicamata would allow the company to focus on the more critical productive areas.
Copper output levels have held up so far in Chile, but the more than 1,000 covid-19 cases in the country’s mining industry indicates that risks of further restrictions are very likely, said Colin Hamilton, analyst at BMO Capital Markets.
Plans at risk
Despite the pandemic, Codelco has plowed ahead with an ambitious 10-year, $40 billion mines overhaul to keep up production rates.
Ongoing major mine upgrades include a $5.5 billion new level at the El Teniente underground mine, the company’s largest and the world’s no. 6 by reserve size, slated to begin operations in 2023.
It also involves converting the El Salvador mine to an open-pit mine from underground operations. The $1 billion project, known as Rajo Inca, is expected to extend the productive life the mine by 40 years and increase output by 30% from current levels.
Salvador is Codelco’s smallest division by production. Last year, it churned out 50,600 million tonnes of copper, down 16.8% from 2018.
In the copper giant’s pipeline of so-called structural projects there is also the $1.3 billion expansion of the Andina mine. The operation accounted for roughly 11% of Codelco’s output in 2018.
Codelco operates seven mines and four smelters, all in Chile. Its assets account for 10% of the world’s known proven and probable reserves and about 11% of the global annual copper output, with 1.8 million tonnes of production.
Notre Voie lactée abriterait au moins 36 civilisations extraterrestres intelligentes. Annoncée il y a quelques jours, la nouvelle a fait grand bruit. Et elle a tout particulièrement inspiré deux physiciens qui nous proposent aujourd’hui de jouer avec les statistiques pour calculer, à notre tour,...
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Pour la première fois, la vedette d'un long-métrage sera un véritable robot humanoïde doté d’une intelligence artificielle. Et ce n'est pas simple pour une IA de jouer son propre rôle...
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D’ici quelques jours, un nouveau rover de la Nasa prendra la direction de Mars. Perseverance emportera avec lui celui qui — après un voyage de 500 millions de kilomètres — devrait devenir le premier engin à effectuer un vol motorisé au-dessusde la surface d’une autre planète que la Terre. Ce...
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Alister Hume is now the business development manager for Altus Strategies, a mining royalty company.
Maurizio Napoli has retired from his roles as interim president and VP of exploration with Crystal LakeMining. Cole Evans has assumed the president and CEO role.
Jamie Beck has been named president, CEO and a director of Filo Mining. Adam Lundin has stepped down as Filo Mining’s CEO and transitioned to the chairman role. Erin Johnson has also joined the board; Johnson is managing director of the Lundin Foundation.
Nick Winer has been appointed the VP of exploration for Great Panther Mining.
Blair Naughty is now the president and CEO of Great Thunder Gold.
Greg Gibson is joining Kirkland Lake Gold as a special advisor to the CEO on business process improvement.
As the Metso-Outotec merger closing nears, the company has announced an additional appointment: Carita Himberg has been named senior VP of human resources and will be a member of the company’s executive team. She will start in this new role before the end of the year.
Luther Nip has been named interim CFO of Monument Mining.
Alan Hitchborn has joined New Placer Dome’s advisory board as a senior technical advisor. Hitchborn is an exploration geologist with almost 40 years of experience in mineral exploration and mine operations.
Chris Zahovskis has resigned from his role as president and CEO of Northcliff Resources. The company plans to search for a new president and CEO. Pending this appointment, Andrew Ing, the company’s current CFO, will act as interim CEO and Luqman Khan will be appointed interim CFO.
David Prins has resigned from his post as VP of operations with Pretium Resources and will be leaving the company on Aug. 31.
Kelso Cartwright is now the CFO of Sable Resources.
Thiago Diniz has joined ValOre Metals as an in-country project geologist.
Board changes include:
Sandy Noyes is now on the board of Cameo Industries.
Susanne Hermans has been named a director of Crystal Lake Mining.
Robert Friedland has been named non-executive chairman of Gold X Mining. Paul Matysek, the company’s current chairman and CEO, will remain a director of Gold X and its CEO.
Tom English is now on the board of Golden Tag Resources.
Michael Kenyon has joined the board of Great Bear Resources.
Shastri Ramnath is now on the board of Jaguar Mining.
Peter Barnes has been named the chair of Mag Silver’s board, replacing Jonathan Rubenstein.
Jon Bey has been appointed to the board of MinKap Resources.
Alex Henry is now the chairman of Moneta Porcupine’s board. Mark Ashcroft has also been appointed to the board of directors with Warren Bates and Patricia Sheahan stepping down from the board.
Charles Riopel is now the interim chairman of North American Nickel’s board and Douglas Ford has been named interim lead independent director.
Simon Jackson is now the non-executive chairman of Sarama Resources. Adrian Byass and SteveZaninovich have also joined the board with Sean Harvey and David Groves stepping down as directors.
Maria Nathanail has been appointed to the board of Silver Mountain Mines.
Paula Caldwell St-Onge has joined Teranga Gold’s board of directors with Christopher Lattanzi and Edward Goldenberg stepping down from the board.
De combien de degrés la température de notre Planète va-t-elle augmenter avec le réchauffement climatique ? À partir de projections sur les niveaux de CO2, les modèles climatiques sont capables de l’estimer. Et les plus récents donnent des résultats plus incertains que par le passé. La faute aux...
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Des chercheurs ont déterminé les races de chiens les plus susceptibles de souffrir de coup de chaleur. Les bouledogues présentent ainsi 14 fois plus de risque que les labradors. Voici pourquoi.
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L'Organisation météorologique mondiale (OMM) a validé le 24 juin deux nouveaux records pour des éclairs : celui du plus long éclair, intervenu le 31 octobre 2018 au Brésil, et celui de la plus longue durée. Le premier a couvert une distance horizontale de 709 ± 8 km, soit la distance entre...
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Et si c’était elle, la comète de l’année ou même de la décennie. Découverte fin mars, la comète Neowise a vu sa luminosité augmenter significativement et pourrait surpasser les prévisions. Elle passera au plus près du Soleil début juillet.
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Dans la prochaine version de Safari, sur Mac, iPhone et iPad, Apple proposera de s'identifier sur des sites internet par reconnaissance faciale ou d'empreinte digitale. Un choix qui devrait à terme enterrer le mot de passe, pas suffisamment sécurisé.
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Une part non négligeable des personnes infectées par le SARS-CoV-2 souffre d'anosmie. Après avoir étudié de nombreux patients, les chercheurs pensent comprendre comment le coronavirus induit une perte d'odorat, parfois durable, chez certains malades.
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PureVPN est l’un des ténors du marché du VPN. Directement accessible pour le débutant qui va simplement choisir un mode d’usage, comme le streaming, par exemple, il est aussi doté d’outils pointus pour les utilisateurs exigeants. L’application bénéficie en ce moment d’une réduction de 40% sur sa...
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Le clignotement régulier des pulsars pourrait permettre de se repérer dans l’espace au-delà du Système solaire. Une sorte de « phare cosmique » aussi précis qu’une horloge atomique mais qui nécessite des calculs complexes. Avec son système Sextant, la Nasa compte bien s’en servir pour ses...
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Le développement d’un prototype du Starship de SpaceX se poursuit de façon plutôt chaotique mais cela ne semble pas inquiéter outre mesure Elon Musk et ses équipes. Depuis le début du développement, trois démonstrateurs de prototype ont explosé ou implosé au sol lors de la pressurisation des...
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L’immunité conférée par une infection au coronavirus continue de diviser les scientifiques. Est-on réellement protégé après avoir été malade et combien de temps dure cette immunité ? Une nouvelle étude apporte quelques éléments de réponse.
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L’astrophysique nucléaire et l'astronomie neutrino viennent de remporter un succès de plus. Après plusieurs années de patientes observations du flux de neutrinos solaires par l’expérience Borexino en Italie, les physiciens ont pu vérifier les dernières prédictions concernant les réactions...
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Des scientifiques ont scanné le cerveau de 69 personnes au cœur brisé. Chacune souffrait de symptômes dépressifs plus ou moins marqués, mais aucune n'avait été diagnostiquée avec une réelle dépression. Cela a permis aux chercheurs d'étudier les déséquilibres cérébraux qui peuvent être associés à...
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Trouver des exoplanètes autour d’étoiles jeunes et proches de notre Terre, c’est le rêve des astronomes. Ils y voient l’opportunité d’étudier de près la formation et l’évolution de ce type de système planétaire. Et une telle opportunité se présente aujourd’hui à eux avec une naine rouge et sa...
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Sans même que nous en ayons conscience, les satellites sont devenus indispensables à notre quotidien. Les moyens de communication, de surveillance et une bonne partie des recherches scientifiques en dépendent. Alors, comment mettre en orbite un satellite ? Le Cnes nous répond dans cette courte...
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Harmony Gold (JSE: HAR) (NYSE: HMY) said on Thursday it had raised $200 million from a planned shares placement to partly fund its acquisition of rival AngloGold Ashanti’s (NYSE: AU) (JSE: ANG) assets in South Africa.
The Randfontein-based gold producer issued more than 60 million new ordinary shares at a price of 57.50 rand apiece on Wednesday. Harmony said it represented roughly 11% of its issued ordinary share capital before the placing.
Harmony’s acquisition will boost its gold production by about 350,000 ounces a year to more than 1.8 million ounces.
The company agreed in February to buy AngloGold’s Mponeng mine, the world’s deepest gold mine, as well as its Mine Waste Solutions assets for about $300 million.
The deal marked AngloGold’s exit from its home country to focus on more profitable mines in Ghana, Australia and the Americas.
For Harmony, the acquisition will allow it to sustain growth and replace capacity currently coming from its Masimong and Unisel mines, which are running out of ore.
It will also boost gold production by about 350,000 ounces a year to more than 1.8 million ounces.
Harmony’s chief executive officer, Peter Steenkamp, has repeatedly stated that South Africa is its main investment target.
The country’s gold industry, however, continues to face mounting challenges, including geological and safety aspects of extracting ore from the world’s deepest mines.
Harmony is betting on recreating the successful strategy applied after it bought Anglo’s Moab Khotsong mine in 2017. Half of that money has already been paid back, Steenkamp said.
End of an era
Mponeng, the world’s deepest mine, generated 265,000 gold ounces in 2018. Output from the surface operations, which extract the precious metal from ore dumps, totalled 171,000 ounces. Those South African assets accounted for about 13% of AngloGold’s production that year.
AngloGold was born out of the mines bought and built by Anglo American, founded by the Oppenheimer family more than a century ago.
The company was the dominant gold miner for decades, but progressively became weaker as it closed and sold old mines in South Africa, in favour of offshore investments.
La hausse des températures en Arctique, aggravée par les incendies qui ravagent actuellement la région, pousse les scientifiques à tirer une fois de plus la sonnette d'alarme.
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Aurania Resources (TSXV: ARU) reported that, following the partial lifting of covid-related restrictions, its field teams are operational at the Lost Cities – Cutucu project in southeastern Ecuador.
In a media statement, the company’s chairman and CEO, Keith Barron, said that the reopening of the field is not yet 100% as a total lift depends on independent decisions taken by the mayors of the various cantons overlapping the Lost Cities concessions.
Aurania’s CEO said Ecuador still remains in the grip of the covid-19 pandemic and deemed the situation as ‘somewhat volatile’
“At this moment, only 50% of our normal field personnel are permitted – in the open cantons – legally to work. In addition, social distancing practices must be in force. Ecuador still remains in the grip of the covid-19 pandemic, and the situation is somewhat volatile,” Barron said.
According to the executive, Aurania staff have implemented a comprehensive back-to-work protocol and are actively cooperating with the communities around the project area, the Governor of the Morona Santiago province, and the Ministry of Health.
The miner’s exploration teams re-entered the field in mid-June to start mapping and soil sampling on a number of priority targets for gold-silver, copper-gold and copper.
For its summer campaign, Aurania is also planning to run a heliborne Mobile MT survey as a means of identifying sulphides related to porphyries and epithermal gold-silver systems, as well as resistive zones that may represent silica-enriched areas linked with epithermals.
