Mining News and Discussions

[caltrek]

Pacific Deep-Sea Mining Hotspot Contains a Wealth of Biodiversity
by Karen McVeigh
May 27, 2023

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) Scientists have discovered more than 5,000 new species living on the seabed in an untouched area of the Pacific Ocean that has been identified as a future hotspot for deep-sea mining, according to a review of the environmental surveys done in the area.

It is the first time the previously unknown biodiversity of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), a mineral-rich area of the ocean floor that spans 1.7 million square miles between Hawaii and Mexico in the Pacific, has been comprehensively documented. The research will be critical to assessing the risk of extinction of the species, given contracts for deep-sea mining in the near-pristine area appear imminent.

Most of the animals identified by researchers exploring the zone are new to science, and almost all are unique to the region: only six, including a carnivorous sponge and a sea cucumber, have been seen elsewhere.

Contracts for mining exploration in the CCZ have been granted to 17 deep-sea mining contractors in an area covering 745,000 square miles. The companies, backed by countries including the UK, US, and China, want to exploit minerals including cobalt, manganese and nickel, in part to sell to the alternative energy sector.

In July the International Seabed Authority, a quasi-UN body based in Jamaica that regulates deep-sea mining, will begin accepting exploitation applications from these companies.

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/environmen ... -mining/

[wjfox]

China Is Drilling a 10,000-Meter-Deep Hole Into the Earth

Thu, June 1, 2023

Chinese scientists have begun drilling a 10,000-meter (32,808 feet) hole into the Earth’s crust, as the world’s second largest economy explores new frontiers above and below the planet’s surface.

Drilling for what is set to be China’s deepest ever borehole began in the country’s oil-rich Xinjiang region on Tuesday, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Earlier that morning, China sent its first civilian astronaut into space from the Gobi Desert.

The narrow shaft into the ground will penetrate more than 10 continental strata, or layers of rock, according to the report, and reach the cretaceous system in the Earth’s crust, which features rock dating back some 145 million years.

“The construction difficulty of the drilling project can be compared to a big truck driving on two thin steel cables,” Sun Jinsheng, a scientist at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told Xinhua.

The project will provide data on the Earth’s internal structure, while also testing deep underground drilling technologies, according to China National Petroleum Corp., which is spearheading the project.

https://news.yahoo.com/china-drilling-1 ... 13032.html

[caltrek]

Mining in Pakistan:
Towards Climate-Proofing Projects
by Isha Gupta and Imran Ahmed
May 30, 2023

Introduction:

(Institute of South Asia Studies )Mining is a key source of income for Pakistan, given its enormous mineral deposits spanning an area of 600,000 square kilometres. Pakistan possesses the world’s second-largest salt mines and coal reserves, the fifth-largest copper and gold reserves and the second-largest coal deposits. Additionally, the country has abundant gravel, sand and limestone deposits spread across all four provinces. Minerals are crucial in construction, manufacturing, energy supply and agriculture, among others.

Nevertheless, if not properly restricted and regulated, mining has the potential to inflict severe damage on the environment, leading to pollution, deforestation and disruptions to the delicate ecosystem. Therefore, it is crucial to strike a balance between promoting economic growth and preserving the integrity of the environment. Extensive deliberation on this matter took place during the proceedings of the civil petition (No.55 of 2022) before the Supreme Court of Pakistan, presided over by Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Ayesha A Malik. The court’s judgement shed light on this issue, providing a comprehensive analysis and examination of the subject matter. The petitioners, in the public interest, contested the lack of sufficient environmental approvals regarding the issuance of licences or leases for small-scale mining.

Read more here: https://www.isas.nus.edu.sg/papers/min ... projects/

[wjfox]

‘Great news’: EU hails discovery of massive phosphate rock deposit in Norway

29 Jun 2023

A massive underground deposit of high-grade phosphate rock in Norway, pitched as the world’s largest, is big enough to satisfy world demand for fertilisers, solar panels and electric car batteries over the next 100 years, according to the company exploiting the resource.

Phosphate rock is an essential element used in the production of phosphorous for the fertiliser industry and was included in the European Commission’s March proposal for a Critical Raw Materials Act.

The Norwegian deposit is estimated to be worth 70 billion tonnes at least, which is just under the 71 billion tonnes of proven world reserves as evaluated by the US Geological Survey in 2021.

By far the largest phosphate rock deposits in the world – around 50 billion tonnes – are situated in the Western Sahara region of Morocco. The next biggest are located in China (3.2 billion tonnes), Egypt (2.8 billion tonnes), and Algeria (2.2bn tonnes), according to US estimates.

“Now, when you find something of that magnitude in Europe, which is larger than all the other sources we know – it is significant,” said Michael Wurmser, founder of Norge Mining, the company behind the discovery.

https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy ... in-norway/

[Powers]

...pitched as the world’s largest
...larger than all the other sources we know
...over the next 100 years

[wjfox]

A Fossil Fuel Economy Requires 535x More Mining Than a Clean Energy Economy

29 Mar 2023

Decarbonizing the world’s economy will require an enormous amount of minerals like copper, lithium, nickel and cobalt. Everything from electric vehicles to solar panels to transmission lines will require these raw materials.

In some cases, mining these minerals has disastrous consequences for workers, indigenous communities, and the environment. This has led some clean energy skeptics to argue that decarbonization will be bad for both humans and the environment.

But transitioning to clean energy will mean we no longer have to mine and extract vast quantities of fossil fuels each year. A clean energy transition will help us avoid the worst effects of climate change; it will save millions of lives currently lost to air pollution each year; and, importantly, it will reduce the total amount of environmentally and socially harmful mining each year.

In 2020, 7 million tons of minerals were mined globally for low-carbon energy, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). (These are often referred to as “transition minerals.”) In order to limit warming to 2 degrees celsius, we’ll need to scale up that production to about 28 million tons per year.

That’s a lot of transition minerals. But how does it compare to the mining and extraction of today’s fossil fuel economy?

https://www.distilled.earth/p/a-fossil- ... medium=web

[wjfox]

[caltrek]

More Nations Are Growing Wary of Deep Sea Mining
by Karen McVeigh and Chris Michael
July 11, 2023

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) The list of countries calling for a pause on deep-sea mining continued to grow this week ahead of a key moment that mining companies hope will launch the fledgling industry, and its opponents hope could clip its wings, perhaps for good.

Ireland and Sweden became the latest developed economies to join critics, including scientists, environmental organizations, and multinationals such as BMW, Volvo, and Samsung. The carmakers have committed not to use minerals mined from the seabed in their electric vehicles.

No deep-sea mining contracts have yet been authorized, but efforts by the industry and some states, including Norway, have accelerated the race to mine for metals in the planet’s last unexplored frontier.

It is a critical time. With a deadline due to expire on Sunday, commercial applications for deep-sea mining could be given the green light despite the absence of any regulations. From Monday, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the quasi-UN body in charge of those regulations, will meet in Kingston, Jamaica until July 28 to resume negotiations.

Much is at stake. Scientists have warned of large-scale, severe, and irreversible harm to global ocean ecosystems, already threatened by the climate and biodiversity crises, if deep-sea mining goes ahead. Too little is known about the ocean’s abyss even to draw up regulations, they say.

Read more here: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2 ... nerals/

[caltrek]

‘Great news’: EU hails discovery of massive phosphate rock deposit in Norway

...
https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy ... in-norway/

More on that from Courthouse News here:

Extract:

(Axel) Müller (senior geologist with the Natural History Museum of Oslo University) explained that the grade or concentration of phosphate in the hard rocks in Norway is around 4-5%, whereas it is commonly over 10% in the soft, sedimentary rocks in Africa or Asia. That makes it harder and more complicated to compete make use of the mined mineral in the Nordics.
…
Today, northern Finland is the only place in Scandinavia where phosphate is successfully extracted from hard rock. The new discovery in Norway could move the country in an interesting direction — from being a traditional exporter of oil to one of minerals.
Müller did warn, however, not to believe the number 70 billion tons. He said that it probably refers to phosphate content of the entire rock body not considering what is mineable.

Read more here: https://www.courthousenews.com/geologi ... k-deposit/

[caltrek]

When Deep-Sea Miners Come A-Courting
by Rachel Reeves
July 25, 2023

Introduction:

(Hakai) The Cook Islands’ main harbor is a small indentation in the island of Rarotonga, which is the most developed of the nation’s 15 islands, yet still the kind of place where you give directions in mango trees and neighbors, not house numbers and street names. The harbor has a few long-term residents and a lone police boat that monitors an area roughly the size of Mexico for illegal fishing by vessels from Europe, North America, and Asia. There are also vessels that transport building materials and basic food such as flour and rice to outer islands, some of them 1,200 kilometers away, where more than one-quarter of the Cook Islands’ 14,600 residents live, fish, forage, and harvest.

Visitors to the harbor include fuel tankers and a cargo ship that arrives twice a month from New Zealand to deliver almost all of the country’s groceries. These are the largest vessels that enter the harbor; cruise ships that feed the islands’ primary industry—tourism—have to anchor at sea and transfer passengers ashore in tenders. There isn’t room on Rarotonga to permanently accommodate the ships that have come to scope the potential of the deep sea for commercial mining. One came from Galveston, Texas, in February; another is returning this year from a fit-out in Wellington, New Zealand. Both can call into Aitutaki, a nearby island with a population of about 1,800, when Rarotonga’s port is occupied. The Cook Islands government began widening and deepening Aitutaki’s harbor in 2021, several months before awarding three companies licenses to explore the country’s territorial waters for polymetallic nodules. This is the official name for the lumps found on the seabed, between 3.5 and six kilometers deep, that contain multiple minerals, including manganese and cobalt, a component of batteries in cellphones, laptops, electric vehicles, and other technologies considered essential to the energy revolution. Time magazine called the nodules a “climate solution”; to Mark Brown, the prime minister of the Cook Islands, they’re “golden apples” ripe for picking.

Read more here: https://hakaimagazine.com/features/whe ... ourting/


Cook Islands

Cook Islands locator map

[wjfox]

Lithium deposit in U.S. volcano could be world's largest

19th September 2023

Geologists report the discovery of what may be the largest known deposit of lithium, located in the crater of a dormant volcano along the Nevada–Oregon border, and estimated to contain up to 40 million tonnes of the metal.

[...]

"If you believe their back-of-the-envelope estimation, this is a very, very significant deposit of lithium," says Anouk Borst, geologist at KU Leuven University, in an interview with Chemistry World. "It could change the dynamics of lithium globally, in terms of price, security of supply and geopolitics. The U.S. would have its own supply of lithium and industries would be less scared about supply shortages."

Read more: https://www.futuretimeline.net/blog/202 ... argest.htm

[wjfox]

Another benefit of asteroid mining will be a huge reduction in pollution:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66880697

[caltrek]

A New Ore Containing Invaluable Rare Metal Has Been Found in China
by Tom Hale
October 11, 2023

Introduction:

(IFL Science) Geologists in China have unearthed a new type of ore that’s rich in niobium, a much-prized metal with superconductive properties that is used in everything from steel production to jet engines and particle accelerators.

Dubbed niobobaotite, the ore was recently discovered within the Bayan Obo Mining District of Inner Mongolia in China, according to an announcement from the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). They explained that the ore is rich in barium, titanium, iron, chlorine, and – most excitingly – niobium.

Niobium is used as an additive in alloys, such as steel, to improve their strength. Owing to its resistance to corrosion and heat, metals containing niobium are commonly used in things like rockets, oil pipelines, and jet engines. In the US, practically all fighter jet engines are made of niobium alloys.

It’s also coveted for its superconductive properties, which allow it to conduct electricity with no resistance or energy loss when it's cooled to an extremely low temperature. This quality makes it a much-needed material for the magnets used in high-tech equipment like particle accelerators and MRI scanners.

Located just 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of the China-Mongolia border, the Bayan Obo Mining District is home to the largest known deposits of rare-earth elements in the world and is a major factor in China’s dominance in the global market for rare metals.

Read more here: https://www.iflscience.com/a-new-ore-c ... a-71069

[weatheriscool]

Supreme Court Denies Alaska's Bid to Revive the Copper and Gold Pebble Mine Proposal Blocked by EPA

Source: US News and World Report/AP

Jan. 8, 2024, at 10:21 a.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected Alaska's bid to revive a proposed copper and gold mine that was blocked by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The justices did not comment in turning away the state’s attempt to sue the Biden administration directly in the high court over its desire to revive the proposed Pebble Mine in the state’s Bristol Bay region.

A year ago, the EPA stopped the mine proposal, citing concerns with potential impacts on a rich aquatic ecosystem that supports the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery.

States can sue each other and the federal government in the Supreme Court, though the justices typically deal with appeals and hear only a few original cases each year. Alaska still can try to reverse the decision through the more typical process, starting in a lower court and appealing any unfavorable decisions to the Supreme Court.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/ar ... blocked-it

[wjfox]

Norway to approve controversial deep-sea mining

5 hours ago

Norway is likely to become the first country in the world to move forward with the controversial practice of commercial-scale deep-sea mining.

The plan, up before a parliamentary vote on Tuesday, will accelerate the hunt for precious metals which are in high demand for green technologies.

Environmental scientists have warned it could be devastating for marine life.

The vote concerns Norwegian waters, but agreement on mining in international waters could also be reached this year.

The vote is expected to pass without hindrance after it secured cross-party backing at the end of 2023.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-67893808

[caltrek]

What Happens When a Country Says ‘No’ to Mining?
Christopher Pollon
January 8, 2024

Introduction:

(Mother Jones) The battle between a Canadian mining company and Panama over one of the richest copper-gold mines in the Americas is headed to international arbitration – exposing Canada’s double standard when it comes to promoting free trade in the Global South.

Late in 2023, the Supreme Court of Panama unanimously ruled that the agreement to mine Cobre Panamá, controlled by Toronto’s First Quantum Minerals, was unconstitutional. Beset by a generational, popular backlash against the mine, the government of Laurentino Cortizo accepted the court decision and the legislature banned new mining.

Not everyone celebrated. Cobre Panamá provides about five per cent of GDP for this tiny nation of just over four million, and supplies thousands of jobs. The open pit mine, set amid the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor that connects wildlife across Central America and southern Mexico, is also an important source of copper needed in vast quantities to realize the clean-energy transition. Before he resigned in the wake of the court ruling, Panama’s Trade minister Frederico Alfaro predicted the decision would reap economic chaos, unemployment, and not least, an onslaught of “international claims from investors.”

The latter is now in play. First Quantum, the main investor in the mine, announced it intends to take Panama to international arbitration for alleged breach of the Free Trade agreement finalized by Canada’s Harper government in 2013. Its Panamanian subsidiary has launched separate arbitration over the alleged failure to honour the 2023 concession agreement (approved by Panama in October, and ruled unconstitutional in November). At least three additional mining investor suits against Panama, including one by Toronto-based Franco-Nevada, have also suddenly emerged.

Panama and the companies must now enter the clandestine world of Investor State Dispute Settlements (ISDS) – a little-known global system designed to settle disputes between foreign investors and sovereign nations. In taking a dispute to ISDS, a foreign investor seeks to enforce commitments made by a nation through a law, treaty or contract. Cases are typically settled by three ISDS adjudicators – not judges but private-sector lawyers – where the investors select one, the nation chooses another, and a third is agreed on by both. The dispute is then settled by a binding ruling, which can include compensation awards to investors.

Read more here: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/ ... tlements

[caltrek]

India and Argentina Sign Agreement for Lithium Exploration
January 16, 2024

Introduction:

(La Prensa) The companies Khanij Bidesh India Limited (Kabil) and the Catamarca Minera y Energética Sociedad Del Estado (Camyen SE) signed the agreement, which establishes the exclusivity of the Indian company in the management of five blocks of lithium brine in Argentina to evaluate the possible existence of lithium.

Should deposits be found in the territory, which covers 15,703 hectares, Kabil will be able to begin the commercial exploitation and production of the mineral.

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines of India, Pralhad Joshi, described the opportunity as historic for India and Argentina, as, he believed, it describes a new chapter in bilateral relations.

“The signing of the agreement between Kabil and Camyen signifies a step that will play a crucial role in driving the energy transition towards a sustainable future and ensuring a resilient and diversified supply chain of critical and strategic minerals essential for various industries in India,” he said.

According to India’s Ministry of Mines, this is the first lithium exploration and mining project undertaken by an Indian government company. This will not only boost the search for lithium supply for India, but will also help provide technical and operational expertise, the Ministry added.

Read more here: https://www.plenglish.com/news/2024/01 ... oration/

[Time_Traveller]

Lithium mine being built on 'sacred ground' where Native Americans say they were massacred

Monday 6 May 2024 01:54, UK



It could be a scene from centuries ago. In the Nevada desert, Native Americans are protesting over a mining project they say desecrates sacred land.

They are riding to Sentinel Mountain, which their ancestors once used as a lookout in times gone by. Here, they say, more than 30 of their people were massacred by US cavalry in 1865.

Today, the land is at the heart of America's electric car revolution and Joe Biden's clean energy policy

Native American tribal members say the mine neglects their interests and offends their history.

The route of the "Prayer Horse Ride", a journey on horseback through mining-affected communities in Northern Nevada, is designed to publicise their objections.

https://news.sky.com/story/lithium-mine ... d-13121886

[caltrek]

A Vast, Untapped Source of Lithium Has Just Been Found in the U.S.
by Carly Cassella
May 18, 2024

Introduction:

(Science Alert) Almost two centuries after California's gold rush, the United States is on the brink of a lithium rush. As demand for the material skyrockets, government geologists are rushing to figure out where the precious element is hiding.

In September 2023, scientists funded by a mining company reported finding what could be the largest deposit of lithium in an ancient US supervolcano. Now public researchers on the other side of the country have uncovered another untapped reservoir – one that could cover nearly half the nation's lithium demands.

It's hiding in wastewater from Pennsylvania's gas fracking industry.

Lithium is arguably the most important element in the nation's renewable energy transition – the material of choice for electric vehicle batteries. And yet, there is but one large-scale lithium mine in the US, meaning for the moment the country has to import what it needs.

Officials at the US Department of Energy are desperate to change that. By 2030, they want all lithium produced domestically.

Read more here: https://www.sciencealert.com/a-vast-un ... n-the-us

[wjfox]

BHP’s Spence copper mine in Chile now fully autonomous

Staff Writer | July 29, 2024

BHP’s Spence copper mine in Chile has celebrated three months of being the company’s first fully autonomous operation, a status reached in April after a two-year journey that included converting its trucks fleet and drilling rigs.

Spence, which produced 249,000 tonnes of copper last year, is BHP’s second largest copper mine behind Escondida, the world’s biggest copper operation. In the three months to July 29, the copper operation has moved 80 million tonnes of material without any safety incidents, surpassing the production plan to date, BHP said.

Komatsu, which provided the haulage, noted that Spence’s was the largest autonomy fleet operating in Latin America.

https://www.mining.com/bhps-spence-copp ... utonomous/



Credit: BHP