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Nevada Mining

A place in history: the Mackay School – by Karl Fendelander (Nevada Today – January 9, 2019)

https://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/

Born the School of Mines in Nevada in 1888, the Mackay School of Mines is more than just an iconic building sitting opposite Morrill Hall on the University of Nevada, Reno’s historic Quadrangle.

It was one of a handful of mining schools that opened around then at Land Grant Universities to teach those untrained Gold Rushers the science of extracting precious metals – and John William Mackay, one of those eager early miners armed with little more than ambition and a strong back, would come to change not only this mining school but the entire University.

Mackay spent time in the California Gold Rush mining camps before arriving to mine the Comstock Lode in Virginia City, where he went from penniless Irish immigrant to multi-millionaire and one of four Bonanza Kings known the world over in a few short decades. While his fellow Kings cut and ran with their riches to big cities, Mackay’s deep sense of gratitude to Nevada tethered him and his family.

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Barrick’s new CEO defends head-office job cuts as Randgold acquisition closes – by Niall McGee (Globe and Mail – January 3, 2019)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Barrick Gold Corp.’s new chief executive officer defended the company’s decision to lay off more than half of the staff at its Toronto head office before Christmas, saying it was a necessary move in a difficult market.

Barrick issued layoff notices to about 95 people at its headquarters in December, bringing its headcount down to about 65 people, The Globe and Mail reported on Dec. 21. In an interview, CEO Mark Bristow said there are no plans to shut the office entirely, adding that a continuing staff is needed to carry out treasury services, human resources and accounting.

In another sign of Barrick’s diminished presence in the country, the gold miner announced a revamped board of directors on which only one of nine members is Canadian. Leaving the board are Anthony Munk, son of Barrick founder Peter Munk; Toronto-based mining consultant Graham Clow; and Robert Prichard, who is chair of Bank of Montreal.

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‘We definitely need more assets in Canada,’ Barrick’s new CEO says – by Nicole Gibillini(Bloomberg News – January 3, 2019)

 

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

Barrick Gold Corp. () needs more assets in Canada, the gold miner’s new chief executive officer said Wednesday, on the company’s first day of trading since its recent acquisition of Randgold Resources Ltd.

“Barrick is back,” 59-year-old Mark Bristow told BNN Bloomberg in an interview from the New York Stock Exchange. “We should be proud of being team players in the Barrick family, and one of the things that I really am focused on is we definitely need more assets in Canada. ”

Barrick currently operates just one mine in the country – Hemlo Mines – east of Thunder Bay, Ont. “Don’t get too hung up right now on us only having Hemlo,” Bristow added. “We’re definitely focused on growing this business and you’re correct if you’re recognizing that we’re underweight in our investments in Canada.”

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Franco-Nevada grows but still tied to Nevada – by Adella Harding (Elko Daily Free Press – December 11, 2018)

https://elkodaily.com/

Franco-Nevada Corp. is worldwide, but the company still has royalties on gold produced at major mines in Nevada. “Nevada is our middle name,” said Franco-Nevada CEO David Harquail, who described Nevada’s mining industry as “rock solid. It’s been the bedrock of the gold industry. You can make mines in Nevada you can’t anywhere else.”

He predicts Nevada will continue to be a preferred jurisdiction for the industry. Harquail pointed to Barrick Gold Corp.’s Goldrush and Fourmile projects and Newmont Mining Corp.’s operations as examples of why Nevada will still be a mining stronghold.

Franco-Nevada doesn’t have royalties or assets tied with Barrick’s latest projects, but the company does have a royalty on the South Arturo Mine Barrick operates near the Goldstrike Mine north of Carlin. Barrick is 60 percent owner of South Arturo, and Premier Gold Mines Ltd. owns 40 percent.

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[Neveda Barrick] Q+A: Mining executive shares industry insights gleaned over decades – by Yvonne Gonzalez (Las Vegas Sun – December 9, 2018)

https://lasvegassun.com/

In more than 25 years in the mining industry, Michael Brown says that as he retires, his proudest moment was bringing his company to Southern Nevada.

Brown joined Barrick Gold Corp. in 1994 as the vice president of government affairs and is retiring as president by the end of the year. He shared some of his thoughts on the industry and the future with the Sun. His comments have been lightly edited for grammar and style.

What do you think are some of the key ways your work at Barrick helped bring the mining industry and state government closer together?

Starting in 2012, I shifted Barrick from “random acts of good deeds” to focused corporate social responsibility. It meant aligning the company with Gov. Brian Sandoval and the Legislature’s priorities, to help address the high school dropout rate and to advance economic diversification.

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The silver kings of the Comstock – by Darold Fredricks (San Mateo Daily Journal – November 11, 2013)

https://www.smdailyjournal.com/

Although gold had been taken out of the streams around Virginia City in 1850, it didn’t create much excitement in San Francisco immediately.

The gold tailings were worked when there was water in the streams that ran east from Mount Davidson, a peak from the Virginia Range in western Utah Territory. As more prospecting produced other catches of gold tailings, word spread that there might be a bonanza in the hot and forbidding area. A few took the bait and they left after the gold strike from Coloma panned out and they were left high and dry in San Francisco.

In 1857, Henry Comstock lucked upon an area where he and some others found some gold and silver veins that were promising for riches. Henry acquired the area after the Grosh brothers died before filing claims. Henry took over the cabin and land and enlarged his holdings by claiming more land around the cabin after hearing of a gold strike at Gold Hill.

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Barrick in talks with Newmont to combine Nevada gold operations: sources – by Zandi Shabalala and Clara Denina (Reuters U.S. – November 5, 2018)

https://www.reuters.com/

LONDON (Reuters) – Barrick Gold Corp, which is being formed by Barrick’s (ABX.TO) $6.1 billion takeover of Randgold Resources (RRS.L), is in talks with Newmont Mining (NEM.N) to combine their Nevada gold mining operations, sources told Reuters.

Last month’s tie-up between Barrick and Africa-focused Randgold Resources revived speculation about a joint venture between Newmont and Barrick in Nevada, something the two mining firms had explored in 2014 without reaching a deal.

“They have been trying to negotiate for years but Newmont couldn’t agree with Barrick, now that you have a new management team, it’s certain they revived those talks,” one source said.

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Newmont profit dips alongside gold, copper prices – by Susan Taylor (Reuters U.S. – October 25, 2018)

https://www.reuters.com/

TORONTO (Reuters) – Colorado-based Newmont Mining Corp (NEM.N) reported lower third-quarter profit and revenue on Thursday, as a drop in bullion and copper prices hurt the gold miner’s results.

Newmont had been jockeying for the title of world’s largest gold producer this year, until Barrick Gold (ABX.TO) announced its $6.1 billion deal to buy Randgold Resources (RRS.L) in September.

Newmont would rather focus on improving margins for existing production than pursuing mergers and acquisitions for growth, Chief Executive Gary Goldberg said last month at an annual gold industry gathering in Denver.

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Barrick Gold sees potential to expand Tier 1 assets: Thornton – by Susan Taylor (Reuters U.S. – October 25, 2018)

https://www.reuters.com/

TORONTO (Reuters) – Barrick Gold Corp (ABX.TO) could have nine of the world’s top gold mines in a “relatively short” time under its $6.1 billion acquisition of African miner Randgold Resources Ltd (RRS.L), Barrick Executive Chairman John Thornton said Thursday.

Barrick and Randgold will focus on Tier 1 assets which produce 500,000 ounces of gold annually, have a mine life of more than 10 years and are low cost. The combined company, subject to a Nov. 5 shareholder vote, will have five of the world’s top 10 Tier 1 assets, Thornton said.

“This combination could have as many as nine Tier 1 assets within a relatively short period of time,” he said on a conference call with analysts to discuss quarterly financial results.

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Ex-Barrick band looks for new legacy – by Richard Roberts (Mining Journal – September 25, 2018)

https://www.mining-journal.com/

Armed with an improved understanding of the “stratigraphic complexities … and the importance of low angle structures and their contribution to gold deposition” at Red Hill, NuLegacy’s management team is eager to follow-up recent high-grade drill hits at the Serena target immediately. But it will also continue to drill widely spaced targets elsewhere in a bid to replicate the results and apply its expanded knowledge kit as broadly as possible on the 98sq.km property.

“We will be drilling more holes to follow up on the excellent results in SR18-02 [including 8.7m at 16.9gpt from 283.7m), but that same set-up of structure and stratigraphy can be seen in numerous places on the property,” NuLegacy president and CEO Anderson told Mining Journal.

“So we feel it would be a big mistake to focus on only one area.” Anderson said all junior companies had a geological analogue of what they were looking for.

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Mining through the past: Cambridge student visits Nevada County to research Cornish heritage – by Jennifer Nobles (The Union – September 5, 2018)

The Union

Sebastian Horton has always dreamed of visiting California. Growing up in Penzance, Cornwall, England, he’d imagine a land of sunshine and balmy temperatures, a place where he could surf and skateboard to his heart’s content.

The 22-year-old finally made his California wishes come true, but the purpose for his trip is much more significant than he’d initially imagined.

Horton — a third year student at Cambridge University — is visiting Nevada County in order to conduct extensive research for his dissertation which will be presented in April. The topic of the project will be Cornish mine workers who ascended to positions of social and political influence.

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[Nevada Mining] Mineral extraction pioneer rethinks metallurgy – by Suzanne Featherston (Elko Daily Free Press – September 7, 2018)

https://elkodaily.com/

A pioneer of the state’s cyanide heap-leach technology is now testing a cleaner, zero-waste approach to mineral extraction that could revolutionize the industry.

The process has potential to unlock unrealized resources in previously mined material, and some proponents hope in its ability to extract precious metals from virgin ore.

Testing of an extracting liquid began on previously leached material from Comstock Mining Inc.’s nonactive Lucerne Mine in August 2017. Results a year later show that the technology can reduce cyanide while extracting valuable minerals, including silver and gold.

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Nevada Mine Could Produce 25% of World’s Lithium – by Paul Nelson (KTVN News – August 29, 2018)

http://www.ktvn.com/

The largest known lithium deposit in the United States is in northern Nevada, and a mining company says it has big plans for the property.

The largest known lithium deposit in the United States is in northern Nevada, and a mining company says it has big plans for the property. The high-grade, highly-concentrated mineral is found in the McDermitt Caldera, stretching from Humboldt County into Oregon.

“Chevron started drilling this site out back in the 70s, looking for uranium and they found lithium instead, so it’s a known resource,” Alexi Zawadzki, CEO of Lithium Nevada said. “The McDermitt Caldera is one of the most highly mineralized calderas in the world.”

A prehistoric volcano created the caldera, which turned into a lake. The lithium is in the clay that sat at the bottom of the water. “This was basically the Yellowstone hot spot, which has moved over the last 16 million years to the east and this is a geological artifact of that,” Zawadzki said.

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Nevada: Where the World Goes for Gold (Investing News Network – August 16th, 2018)

Investing News Network

This Investing News Network article is sponsored by Fremont Gold (TSXV:FRE).

Nevada may be one of the most geologically diverse mining jurisdictions in the world. Nearly every type of rock known to geologists can be found in the state’s desert landscape.

Nevada has been an important source of many of the world’s most critical base metals including copper, zinc and molybdenum. Today, Nevada leads the country in the production of lithium and, not surprisingly, the Silver State contains a wealth of precious metals, ranking as one of the top 5 global gold producers.

Nevada owes its unique geology and prolific gold production to the complex tectonic history of the northern Great Basin which gave rise to the widespread landscape of fault-dominated mountain ranges and valleys.

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End of the rainbow: The search for more gold deposits is on – by Suzanne Featherston (Elko Daily Free Press – August 6, 2018)

https://elkodaily.com/

ELKO — Prospect. Claim. Explore. The search for gold in Nevada keeps its allure long after the 1849ers panned gold flecks from the Carson River. A gold discovery can catapult the finder into wealth while helping sustain community economies.

“Big deposits start small,” said Rich Perry, Nevada Division of Minerals administrator. “They begin to unravel the geology of the district. Gold deposits are very geology intensive.”

Whether a prospector searches for gold in unexplored territory or an operator seeks to expand an existing mine, finding unseen riches remains a challenge, a necessity and a thrill.

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