Prestonpans

Prestonpans ( ) is a small fishing town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the unitary council area of East Lothian. The population as of is . It is near the site of the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans (first called the Battle of Gladsmuir, then renamed the Battle of Tranent, and later still renamed the Battle of Prestonpans - although evidence shows the battle occurred a few miles outside of town). The town, established in the eleventh century, has a variety of important historical architecture, including: Preston Tower and the doocot and the local Mercat Cross, which is the only one of its kind in Scotland which remains in its original form and location. Prestonpans is "Scotland's Mural Town", with many murals depicting local history.
History.
According to certain stories Prestonpans was founded in the 11th century by a traveller named Althamer, who became shipwrecked on the local beach/coastal area. Finding it impossible to get home, the survivors of the wreck decided to remain where they were and founded a settlement named Althamer in honour of their leader. Whether this story is true or not is a matter of opinion, however, when the monks of Newbattle and Holyrood arrived in the district in 1184 there was already a settlement named 'Aldhammer' on the site of what is now Prestonpans. The monks gave the settlement their own name, Prieststown or Prieston. Because of the salt manufacturing carried out by the monks using pans on the seashore, the town's name would later develop into Salt Prieststown and Salt Preston, and finally Prestonpans.
One of the first post-Reformation churches was built in Prestonpans in 1596, for and at the expense of the new minister, John Davidson. The church was greatly re-modelled in 1774. Ten years after the original building of the new church, Prestonpans became a Parish in its own right, having previously formed part of the Parish of Tranent.
Industry.
Salt panning was a very important industry in the early history of Prestonpans. By the beginning of the fifteenth century there were 10 salt works belonging to the town capable of producing between 800 and 900 bushels of salt per week. However, Prestonpans was not a one-industry town, and many other industries flourished in Prestonpans and contributed towards the town's growth. The discovery and mining of coal by the Newbattle monks in the early thirteenth century was arguably the first instance of coal mining in Britain. The mining of coal in Prestonpans began in the year 1210, and continued for centuries.
Prestonpans at one time had sixteen breweries however, today there are none. The oldest brewery in Prestonpans belonged to the Fowler family and was built in 1720. The Fowlers obtained it in 1756 and it was in production until the 1960s. The building was demolished in 1989 to build flats. There was a soap works in the town which at one time had an output of per annum, and also several potteries and brickworks.
The town was served, for several hundred years, by the harbour at nearby Prestongrange, known as Morrison's Haven or "Acheson's Haven". Fishing boats sailed from the harbour and herring was the most important catch. The harvesting of oysters was a lucrative industry up to the early twentieth century.
Battle of Prestonpans; Heritage Trust.
The Battle of Prestonpans (also known as the Battle of Gladsmuir) was the first significant conflict in the second Jacobite Rising. The battle took place on 21 September 1745. The Jacobite army loyal to James Francis Edward Stuart and led by his son Charles Edward Stuart defeated the army loyal to the Hanoverian George II led by Sir John Cope. The victory was a huge morale boost for the Jacobites, and a greatly mythologised version of the story entered art and legend. A memorial to the Battle of Prestonpans in the form of a modest stonemason-built cairn sits close to the battle site. An earlier (and tellingly, much larger and more impressive) monument to Colonel James Gardiner, a Hanoverian who was mortally wounded on the field of battle, was also erected in 1853 near Bankton House where the Colonel lived. It was sculpted by Alexander Handyside Ritchie. Each year on the anniversary of the battle, a Battlefield Walk is organised by local historians, and in September 2008 the Battle of Prestonpans 1745 Trust organised a symposium on local battlefields. A memorial in the parish church commemorates "John Stuart of Phisgul...barbarously murdered by four Highlanders near the end of the Battle".
In 2006, the Battle of Prestonpans 1745 Heritage Trust was established on the initiative of the local people to ensure much better presentation and interpretation. It attracted private and Heritage lottery funding to achieve some of its initial goals.
Plans include a Living History Visitor Centre in close proximity to the battlefield, authentic battle re-enactments as part of East Lothian's Triennial Battle Cycle, battle-related storytelling, paintings by Andrew Hillhouse, new historical novels, and a new 'Flowering of the Arts' including embroidery. A "Battle Bus" helped to promote the project until 2012 by when the 105 metre Battle of Prestonpans Tapestry had become a major celebrity. From September 2008, biennial symposia are being convened to explore the past, present and future of the East Lothian battlefields of Prestonpans, Dunbar and Pinkie Cleugh. In 2013, the Battle Trust published Arran Johnston's "Blood Stain'd Fields – the Battles of East Lothian" with a Foreword by the 19th Duke of Somerset, a descendant of the English victor at Pinkie Cleugh. The 4th such biennial Symposium in 2014 saw very wide involvement from battlefields across Scotland and an Accord was reached to establish a Scottish Battlefields Trust working in partnership with the UK Battlefields Trust.
Details of all the Trust's activities can be found at its website @ www.battleofprestonpans1745.org and these include the Alan Breck Regiment of Prestonpans Volunteers established by the Trust to ensure annual re-enactments. As well as Highlanders, the Regiment includes members of the redcoat Edinburgh City Guard.
Battlefield Archaeology.
In 2008 the Trust commissioned Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division ("GUARD") to undertake a comprehensive survey, followed by selective excavation, of the battlefield. Although the site of the main battlefield is readily located today, fixed by such surviving features as the tramway embankment, interim findings announced in April 2010 indicate that the true site of the Highlanders' charge, based on concentrations of musket balls and other evidence, is 500 yards to the east of the accepted location (). The battlefield has been inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Scottish Historical Environment Policy of 2009.
Great controversy has arisen in 2014 as proposals to redevelop the industrial activities close by the battle site have actually impinged on it. Historic Scotland has taken the view that such activities will have a minimal impact and it is in the national interest that they must be allowed. The local community has refused to accept such an outcome and is pledged to campaign to have it reversed.
The battlefield benefits from a pyramidal viewpoint sculpted from an old coal bing at Meadowmill, atop which flies Prince Charlie's battle flag to mark where a series of interpretation boards can be found. There are a further seven information panels around the battlefield, regular guided walks and commemorative events. With support from "Bord na Gaidhlig" road and walkway signage now includes the Gaelic which was spoken by the majority of Highlanders at the battle. The Doo'cot at Bankton House now acts as an interpretation site for the life of Colonel Gardiner. An APP for the Battlefield Walk, the Prestonpans Tapestry [see below] and the 1722 Waggonway which crosses the battlefield is available for free download from Apple and Android @ prestonpans 1745
Prestonpans Tapestry.
The Prestonpans Tapestry was unveiled on 26 July 2010. With 105 panels (each 1m long), it is about 100 ft (30m) longer than its inspiration, the Bayeux Tapestry. Inspired by Gordon Baron Prestoungrange, designed by local artist Andrew Crummy, and executed by over 200 volunteer embroiderers, the tapestry has already toured Scotland, England and France. Venues included the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Cockenzie power station and countless locations from Eriskay along the route The Prince took prior to the battle. In Autumn 2013, the Tapestry was a Guest Exhibit alongside the Bayeux Tapestry itself, in Normandy, and subsequently at Pornichet/ St Nazaire from whence the Prince embarked to begin his campaign in 1745.
Modern Prestonpans.
The war memorial stands near the town centre but is slightly obscured by the flanking buildings. It is a fine sculpture of a "Jock" (Scottish soldier) in bonnet and greatcoat by William Birnie Rhind, 1921.
Adjacent to the war memorial is a bronze plaque dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives in the Spanish Civil War.
There is now no salt or mining industry in the area. The town has developed considerably over the last few years. New housing has been built on greenbelt and there is potential for more affordable housing in the town. There remains a thriving community spirit. A two-week festival in early summer links Prestonpans with neighbouring Cockenzie and Port Seton, called The Three Harbours Festival.
The town has two primary schools, Preston Tower Primary School and St, Gabriels and the comprehensive Preston Lodge High School. Prestonpans railway station is on the Edinburgh – North Berwick line. The local non-league football team Preston Athletic plays its home games at the Pennypit Park in the town, as does the local rugby team Preston Lodge RFC.
Prestonpans also has the popular and famous Royal Musselburgh Golf Club, the sixth-oldest golf club in the world (and is still home to The Old Club Cup, the world's oldest golfing trophy still being played for) and the town's cricket team, Preston Village Cricket Club.
The Prestonpans Murals Trail has become popular over the last few years. In 2006 it hosted the Global Murals Conference.
In 2006, Prestonpans and the neighbouring towns of Cockenzie, Port Seton and Longniddry were twinned with the town of Barga, Tuscany, Italy.
In 2010, the Prestonpans Tapestry was completed and has been touring Scotland and England.
In October 2011, Prestonpans was awarded Fairtrade Town status.


Flint Ridge State Memorial

Flint Ridge State Memorial is a Native American flint quarry located in Hopewell Township, Licking County, Ohio, about three miles north of Brownsville at the intersection of Brownsville Road and Flint Ridge Road. Old quarry pits are visible, and a museum is located on the site.
Flint is a variety of quartz and the flint on the ridge is within the Vanport Limestone Member of the Allegheny Formation of Pennsylvanian age.
Flint Ridge was an important source of flint and Native Americans extracted the flint from hundreds of quarries along the ridge. This "Ohio Flint" was traded across the eastern United States and has been found as far west as the Rocky Mountains and south around the Gulf of Mexico.


Tom Brown (politician)

Thomas James Brown (12 August 1886 – 10 November 1970) was a British coal miner and Labour Party politician. During a 22-year career in Parliament he became known as the "miner's champion", fighting for compensation for those suffering from industrial diseases, and to improve state pensions.
Miner.
Brown was born in Leigh, in the centre of the Lancashire coalfield. He went to the Brunswick School and Leigh Technical School, but as with most of the local men, he began work in the coal mines at the age of 12 in 1898. He joined the Lancashire Miners' Federation and the Labour Representation Committee in 1903.
Political career.
In 1919 Brown was elected to Hindley Urban District Council, of which he was twice Chairman before standing down in 1945. He also became a Justice of the Peace for Lancashire in 1922; he held this appointment for forty years before going off the active list. He was on the Executive Committee of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain from 1922 to 1938. In 1937 he received a promotion at the mine and became a Miners' Agent instead of working underground; he was an exchange delegate to the French Miners' Congress in 1938.
Election to Parliament.
As Vice-President of the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation, Brown won the Miners' Federation nomination for the vacated seat of Ince where the sitting Member of Parliament (MP) was made a Regional Controller for the Ministry of Fuel and Power. Browne was elected unopposed.
He concentrated on the problems of the mining industry and miners, calling for the abolition of the means test for retired miners. Along with the majority of Labour backbenchers, Brown voted against the wartime government's decision to postpone implementation of the Beveridge report. He called for increases in the level of the state pension.
Campaigns.
Brown was allied with the left on issues such as the grant to members of the Royal family and continuing National Service. He especially campaigned for compensation to ex-miners suffering from lung diseases, and welcomed moves by the government in 1954 to institute a compensation scheme. In 1956 he argued strongly against a Bill which would allow licensed premises at airports to sell alcohol, saying that there was much evidence of aircraft being endangered by drink-sodden passengers. Brown was specifically concerned with protecting pensioners from increases in the price of cigarettes, and moved an amendment to the 1956 budget to exempt pensioners from the rise in cigarette duty.
In 1958 Brown, then chairman of the Lancashire and Cheshire group of Labour MPs, organised a delegation to the government calling for a complete prohibition of textile imports from Hong Kong, Pakistan and India. The group argued that these goods were produced by sweated labour, and that the Lancashire textile industry needed protection. A strong supporter of state ownership of the mining industry, Brown rejected moves to restrict the borrowing power of the National Coal Board.
Retirement.
In poor health and in his mid seventies, Brown announced in August 1961 his decision not to fight the next election on doctor's advice. In 1962, having come out of hospital to attend a debate on nurses' pay, he declared he felt as walked out that he would have been willing to give nurses the whole Treasury.


Berezov mine

The Berezov mine is a large iron mine located in eastern Russia in the Amur Oblast. Berezov represents one of the largest iron ore reserves in Russia and in the world having estimated reserves of 1 billion tonnes of ore grading 55% iron metal.


Gornaya Shoriya mine

The Gornaya Shoriya mine is a large iron mine located in central-southern Russia in the Kemerovo Oblast. Gornaya Shoriya represents one of the largest iron ore reserves in Russia and in the world having estimated reserves of 2.17 billion tonnes of ore grading 34% iron metal.


Gresford

Gresford (; ) is a village and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales.
According to the 2001 Census, the population of the community, which also includes the village of Marford, was 5,334, reducing to 5,010 at the 2011 census.
The Grade I listed All Saints' Church, Gresford has been described as the finest parish church in Wales, and has the most surviving medieval stained glass of any Welsh church. Its bells are one of the traditional Seven Wonders of Wales.
The former Gresford Colliery was the site of the Gresford disaster, one of Britain's worst coal mining disasters, when 266 men died in an underground explosion on 22 September 1934.
History.
Located close to the England–Wales border with Cheshire, the settlement existed at the time of the compilation of the Domesday book, when it was recorded as "Gretford" within the Cheshire Hundred of Duddestan; it had a church, though perhaps not on the present site. The name, derived probably from Old English "græs" and "ford" ("grassy ford"), was later recorded as "Gresworth", "Cresford" and "Grefford", but documentary evidence shows that the place was clearly locally referred to as "Gresford" throughout its history, even under Welsh administration, and the other names merely represent alternative spellings. The Welsh form "Gresffordd", supposedly believed to indicate an etymology from "y groesffordd" ("the crossroads"), seems to have been the imaginative creation of Welsh genealogists of the 15th century and later. This form has, however, seen media use as an alternative spelling since at least the 19th century, and although largely unused by the mainly non-Welsh speakers of the village itself, is today often used by the Welsh press, and Welsh-language media.
In common with many of the towns and villages of the border lands, or Marches, Gresford has gone through periods of both English and Welsh dominance. The whole area was resettled by Welsh aligned to Owain Gwynedd in 1170–1203. At this time the bishopric was transferred from that of St. Werburgh's Chester to St. Asaph, and the vicars of the village were Welsh with patronymic names (for example, Morud ap Gwarius, who became vicar in 1284).
It is possible, however, that settlement existed on the site from quite an early date, as a Roman altar was found within the church in 1908. The altar is likely to depict Nemesis; this and the unearthing of a Roman coin hoard nearby-dating 150–300, is possible evidence of a settlement. There is also a stand of yew trees in the churchyard, the oldest dating to A.D. 500 — long before Anglo-Saxon settlement.
Approaching Gresford from the Wrexham direction, on the left hand side of the road, there was a tree known as the 'Cross Tree', and alongside this there is the base of an ancient stone cross. This tree was removed after 1984, and has since been replaced with a young tree.
Until the late 19th century, the parish boundary encompassed a large area, including the townships of Burton, Llay, Rossett and Gwersyllt, as well as several townships later included in Isycoed. The bells of the parish church, All Saints' Church are one of the traditional Seven Wonders of Wales. Gresford Church dates to 1492 and is a large building considering the size of what the population would have been in the present day boundaries of the parish. The base of the church tower has earlier remnants of a previous building and an earlier roofline of a former transept can be detected in the tower. The colour of the stone is quite distinctive, and is typical of the Wrexham area. It is a sandy brown Millstone Grit, locally referred to as "Cefn" stone.
Pant Iocyn (later Pant-yr-Ochain) house was built in the 1550s alongside the road from Gresford to Wrexham by Edward Almer, MP and three times High Sheriff of the county. It was one of the chief houses in east Denbighshire and descended in the Almer family until it was bought and enlarged by Sir Foster Cunliffe, 3rd Baronet in 1785. The 18th century addition now serves as a gastro pub.
Gresford Colliery.
Henry Dennis and his son, Henry Dyke Dennis, began sinking a coal mine near Gresford in 1888, taking four years for the 3,280 ft deep shafts to be completed. The coalmine was located on the edge of the Alyn Valley, between the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway (later the GWR Birkenhead-Paddington line) and the old main road between Wrexham and Chester. The first coal was produced from June 1911, with full production reached before the outbreak of the First World War. The coal was renowned in the area as being of very good quality and hot burning.
Gresford Colliery was the site of one of Britain's worst coal mining disasters. The Gresford Disaster occurred on 22 September 1934, when 266 men died following an underground explosion. The bodies of only 11 of the miners underground at the time of the explosion were recovered. The headgear wheel is preserved and forms part of the Gresford Disaster Memorial, along with a plaque. The disaster is commemorated in the hymn tune "Gresford", which is also known as "the Miners' Hymn", written by Robert Saint of Hebburn, himself also a miner. This tune has been played regularly by many colliery brass bands over the years and is found on a number of recordings, and is also played at the annual Miners' Picnics around the North of England, especially at the Durham Miners' Gala.
The colliery lasted until 1973 when it was closed due to geological problems.
Transport.
The stone-built Gresford (for Llay) Halt, on the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway was midway up the notorious Gresford Bank. The bank was so steep that a refuge siding was required at the station in the event of engines having to leave some of their load behind to get up the hill. Banking engines were also used on occasions. The station was demoted to halt status in 1956 and was closed altogether from 1964.
Education.
All Saints' Voluntary Aided Church in Wales School is the village primary school. It still uses part of the school building constructed in 1874, in memory of Thomas Vowlier Short, a Christ Church, Oxford University theologian, and former Bishop of St Asaph.


Mokra Gora mine

The Mokra Gora mine is one of the largest nickel mines in Serbia. The mine is located in Mokra Gora in Zlatibor District. The mine has reserves amounting to 1 billion tonnes of ore grading 0.7% nickel metal.


Charles William Nevill

Charles William Nevill (1815 – 7 June 1888) was a Welsh owner of a copper smelting company, and a Conservative Party politician. He was elected at the 1874 general election as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Carmarthen Boroughs, but resigned from Parliament two years later, accepting the Stewardship of the Chiltern Hundreds in 1876.
Public life.
As a prominent industrialist it was natural that Nevill would become involved in local government and in 1850 became one of the first members of the Llanelly Board of Health.
Member of Parliament.
In 1874, the octogenarian member for the Carmarthen Boroughs, Sir John Stepney, announced his decision to retire. Almost immediately, his son, Arthur, emerged as the new Liberal candidate. Arthur Stepney was regarded as an unlikely radical, and there as general surprise at his declaration of support for policies such as the disestablishment of the Anglican church in Wales. Nevill, who has resisted calls to oppose the elder Stepney in 1868, now entered the fray. His candidature was strengthened by his status as 'one of the largest employers of labour' in the locality.
One of the features of the election was that nonconformist ministers in Llanelli sought to encourage opposition to Nevill.
Nevill's popularity in Llanelli led to his election, although he did not command a majority in the county town of Carmarthen, which had a smaller electorate.
During his short parliamentary career, Nevill did not always support Conservative policy. He voted in favour of the extension of the county franchise, and also supported Osborne Morgan's Burials' Bill.
On 19 July 1876, Nevill indicated his intention to resign as an MP, in a letter to the Vicar of Carmarthen, the Rev Latimer M. Jones. A number of possible candidates were initially mentioned, both Conservatives and Liberals. However, within a short time it became apparent that Arthur Stepney would succeed him. At the subsequent by-election, Stepney was returned unopposed.
Later life and death.
At Llanelli, Nevill played a prominent part in public life. He was a magistrate for over fifty years and served as chairman of both the Board of Guardians and Local Board of Health. Nevill died in 1888 at the age of 73.


Moreton Resources

Moreton Resources Limited (former names: Pinnacle Mining, Pinnacle VRB and Cougar Energy) is an Australian coal mining company. In 2007–2013 it was specialized on underground coal gasification and electric power production by produced syngas. In addition to Australia, the company planned underground coal gasification projects in the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, China, and Mongolia.
History.
The company was established in 1994 as Pinnacle Mining NL. On 5 June 1998 it changed its name to Pinnacle VRB Limited. In 2006, the company acquired Cougar Energy Pty Ltd. After merger, the company changed name to Cougar Energy Limited on 16 February 2007.
Cougar Energy had a licence agreement with Ergo Exergy Technologies for utilization of the underground coal gasification technology developed by Ergo Exergy. The main underground coal gasification pilot project developed by Cougar Energy was located near Kingaroy, Queensland. The first syngas at Kingaroy pilot plant was produced on 16 March 2010. The company planned to use produced gas at the proposed 400 MW Kingaroy Power Plant.
Other projects included the underground coal gasification plants at Wandoan, Queensland (the Surat Basin), and Latrobe Valley, Victoria, in Australia and at the Thar Coal Field in Pakistan. Cougar Energy has also signed memorandums of understanding with Essar Oil and Exploration for cooperation in India and with Inner Mongolia Qi De Investment Co. Ltd. for cooperation in China. Its first commercial underground coal gasification project in Indonesia with its strategic partner PT MedcoEnergi Mining involved the development of a 30 megawatt power plant using UCG gas as feedstock.
Operations.
Company's conventional coal assets are situated in Bowen and Surat Basins in Queensland. It develops the Mackenzie and South Burnett coal projects.
Its subsidiary MRV Metals plans to produce silver and copper at Granite Belt.
Incidents.
On 16 July 2010, the Kingaroy pilot plant was temporary shut down after traces of benzene and toluene were detected in groundwater monitoring bores. The level of hydrocarbons in the water was 95% lower than Australian drinking water guidelines. Cougar Energy initiated two legal actions in Queensland seeking damages for the closing down of the Kingaroy plant as well as orders to permit the re-opening of operations at the plant. By September 2013 the company was unable to afford the legal struggle and pleaded guilty to three counts of contravening conditions of an environmental authority and was fined A$75,000 plus A$40,000 costs.


Sheffield Coal Company

The Sheffield Coal Company was a colliery owning and coal selling company with its head office situated in South Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.
Formation.
The Sheffield Coal Company was one of the oldest colliery companies in Sheffield being founded on 28 February 1805 to lease from the Duke of Norfolk and work coal pits in the Park area of the city. This lease expired in 1820 and the company was re-formed five years later.
The Houndsfield-Wilson Coal Company, owners of pits in Birley Vale merged with three individuals, with previous Sheffield Coal Company connections, named Bartholomew, Jeffcock and Dunn to form the new company and were later joined by John Jeffcock and William Littlewood from High Hazels, Darnall and John and Edwin Sorby of Attercliffe but with colliery interests at Dore House, near Orgreave.
The company worked below land of the Duke of Norfolk's estates
and continued this until 1866 when they leased a large tract in the area of Woodhouse, Hackenthorpe and Beighton, at that time outside the Sheffield boundary, from the Earl Manvers.
In 1900 three of the S.C.C. directors took option leases on the new coalfield around Dinnington in order to develop and increase their available reserves. New sales offices were opened in London (following the completion of the Great Central Railway's line to the capital) and Bournemouth (which could also be reached, via Woodford Halse, from the London line).
In 1937 the United Steel Companies, which had coal mining interests at Orgreave and Treeton, made an offer for the Sheffield Coal Company of which the directors recommended acceptance, the deal being finalised on 24 June.
Nationalisation and the end.
The collieries of the Sheffield Coal Company, by that time owned by United Steel Companies, became part of the National Coal Board on nationalisation, but the company name, which had continued to exist under United Steel's ownership continued, along with others which became part of the NCB, until being finally wound up in 1961.
Collieries.
From their agreement with the Earl of Manvers the company sunk Birley West Colliery on a site in the Shirebrook Valley between Woodhouse and Hackenthorpe and began extracting coal by 1852. Within ten years plans were put forward to acquire more land and sink a new shaft. It was not until Spring 1887 that work commenced on the new shaft but the following year the part completed colliery gained the name Birley East Colliery (collectively these pits were referred to as Birley Collieries). Although a small amount of coal was being cut from the new colliery, brought to the surface at Birley West, it was not until 1890 when a new winding engine was installed that it fully came on stream. Later expansion came with mining rights being obtained from the Duke of Norfolk to mine below Handsworth Common. William Dunn Gainsford is listed as owner between 1877 until his death in 1926.
Sunk in 1844 by the Staveley Iron Company, North Staveley Colliery at Aston came under the SCC umbrella in the latter part of the 19th century. The colliery was situated to the north of, and set back from the later Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway line between Woodhouse and Kiveton.
The last colliery to be opened by the Sheffield Coal Company was Brookhouse Colliery which drew its first coal in 1929. Situated between Swallownest and Beighton it was adjacent to the main line of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway about a mile east of Woodhouse Junction. The site also housed coke ovens supplying metallurgical coke to the iron and steel industry.
The Site of the former Brookhouse Colliery is now part of the Rother Valley Country Park and a proposed leisure development called the YES project. The site now falls in Rotherham Borough Councils area for planning.


Whitburn, West Lothian

Whitburn (originally Whiteburn) is a small town in West Lothian, Scotland, halfway between Scotlands's two largest cities, about east of Glasgow and west of Edinburgh. The nearest major towns are Bathgate, and Livingston, .
History.
Originally a small farming & weaving community centred around the burn that runs through, it was once a district of Linlithgow until 1973 and a parish of Livingston until 1730 when it established into its own as the population began to rise.
When reliable statistics began with the Statistical Accounts of Scotland the population was counted at 1,322 in 1755 followed by a more accurately count of 1,322 in 1795.
Whitburn has appeared on maps since the 17th century of the Early Modern period and appears on a manuscript authored by Scottish map maker John Adair in 1680.
The earliest documented reference to Whitburn is dated 26 September 1363 and can be found in the Index of Charters by King David II of Scotland. It grants William de Carnys and his heir Duncan a concession to the terms upon which they held the baronies of Easter and Wester Whitburn. There were also two gold pieces of Roman coin discovered in a field in 1845 but there is no other evidence of Roman occupation.
During the Age of Enlightenment the community was trading cotton, pig iron and coal.
"Old quarries" can be seen dotted over the area on the Ordnance Survey 1st Edition map, presumably from the days of clay, sandstone and iron ore extraction.
The majority of farmers rented agricultural land because of the Lowland Clearances and most of it was owned by Esquires.
Between the 18th and 20th century the town was dominated by mines with the largest being Polkemmet Colliery – a large coal mine, discovered in the town in the late 1800s – but this was closed in the 1980s as a result of damage by underground flooding during the 1984-85 miners' strike and never re-opened. The colliery buildings have gone, and the coal bings that once were prominent have now been removed. Work to dismantle Bing No 3, the infamous burning bing, started in August 2006 and was completed by February 2008. The last major outbreak of burning occurred in 1998.
As of 2017 the bings have been flattened and it is now a large housing estate as a result from the Heartlands Project.
There was a Scottish Police College located on the current site of Townhead Gardens in the 1940s, before it moved to the old mansion at Polkemmet.
The town's population was boosted by the 1960s Glasgow overflow. The town's Murraysgate and surrounding areas north-west of the cross were established to deal with the overflow.
Schools.
The town has 5 primary schools, 4 of which have nurseries within. These five schools are known as Croftmalloch Primary School, Polkemmet Primary School, Burnhouse, St Joseph's Primary School and Whitdale Primary School.
Whilst four of the schools are non-denominational, St Joseph's is regarded as a Catholic school.
Burnhouse school is for children with behavioural difficulties who cannot be placed in mainstream schools.
The local secondary school is Whitburn Academy. It is a state run non-denominational secondary school serving pupils aged 11 to 18. Its catchment area is the town of Whitburn and the surrounding villages of Fauldhouse, Longridge, East Whitburn, Stoneyburn, and Greenrigg. There are approximately 1000 pupils at the school.
Sport and recreation.
Whitburn has a King George's Field in memory of King George V which was opened in 1955 by Queen Elizabeth II.
On 16 January 2012, a planning application was submitted regarding the rebuild of the swimming pool; drawings of the new facility were posted on the Xcite Leisure Website.
Whitburn is home to Whitburn Junior F.C. who play at Central Park and are in the SJFA East Region Super League. In 2000 they won the OVD Scottish Juniors Cup.
The town holds its annual gala day on the third Saturday in June; there is a parade through the town, followed by games and races at King George V Park. The gala day is part of a week of activities known as the "Civic Week"; this also includes a fairground and a fireworks display in King George V Park.
Polkemmet Country Park is located to the west of the town, and incorporates woodland, a golf course, cafe, and play area. The park is also locally famous for the Polkemmet Horn which can be seen from the M8 motorway which runs to the north of the country park. There is also a disused steam locomotive from Polkemmet Colliery on display. Since 2012 Polkemmet Park has also been the site of the Scottish Owl Centre.
Industry.
The town was once the site of Levi Strauss & Co., the clothing manufacturer. The plant opened in 1969, employing a work force of over 500 local people. At its height, the plant was producing 4 million pairs of jeans in a year. The plant shut its doors in December 1999.
Bands.
The Whitburn Band is a brass band formed in 1870. The band has been successful on the contest stage and competes at the British Open, National Final and European Championships, and has been Scottish Champion on 19 occasions. In 2017, the Whitburn Band was ranked 6th in the world in the 4barsrest rankings.
Whitburn Flute Band was formed in the town in 1962, although it is thought the band may have existed in some form before this. The band host their annual parade through the town on the first Saturday in April. The parade attracts bands from all over the UK who come to compete.


San Vicente mine

The San Vicente mine is a large silver mine located in Potosí Department, Bolivia. San Vicente is one of the largest silver reserves in Bolivia and in the world, containing an estimated 36.1 million ounces of silver.


Roger Thornton

Roger Thornton (died 1430), the Dick Whittington of Newcastle, seems to have been a country boy who sought his fortune in town. He lived to become 'the richest merchant that ever was dwelling in Newcastell', and three times mayor of that town.
History.
The old saying was:
He was elected Mayor of Newcastle for 1400–01, 1402–1406, 1416–17 and 1423–1426, a total of 9 times.
He took the side of Henry IV against the rebel Earl of Northumberland (in whose cause Hotspur had fallen) and received on 28 July 1405 'in consideration of his services and of the losses he had sustained, and the charges he had borne in the late rebellion of the Earl of Northumberland, and others, the Foucher (Fugar) House in Whickham, as well as other estates in Cleveland.'
He represented Newcastle-upon-Tyne in parliament in 1399, 1411, 1417 and 1419, the last being the fifth year of the reign of Henry V.
Thornton was a speculator in lead mines, and he was certainly working some in Weardale under lease from the Bishop of Durham in 1401. He was remembered for his liberality to Newcastle, building a town court and also a Maison Dieu or hospital for poor people in the Sandhill.
Thornton died in the Broad Chare on 3 January 1430. His monumental brass, of the incised, Flemish type, is now in Newcastle Cathedral, and is said to be the largest brass in the country. It was originally installed in the medieval All Saints' Church, Newcastle upon Tyne nearby, which was later demolished and rebuilt. The brass is certainly one of the finest; Thornton's seven sons and seven daughters appear below the principal figures. Thornton's is one of the four effigies of Northumberland worthies above 43–45 Northumberland Street in Newcastle.


Okino coal mine

The Okino Coal Mine is a coal mine located in southern Russia in Buryatia. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 126 million tonnes of coking coal, one of the largest coal reserves in Asia and the world. The mine has an annual production capacity of 3 million tonnes of coal.


Lake Maitland

Lake Maitland is a dry salt lake located approximately south east of Wiluna, in the Mid West region of Western Australia.
Mining project.
The Lake Maitland project was being pursued by Canadian company Mega Uranium. Mega teamed up with Australian company Toro Energy Pty Ltd in 2013, Toro Energy have an active proposal to mine uranium at Lake Way - incorporate two uranium deposits - Lake Way and Centipede.
Toro Energy submitted a referral to the WA and Federal Government in 2014 to include the Lake Maitland and Millipede deposits to the existing proposal to mine Lake Way and Centipede. The proposal is to now to mine 4 deposits across 2 lake systems.
It is one of four advanced uranium mining projects, the others being the Lake Way uranium project, Yeelirrie uranium project, and Kintyre uranium deposit.
Uranium mining project.
The U3O8 Lake Maitland project, pursued by Mega Uranium, and the 680 tonnes U3O8 Centipede–Lake Way project undertaken by Toro Energy, located at Lake Way.
The uranium mining projects in Western Australia have attracted opposition from organisations like the Anti-Nuclear Alliance of Western Australia, which have attempted to put a hold on them before they reach active mining stage.
The Lake Maitland uranium deposit was first discovered in 1972 by Asarco Australia. The deposit saw limited exploration efforts in the 1980s, but progress was halted because of a dispute between the joint owners at the time, but also saw frequent changes in ownership.
After some more drilling in 2005 by Redport Ltd, the company was taken over by Mega Uranium in December 2006, who continued drilling and exploration efforts in 2007-08. The future mine, while remote, benefits from existing infrastructure in the region from other mines. It is located approximately 30 km north of the Bronzewing Gold Mine. A 35 percent stake in the mine is held by Japanese consortium Japan Australia Uranium Resources Development Co (JAURD). JAURD is jointly owned by Kansai Electric Power, Kyushu Electric Power and Shikoku Electric Power, who, between them, operate nuclear power plants.
The mine, expected to have a mine live of ten years, is scheduled to produce 1.65 million pounds of uranium oxide a year.


List of gold mines in the United States

This list of gold mines in the United States is subsidiary to the list of mines article and lists working, defunct and future mines in the country and is organised by the primary mineral output. For practical purposes stone, marble and other quarries may be included in this list.


Hubsugui mine

The Hubsugui mine is a large mine located in Mongolia. Hubsugui represents one of the largest phosphates reserve in Mongolia having estimated reserves of 632.9 million tonnes of ore grading 40% P2O5.


Jharia coalfield

Jharia coalfield is a large coal field located in the east of India in Jharia, Jharkhand. Jharia represents the largest coal reserves in India having estimated reserves of 19.4 billion tonnes of coking coal. The coalfield is an important contributor to the local economy, employing much of the local population either directly or indirectly.
The fields have suffered a coal bed fire since at least 1916, resulting in 37 millions tons of coal consumed by the fire, and significant ground subsidence and water and air pollution in local communities including the city of Jharia. The resulting pollution has led to a government agency designated for moving local populations, however, little progress has been made in the relocation.
Coal field.
The coal field lies in the Damodar River Valley, and covers about 110 square miles (280 square km), and produces bituminous coal suitable for coke. Most of India's coal comes from Jharia. Jharia coal mines are India's most important storehouse of prime coke coal used in blast furnaces, it consists of 23 large underground and nine large open cast mines.
History.
The mining activities in these coalfields started in 1894 and had really intensified in 1925. The first Indians to arrive and break monopoly of British in Coal mining were Gujarati railway contractors from Kutch some of whom decided to plunge into the coal mining business and were thus the pioneers in starting coal mining in Jharia coalfields belt around 1890–95. In Jharia-Dhanbad belt Seth Khora Ramji Chawda was the first Indian to break monopoly of Europeans and founded Khas Jharia, Golden Jharia, Fatehpur, Balihari, Khas Jeenagora, East Bagatdih Collieries with their brothers Teja Ramji Chawda, Jetha Lira Jethwa, Akhoy Ramji Chawda, Pachan Ramji Chowra between 1894 and 1910. In Pure Jharia Colliery Khora Ramji and brothers were partners with Diwan Bahadur D.D. Thacker.
 The Encyclopaedia of Bengal, Bihar & Orissa (1920) by British Gazetteer mentions about Seth Khora Ramji as under :-
The life sketch of Govamal Jivan Chauhan is also another miner mentioned by the British in Gazetteer who founded collieries at Teesra, Budroochuck and Pandeberra around 1908–10, Jagmal Raja Chauhan owned Rajapore colliery with Manji Jeram of Madhapar, while Khimji Walji owned Tisra mines The migrants took on lease the coal mining fields from Raja of Jharia at various locations to start collieries at Khas Jharia, Jamadoba, Balihari, Tisra, Katrasgarh, Kailudih, Kusunda, Govindpur, Sijua, Sijhua, Loyabad, Joyrampur, Bhaga, Matadih, Mohuda, Dhansar, Bhuli, Bermo, Mugma, Chasnala-Bokaro, Bugatdih, Putki, Pandibri, Rajapur, Jeenagora, Gareria, Chirkunda, Bhowrah, Sinidih, Kendwadih, Dumka, etc.
Coal field fire.
Jharia is famous for a coal field fire that has burned underground for nearly a century. A 2007 estimate, described 37 million tons of coal consumed by the fires since their start.
The first fire was detected in 1916. According to records, it was the Khas Jharia mines of Seth Khora Ramji Chawda (1860–1923), who was a pioneer of Indian coalmines, whose mines were one of the firsts to collapse in underground fire in 1930. Two of his collieries, Khas Jharia and Golden Jharia, which worked on maximum 260-foot-deep shafts, collapsed due to now infamous underground fires, in which their house and bungalow also collapsed on 8 November 1930, causing 18 feet subsidence and widespread destruction. The fire never stopped despite sincere efforts by mines department and railway authorities and in 1933 flaming crevasses lead to exodus of many residents. The 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake led to further spread of fire and by 1938 the authorities had declared that there is raging fire beneath the town with 42 collieries out of 133 on fire.
In 1972, more than 70 mine fires were reported in this region. As of 2007, more than 400,000 people who live in Jharia are living on land in danger of subsidence due to the fires, and according to Satya Pratap Singh, "Jharia township is on the brink of an ecological and human disaster". The government has been criticized for a perceived lackadaisical attitude towards the safety of the people of Jharia. Heavy fumes emitted by the fires lead to severe health problems such as breathing disorders and skin diseases among the local population.


Gornoye Ozero mine

The Gornoye Ozero mine is a large niobium mine located in eastern Russia in Sakha Republic. Gornoye Ozero represents one of the largest niobium reserves in Russia having estimated reserves of 24 million tonnes of ore grading 0.36% niobium.


Jincheng Anthracite Mining Group

Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Mining Group Co., Ltd. (JAMG) is a Chinese state-owned coal mining conglomerate based in Jincheng, Shanxi. It was owned by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of . JAMG was ranked 386th in 2016 Fortune Global 500. The company also known as Jin Coal Group () in China, which "Jin" was the short name of both Jincheng and Shanxi Province, as both named after the ancient Jin. Jincheng was located in one of the 13 important coal mining sites of China, namely "Jin East", which fellow state-owned enterprise Yangquan Coal Industry Group and Lu'an Mining Industry Group were also located in "Jin East".
According to a publication of the National Energy Administration, JAMG had a coal mining capability of 54.55 million tons in 2015, despite the list was incomplete. (The figure also included the mines from Taiyuan Coal Gasification Group) According to the company itself, the company produced 70.4 million tons of coal in 2015.
According to the International Energy Agency, JAMG was ranked 11th in 2006 in China by sales mass. According to UNESCO, the group had one of the representative coal gasification plant in China in 2007, with an output of 100,000 tons. The group also had the world largest coal mine methane power plant of 120 MegaWatts, at the Sihe Mine (). The engine of the power plant was constructed by Caterpillar and the project was partly financed by a loan from Asia Development Bank and the Prototype Carbon Fund that was managed by the World Bank.
History.
Shanxi Jincheng Anthracite Mining Group was founded in 1958 as Jincheng Mining Bureau. In 2000 it was incorporated as a limited company. In 2011 Shanxi SASAC entrusted JAMG to manage Taiyuan Coal Gasification Group.
In 2016 JAMG acquired 24.26% stake of Taiyuan Coal Gasification Co., Ltd., a listed subsidiary of Taiyuan Coal Gasification Group for (CN¥6.87 per share). A backdoor listing was planned for a subsidiary () of JAMG, which produces coal mine methane. The listed company would acquire the subsidiary by paying cash and issuing new shares to JAMG. The assets of coal gas would sold back from the listed company to Taiyuan Coal Gasification Group. After the deal, JAMG would owned the listed company for 49.89%, followed by Taiyuan Coal Gasification Group for 16.66%. Additional new shares would be issued to other parties in order to dilute the effect of aforementioned deal, which JAMG and Taiyuan Coal Gasification Group may owned 40.05% and 13.38% stake respectively, with new investors owned 20%.
Shareholders.
The shareholders of JAMG, as at 31 December 2015 were the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of , China Development Bank (via a wholly owned subsidiary) and China Cinda Asset Management. The latter acquired the stake by debt-to-equity swap. On 29 January 2015 JAMG bought back 3.61% stake from China Construction Bank. The treasury stock was than canceled in mid-2015.


Cuyuna Range mine

The Cuyuna Range mine is a mine located in the north of the United States in Minnesota. Cuyuna Range represents one of the largest manganese reserve in the United States having estimated reserves of 247 million tons of manganese ore grading 8% manganese metal.


Kostolac coal mine

The Kostolac Coal Mine is a coal mine in Serbia. The mine is located in Kostolac in Braničevo District. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 809 million tonnes of lignite, one of the largest lignite reserves in Europe, and it produces 5.7 million tonnes of coal per year.


Uranium Participation Corporation

Uranium Participation Corporation (UPC) () is a Toronto-based holding company investing nearly all of its assets in uranium, both in the form of uranium oxide () or uranium hexafluoride (), with the primary investment objective of achieving capital appreciation in the value of its uranium holdings. The common shares represent an indirect interest in physical uranium owned by UPC. The mission of the corporation is to provide an investment alternative for investors interested in holding uranium. The structure of the corporation allows it to be purely a holding company play on uranium, with no operational details in its consolidated annual filings.
Uranium Participation Corporation was incorporated on March 15, 2005. At least 85% of net proceeds of any equity
offering were to be invested in uranium. The UPC buys and holds uranium assets and does not actively speculate on short-term prices. UPC was the brainchild of billionaire financier Eric Sprott, of Sprott School of Business and Sprott Molybdenum Participation Corporation fame.
UPC held a significant stake in Uranium One before the latter was purchased outright by ARMZ Uranium Holding in January 2013 for $1.3bn.
The uranium holdings are physically stored in duly licensed facilities located in Canada, France, and the United States.
Relationship with Denison Mines.
Because Uranium Participation does not have a license to purchase and hold uranium directly, the fund buys and holds the commodity through Denison Mines, which it controls for this purpose. Denison Mines is the manager of the corporation and does not have any ownership interest in UPC. Ron Hochstein, an alumnus of Noranda, has been the CEO of Denison since 2000 as well as the CEO of UPC.
The arrangement whereby Denison and UPC occupy the same suite 402 is a convenience designed to satisfy sleepy government regulators.
Luxembourg subsidiary UPCL.
In March 2013, the Cyprus government reached an agreement with the Eurogroup to receive a €10 billion loan to refinance its public debt and achieve its macroeconomic targets. As a condition of receiving the Eurogroup loan, Cyprus’s two major banks, Laiki Bank and Bank of Cyprus were restructured to restore their capital requirements. Uninsured deposits greater than €100,000 were subject to conversions into Bank of Cyprus shares. At February 28, 2013, UPC held approximately €13,000 in Cyprus bank accounts therefore these funds should be fully insured and are not anticipated to be impacted by the bank restructurings. UPC's uranium held by Uranium Participation Cyprus Limited’s Luxembourg branch is also not impacted by the Eurogroup bailout of Cyprus.
The substantively enacted future tax rates, in UPC’s various jurisdictions, range from 3.0% to 26.5%. In fiscal 2013, the Corporation incurred current tax recoveries of $13,000 and future tax recoveries of $3,021,000. The combined tax recoveries for the current year of $3,034,000 reflects an effective tax rate of approximately 3.1% compared to tax recoveries of $18,997,000 and an effective tax rate of 7.8% in the prior year. The decline in the effective tax rate is primarily a result of an increase in the proportion of deductible temporary differences arising in the year that have not been benefited as deferred tax assets or used to offset tax liabilities, and an increase in the proportion of inventory held by the Luxembourg branch of UPC’s wholly owned subsidiary, Uranium Participation Cyprus Limited, which is taxed at the lowest rate within the Corporation.


Utara Coal Mine

Utara Coal Mine is a coal mine along the Utara River of Iriomote, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, where mining was in operation between 1935 and 1943. In 2007, it was designated as a Heritage of Industrial Modernization in Japan.
History.
One of the main coal mining companies within Iriomote Island, Marumitsu Mining Company, found thick layers of coal along Utara River in 1935. Earlier, the predecessor of Marumitsu Mining Company, Takasaki Mining Company was established in 1924 by Kōichirō Noda, a contractor with 50 workers, Kimiichi Oguri, an accountant general, and Shōsaburō Takasaki, a money lender in Naha. The company changed their name to Marumitsu Goumei Company in 1933. First, they mined coal along Nakara River but then they investigated other areas and found good layers of coal along Utara River in 1935. In 1936, they started to mining there with a large lodging house for 400 single workers and more than 10 houses for couples. There were two thick layers of coal in the Utara Mine; one was 60 cm thick and the other 40 cm thick. Coal was sent first by Minecart and later by boat on the Utara river carrying 20 to 30 tons each. In 1938, the mine was producing 2,500 tons monthly. Facilities for workers were extraordinarily good, compared with other mines. Sanitary conditions were greatly improved; glass was used for the prevention of mosquitoes and hence malaria. There were large bathrooms, good water supplies and a doctor's office. There was a 300-seat theater for movies; and dramas were played by workers there. There were three festivals for the workers. Children were educated at a school called Midori Gakuen (Green School). However, the involvement in the Pacific War in 1941 increased the demand for coal, leading to a worsening of mining conditions; men were drafted into military service and the mining operation was discontinued in 1943. The buildings of the mine were destroyed by American air raids. The president of the company, Kōichirō Noda gave up the mine and was engaged in agriculture. The Midori School was made a forerunner to Uehara Elementary School, Taketomi, Okinawa.
Cultural heritage.
In 2007, the ruins of the Utara Mine were designated as a Heritage of Industrial Modernization in Japan and a road was improved.


Drummond Company

Drummond Company, Inc. is a privately owned company based in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, involved in the mining and processing of coal and coal products as well as oil and real estate.
History.
The company was founded in Jasper, Alabama in 1935 by Heman Edward Drummond, an Alabama coal miner. Drummond started mining on land he inherited from his family; he used mules to drag coal out of the mines. When Drummond died in 1956, the company remained family-owned.
In 1970, the company signed a contract to sell coal to Japanese steel companies.
In 1973, Garry N. Drummond, one of the founder's seven children, was appointed as Chairman. Another son, Elbert Allen "Larry" Drummond served as Vice Chairman until his death in 2012. During 1979–1980, these Drummond brothers, along with company executive Clyde Black, were indicted for bribing three Alabama legislators, by means of supplying them with prostitutes. The three-month lawsuit was dismissed by Judge Frank McFadden.
In 2003, the company was sued by widows and orphans of three Colombian labor union leaders who were murdered by paramilitary gunmen near Drummond mines. The lawsuit accused Drummond of "supporting paramilitary fighters at its facilities, thereby making Drummond liable for the deaths." It was known as Estate of Rodriquez v. Drummond Co. By 2009, a U.S. federal court ruled in favor of the company, concluding that it had never supported any action of illegal groups.
In February 2013, journalist Alejandro Arias reported with photographic evidence dumping of hundreds of tons of coal into the Caribbean Sea by the company a month earlier. Based on this evidence the Colombian Government temporarily suspended some operations of the company in Santa Marta where the incident occurred. Drummond was also fined US$3.6 million.
As of December 2013, the company employed a workforce of 6,600, with annual sales of US$3 billion. It was inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame.
In 2015, the Drummond Company sued attorneys Terrence P. Collingsworth and William R. Scherer, the advocacy group International Rights Advocates (IRAdvocates), and Dutch businessman Albert van Bilderbeek, one of the owners of Llanos Oil, accusing them of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act by alleging that Drummond had worked alongside Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia to murder labor union leaders within proximity of their Colombian coal mines, which Drummond denies.
In October 2018, David Roberson, previously the company's vice-president of government affairs, was sentenced to "two-and-a-half years in prison, followed by one year of supervised release", and fined $25,000 for his July 2018 convictions, alongside those of attorney Joel Iverson Gilbert (formerly, a partner active in Balch & Bingham's Environmental and Natural Resources section), on "six criminal charges each relating to a scheme intended to stop expansion of a toxic cleanup site in Jefferson County by the Environmental Protection Agency", through a bribe to former basketball player, then state legislator Oliver Robinson (who was also convicted), through use of his nonprofit organization, The Oliver Robinson Foundation. Roberson maintained that he "trusted Joel" [Gilbert] and "never thought we were bribing Oliver Robinson."
In 2020, Drummond Co. donated $38,000 to Republican Alabama Senate candidate Tommy Tuberville In January 2021 Tuberville would go on to join six other Republican senators to overturn the lawful, democratic election in Pennsylvania, an event for which no fraud was found nor credible allegations made.
Assets and operations.
Coal mines.
Drummond operates the Pribbenow and El Descanso mines near La Loma in the Cesar Department in northern Colombia. Both mines produce bituminous coal. Production from Pribbenow, comprising almost 50% of all coal mined in Colombia, is exported to 11 countries. The company is "Colombia’s second-biggest thermal coal producer."
Perry Supply.
The company owns Perry Supply, a subsidiary founded in 1913, which sells "mining, foundry, construction, and industrial supplies."
Foundry coke.
The company also owns Alabama By-Products Corporation, also known as ABC Coke, located in Tarrant, Alabama. According to "Forbes", it is "the largest single producer of foundry coke in the U.S.." Starting 2015, Drummond funneled money though its law firm Balch & Bingham to a retired state legislator Oliver Robinson. In exchange for over $100,000, Robinson encouraged residents not to cooperate with the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to list areas of north Birmingham as a Superfund site due to pollution caused by ABC. In 2017 Robinson pled guilty to various corruption charges.
Real estate.
The company manages "four luxury planned communities in Alabama, Florida and California." In 1985, they developed their first community: Oakbridge in Lakeland, Florida. Over the years, they developed Liberty Park in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, as well as Rancho La Quinta and Andalusia at Coral Mountain in La Quinta, California.


Bellshill

Bellshill (pronounced "Bells hill") is a town in North Lanarkshire in Scotland, situated south-east of Glasgow city centre and west of Edinburgh. Other nearby localities are Motherwell to the south, Hamilton to the south-west, Viewpark to the west, Holytown to the east and Coatbridge to the north. The town of Bellshill itself (including the villages of Orbiston and Mossend) has a population of about 20,650. From 1996 to 2016, it was considered to be part of the Greater Glasgow metropolitan area; since then it is counted as part of a continuous suburban settlement anchored by Motherwell with a total population of around 125,000.
History.
The earliest record of Bellshill's name is handwritten on a map by Timothy Pont dated 1596 although the letters are difficult to distinguish. It's possible it reads Belſsill with the first s being an old-fashioned long s. The site is recorded as being east of "Vdinſtoun" and north of "Bothwel-hauch" (which confusingly is above "Orbeſton" on Pont's map). The name can also been seen on another map, which was derived from Pont's work, made by the Dutch cartographer Joan Blaeu where the place is called "Belmil". The village consisted of a row of quarry workers' houses owned by Mr. Bell, who owned a stone quarry to the south of Belmill. Charles Ross' map of 1773 has "Belsihill" marked north of Crosgates and Orbiston. About 1810, this new settlement took on the name Bellshill and continued to grow. It absorbed nearby villages such as Nesnas, Black Moss and Sykehead. Bellshill was on the road which linked Glasgow and Edinburgh.
According to the first Statistical Account, in the late 1700s the parish of Bothwell, which encompasses modern Bellshill, was a centre of hand-loom weaving with 113 weavers recorded. Only 50 colliers were listed. A hundred or so years later, these occupations had changed places in degree of importance to the area economy. With the introduction of new machinery in the mid 19th century, many cottage weavers lost their livelihood. Demand for coal to feed British industry meant that by the 1870s, 20 deep pits were in operation in the area.
The first mine to open (and the last to close in 1953) was the Thankerton mine. Others followed swiftly and rapidly increased the size of the town, even attracting a steady stream of immigrants from abroad, particularly Ireland and Lithuania, so much so that the town is sometimes referred to as 'Little Lithuania' (or historically 'Little Poland', as contemporary evidence shows locals made little effort to distinguish the incomers' backgrounds). Factors adversely affecting integration for the first generation of these 'new Scots' included a language barrier, minority religion (most were Catholic) and hostility based on suspicion of taking jobs, undercutting wages and breaking strikes – therefore the Lithuanians in Bellshill and elsewhere tended to identify more closely with the Irish communities of each town who had similar issues. The rise in the migrant population (though severely impacted by the political landscapes of First World War and subsequent Russian Revolution which adversely affected the status of Lithuanians both in their homeland and in Britain) led to the opening of The Scottish Lithuanian Recreation and Social Club on Calder Road in the Mossend area, but much of the culture has faded over the decades, with younger generations sometimes unaware of their family's history due to a desire to assimilate into Scottish life and changes to distinctive surnames (either voluntarily or by obligation). Among the most famous of the descendents of this community was footballer Billy McNeill of Celtic and Scotland, while other mid-20th century players of the same heritage included Andy Swallow, Alex Millar, Matt Balunas and John Jack.
Iron and Steel production were also central to the development of the town. J. B. Neilson, developer of the revolutionary 'hot blast' process, opened the first iron works in the area (Mossend Iron Works) in 1839.
During the industrial boom there were a number of railway stations, including Mossend, Fallside and Bell Cross. The settlement is now served solely by Bellshill railway station.
Maternity services were provided at Bellshill Maternity Hospital until the hospital was closed in 2001.
According to a report by the Halifax Building Society, in the first quarter of 2005 Bellshill was the UK's property hot spot with a 46% rise in house prices. This took the average property price to £105,698 (according to reports published April 2005).
In 2006, a new mosque was opened in the Mossend area of Bellshill becoming one of the largest mosques in Scotland.
The streetscape project, a plan to regenerate and modernise the town centre, commenced Apr 2007 and was completed nearly three years later. The project, created a one way system on the main street with more space for pedestrians.
Education.
Bellshill once had six primary schools including Belvidere Primary School. This was closed, however, in early June 2010 and has now been demolished. Holy Family Primary School was founded in 1868 and moved to new buildings in 1907 to accommodate an influx of Lithuanian, Polish and Irish Catholics seeking work in the area. Other primary schools include Sacred Heart Primary, Mossend Primary, Noble Primary, St. Gerard's Primary and Lawmuir Primary. There are two fairly large secondary schools, Bellshill Academy and Cardinal Newman High School.
Religion.
Historically a Relief Church for 1000 people was built in Bellshill in 1763. Today several churches serve the town. St Andrews United Free Church of Scotland sits at Bellshill Cross whilst the Church of Scotland Parish Churches are at opposite ends of the Main Street with Bellshill Central Parish church opposite The Academy, and Bellshill West Parish Church next to the Sir Matt Busby Sports Centre. The town's Roman Catholic Parish Churches are St Gerard's, Sacred Heart & Holy Family, Mossend.
Transport.
Bellshill lies at an important point on Scotland's motorway network, situated around south of the M8 motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh and their respective airports, and about the same distance north of the M74 motorway to and from England; the A725 road running directly to the west of the town links the two. The presence of this busy transport corridor and the availability of land following the decline of older heavy industry has led to the development of two large, modern industrial estates (Bellshill and Righead) flanking the A725, while the Eurocentral industrial and distribution park is about north-east of the town, also featuring a railway freight terminal. Once heavily reliant on the railways relating to coal mining, Bellshill is still served by a rail junction to the east of Mossend connecting two of the main passenger routes covering southern, western and central Scotland Argyle Line –and Shotts Line – both of which stop at Bellshill railway station in the town centre.
Culture.
There is a free public library within the Bellshill Cultural Centre. Various singers, such as Sheena Easton, and sportsmen hailed from the town.
Music.
Bellshill is also known for its music, especially since the mid-1980s. Bands such as the Soup Dragons, BMX Bandits and Teenage Fanclub put Bellshill on the map as an indie rock hot-spot in Scotland. The scene - known as the "Bellshill Sound" or the "Bellshill Beat" - was celebrated by influential DJ John Peel in the Channel 4 television series Sounds Of The Suburbs. Bellshill continues to produce well respected and influential independent pop music, with members of Mogwai and De Rosa hailing from the town.
Sheena Easton was also from the town, and attended Bellshill Academy.
Notable people from Bellshill.
The following list refers to notable people who were born in Bellshill, although they did not necessarily reside there - the town was home to Lanarkshire's maternity hospital in the latter part of the 20th century.
Sport.
The town has a football team, Bellshill Athletic, that plays in the Scottish Junior Football West Premier League. They play their home games at Rockburn park after moving away from Tollcross, Glasgow, after New Brandon Park was closed down to reduce costs.
Bellshill also has the Sir Matt Busby Sports Complex (Named after the late Manchester United legend who was born and brought up in the area) that opened in 1995. It has a 25m swimming pool, with two large spectator seating areas either side, a large hall and health suite. The complex also has a gym and a dance studio.
There is a golf course next to nearby Strathclyde Park which is within walking distance of parts of the town, particularly Orbiston. The Greenlink Cycle Path also travels through the golf course and the Orbiston area of Bellshill, heading towards Forgewood.


Zarkashan Mine

Zarkashan is a mine located approximately 225 km south-west of Kabul in the Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. Ghazni city is approximately 93 km north of the project area. The German Geological survey conducted a reconnaissance survey in the mid-1960s and the Soviets and the Afghanistan Geological Survey (AGS) conducted exploration in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The mine is estimated to contain up to 7500 kilograms of gold.
Recently the USGS assessment of the mineral potential in Afghanistan included ongoing compilation of historic German and Soviet mapping, geophysics data, drilling, and sampling data, and incorporation into a GIS database using Esri products. There are many ancient open pits and underground workings that show that this area has been mined in the past. The grades obtained by the Soviet and AGS exploration team show that the skarn mineralization has a core of relatively high gold grades with a halo of lower grades. Four borehole lines were collected by Soviet geologists along the main channel of the Zarkashan River and initial results suggested deposits containing up to 500 mg per cubic meter.
Road access to the site from Kabul is on Highway A01, which is a paved highway. Power can potentially be brought in from the nearby grid at Ghazni, or from a dedicated self-supplied source.


Bessemer Hall of History

The Bessemer Hall of History is a museum located in, and devoted to the history of, the city of Bessemer, Alabama.
The museum is housed in the former Alabama Great Southern Railroad (later Southern Railway) depot in downtown Bessemer. The depot, built by the AGS in 1916, served passengers until the Amtrak era began in the early 1970s. The building sat unused for several years, but was reopened by the city of Bessemer in 1985, and officially rededicated during the city's centennial observance in 1987. The museum houses a wide array of artifacts from the city's history as a mining, steelmaking, and industrial center. The building also houses artifacts relating to the brief imprisonment of Martin Luther King Jr. in the city. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as Southern Railway Terminal Station.


Iron Mountain District

The Iron Mountain District, also known as the Iron Springs District, is a large, high-grade iron deposit in southwestern Utah, near Cedar City. It is currently in care and maintenance status (not actively producing iron ore) by CML Metals Corporation, a division of Palladon Ventures and Luxor Capital. Previous owners include Geneva Steel and U.S. Steel.
The district is made of three primary topographic highs along an approximately 17 mile lineament: Iron Mountain to the southwest, Granite Mountain in the middle, and The Three Peaks in the northwest. Mineralization in this district occurred as rings around the highs as a skarn, a replacement of existing carbonate rock material with high-grade iron ore, mostly in the form of high-grade (>50%Fe in places) magnetite, but also locally hematite. Minor pyrite is also present. Hot fluids are sourced from mid-Tertiary intrusions, which core all three areas.
Magnetite and hematite occur as replacements in the Jurassic limestone around three Laramide orogeny, quartz monzonite porphyry, laccolith intrusions. The iron ore was discovered by a Mormon scouting party in 1849, and furnaces were established in Cedar City in 1852, and then Old Irontown in 1868, to produce pig iron. Total production by 1965 from the district was 72,136,297 long tons of iron ore.
Major areas of iron deposits and their associated mines/pits/ore bodies include:


Hutti Gold Mines Limited

Hutti Gold Mines Limited (


Raniganj Coalfield

Raniganj Coalfield is primarily located in the Asansol and Durgapur subdivisions of Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal. It spreads over to the neighboring districts of Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia and to Dhanbad district of Jharkhand.
History.
Coalmining in India first started in the Raniganj Coalfield. In 1774, John Sumner and Suetonius Grant Heatly of the British East India Company found coal near Ethora, presently in Salanpur community development block. The early exploration and mining operations were carried out in a haphazard manner.
Regular mining started in 1820, led by an agency house, Alexander & Co. In 1835, Prince Dwarkanath Tagore bought over the collieries and Carr, Tagore and Company led the field. For the entire 19th century and a major part of the 20th century, Ranigunj coalfields was the major producer of coal in the country.
At the behest of William Princep, Carr, Tagore and Company joined hands with Gilmore Hombray and Co. in 1843 to form Bengal Coal Company, which opened up coal mining activities. Their headquarters was at Sanctoria. Other mining companies included Birbhum Coal Co., Equitable Coal Co., Madhu Roy and Prasanna Dutta Co., Bird and Co., South Barakar Coal Co., Andrew Yule and Company Ltd. and Balmer Lawrie.
In 1886, W.W.Hunter wrote, "Raniganj Coalfield has been estimated at an area of 500 square miles. In this ‘black country of India’, which is dotted with tall chimney stalks, many European companies are at work, besides many native firms. At first coal was raised from open workings; but regular mining is now carried on, according to the system known as ‘pillar and stall’… The miners are all drawn from the aboriginal races, chiefly Santals and Bauris, who are noted for their endurance and docility."
Present status.
All non-coking coal mines were nationalized in 1973 and placed under Coal Mines Authority of India. In 1975, Eastern Coalfields Limited, a subsidiary of Coal India Limited, was formed. It took over all the earlier private collieries in Raniganj Coalfield.
Raniganj Coalfield covers an area of and has total coal reserves of 49.17 billion tonnes, spread across Indian states of West Bengal and Jharkhand. That makes it the second largest coalfield in the country (in terms of reserves). Out of the total reserve, 30.61 billion tonnes is in the West Bengal and 18.56 billion tonnes is in Jharkhand.
Coal seams.
In the Raniganj Coalfield the coal seams can be divided into two blocks – Raniganj measures and Barakar measures. The following areas of ECL are covered by the Raniganj measures: Raniganj-Pandaveswar, Kajora, Jhanjra, Bankola, Kenda, Sonepur, Kunustoria, Satgram, Sripur, Sodepur and Salanpur (partly). Barakar measures cover two areas of ECL: Salanpur and Mugma.
ONGC’s preliminary assessment of coal-bed methane indicates that four Damodar Valley coalfields – Jharia, Bokaro, North Karanpura and Raniganj – to be the most prospective.
Performance Highlights.
Raniganj Coalfield produces the best quality of non-coking coal in India, with average ash percentage of less than 20%. The main features of this coal are high volatile content, long flame, quick ignition and high heat value. The following are the highlights for fiscal year 2012-13:
Operating areas.
A broad area-wise distribution of coalmines of Eastern Coalfield Limited is given below:


Novokuznetsk Iron and Steel Plant

Novokuznetsk Iron and Steel Plant () is a major Russian steel producer in the city of Novokuznetsk in Kemerovo Oblast in southwestern Siberia. The company's name is abbreviated to NKMK (Russian:НКМК). The company specializes in the production of rails for railroads. NKMK is a subsidiary of the Evraz Group, a leading Russian steel company.


Lumwana mine

The Lumwana mine is a large copper mine located in north-west Zambia in North-Western Province. Lumwana is owned by Barrick Gold and represents one of the largest copper reserves in Zambia and in the world having estimated 5.014 billion pounds of proven and probable copper reserves of ore grading 0.68% copper.
References.


Eric Bridgeland

Eric Bridgeland is a college basketball coach and the former head coach of the Whitman College Blues. Prior to that he was the interim head coach at Pepperdine University. He became the head coach of the Waves after Vance Walberg resigned due to personal reasons on January 17, 2008. He was previously an assistant coach at the school.
On April 15, 2020 he was named the head coach of the University of Redlands Bulldogs.
Bridgeland is a graduate of the University of Manitoba. Prior to going to Pepperdine, he coached at University of Puget Sound, University of California, Santa Cruz, Stephen F. Austin University, and the Colorado School of Mines.


Norasa uranium project

The Norasa uranium project comprises the Valencia and Namibplaas deposits in Erongo Region in the western part of Namibia. The two parts are apart and both are fully owned by Forsys Metals. It represents one of the largest uranium resources in Namibia, having an estimated resource of 48,200 tU in ore grading 0.014-0.0167% uranium. The Valencia deposit was named after the farm where the uranium deposits were found.
If built, the mine was expected to produce 18 million tonnes of uranium a year over an 11-year period. The mine is developed by Forsys Metals.
History.
The Valencia deposit was discovered by Trekkopje Exploration in 1972. In 1994, a licence was granted to Tsumeb Corp. a subsidiary of Gold Fields. In 2004, the licence was transferred to Tsumeb Exploration Company, a subsidiary of Ongopolo Mining & Processing. In 2005, Tsumeb was acquired by Forsys Metals.
Preliminary environmental assessment for the mine was completed in the beginning of 2006. The pre-feasibility study was completed in May 2007. The environmental impact assessment and the environmental management plan were approved in June 2008. In August 2008, the mining licence was granted.
In 2013, the Valencia and the Namibplaas projects were consolidated as Norasa uranium project. At the same year, Forsys Metals laid off most of the workers of the mine due to the low uranium price. In 2014, it commenced the new feasibility study.
Sale controversy.
In 2008, it was announced that the project would be acquired by George Forrest International. The deal was cancelled in 2009. According to the documents published by WikiLeaks, the deal was interfered by the United States and Canadian authorities because of the fear that George Forrest will sell uranium to Iran if it obtained the mine.


Mary Kathleen, Queensland

Mary Kathleen was a mining settlement in the northwestern part of Queensland, Australia. It is located in the Selwyn Range between Mount Isa and Cloncurry.
History.
Mary Kathleen was first settled during the 1860s. Uranium was first discovered at Mary Kathleen by Clem Walton and Norm McConachy in 1954: the deposit and the township was named after the late wife of McConachy. Prospecting and exploitation rights were subsequently onsold, and in 1955 Rio Tinto Mining formed Mary Kathleen Uranium Ltd to develop a mine and service town. An architect-designed town grew during 1956-58, with reticulated water from a dam, Lake Corella.
St Peter's Catholic Church was built in 1958. After the town closed, the church building was relocated to be a shelter shed Saint Joseph’s Catholic School in Mount Isa.
Uranium mine.
In 1954, a significant uranium deposit was discovered at the site (20.7470°S, 140.0123°E). A sales contract with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority was signed in 1956. Mining commenced at the end of 1956 and the treatment plant was commissioned in June 1958. The project was developed by Mary Kathleen Uranium Limited (MKU) at a cost of A $24 million. MKU was formed to develop the uranium deposits and work was soon commenced constructing the township, mine, and dam on the nearby Corella River. The ore was mined by the open-cut method and processed on site.
4,080 tonnes of uranium oxide being extracted between 1958 and 1963. In this first phase of operation from 1958 to 1963 Mary Kathleen treated 2.9 million tonnes of ore at an average grade of 0.13% to yield 4082 t (4500 short tons or 9 million pounds weight of U3O8) of uranium concentrate (then actually yellowcake - ammonium diuranate) containing 3460 tonnes of uranium. By 1963 the major supply contract had been satisfied ahead of schedule, and large reserves of ore lay at grass. Consequently, the works were closed down.
The mine then lay idle until 1974, when it was reopened. New supply contracts with Japanese, German and American power utilities prompted this re-opening, with Mary Kathleen's second life extended to 1982 when reserves were finally exhausted. The company made a share issue to raise capital, and the Commonwealth Government, through the Australian Atomic Energy Commission underwrote this, thereby obtaining a 42% holding in the company. Conzinc Riotinto of Australia Limited, a successor of Rio Tinto Mining, held 51%, and the public 7%. The second phase of production began in 1976 and the mine was finally closed down in 1982 after a further production of 4,802 tonnes of uranium oxide. A total of 31 million tonnes of ore were extracted from the mine until it was exhausted. Processing occurred on-site.
Mary Kathleen's uranium deposits originated from contact metasomatic processes. This type of occurrence is uncommon, with Mary Kathleen being the only commercial example. The uraninite here was conglomerated with garnet.
Town.
The town, six km away from the mine, was built around a shallow valley with a post office, cinema, sports ovals, a school, banks and a community store. The state school was opened in July 1956; temporary hospital facilities and a community store in March 1957; and May 1957 saw the first water pumped from Lake Corella Dam. By 1961, approximately 1000 people lived at the new township. Mary Kathleen was very much a planned, "model" township, blending with its surrounding environment. Two years later, however, with contracts fulfilled, the mine and township temporarily closed.
When the mine re-opened in mid-1974, the population at Mary Kathleen subsequently grew from 80 in August 1974 to 700 in August 1975 and peaked at approximately 1200 in 1981. During its "second life", existing private and community structures and services were revamped and augmented by new additions provided principally by Mary Kathleen Uranium Limited and the Cloncurry Shire Council.
Sport.
The former town of Mary Kathleen has a unique feat in Australian sport. The former Australian Rules club (Mary Kathleen) won three consecutive premierships from 1977 to 1979 in the Mount Isa Australian Football League, and is one of the few clubs or towns for that matter to win Senior titles, and no longer be in existence as a club or any population in its locality.
Closure.
With all contracts filled by late 1982, the township, mine and mill were dismantled and the tailings rehabilitated by the end of 1984. Mary Kathleen became the site of Australia's first major rehabilitation project of a uranium mine, which was completed at the end of 1985 at a cost of some A$19 million. In 1986 this work won an award from the Institution of Engineers Australia for environmental excellence. The site became well known for fossicking and gem-stone collecting, and numerous relics are held in the Cloncurry/Mary Kathleen Memorial Park and Museum in Cloncurry. The site, now only roads and concrete pads, can be accessed, as an overnight camp, from the Barkly Highway at -20.780837,139.9734. The land has since been rehabilitated and is now suitable for grazing.
Tailings seepage.
Since rehabilitation, it has been found that the tailings repository at the Mary Kathleen site has been subject to seepage of radioactive waters from both the toe of the dam and the surface at rates much higher than initially predicted. The radioactive waste has seeped into former evaporation ponds as well as local drainage systems, causing widespread death of native vegetation. This issue remains unresolved.


Petrila Mine disaster

On November 15, 2008, 12 miners died after two explosions at a mine in Petrila, one of six coal mining cities in the Jiu Valley region of Hunedoara County, Romania. On November 24 another miner died at Floreasca Hospital in Bucharest raising the death toll to 13.
Background.
Two explosions in a coal mine in southwestern Romania Saturday killed eight miners and four emergency workers, officials said.
Prime Minister Călin Popescu Tăriceanu said the explosion that killed the miners in the coal-rich Jiu Valley occurred Saturday afternoon at a depth of 800 feet (250 meters).
Later, a second explosion killed the four rescue workers, said Ilie Păducel, mayor of the town of Petrila where the mine is located.
Hundreds of relatives gathered at the mine after the first explosion, Realitatea TV reported. Romanian President Traian Băsescu said he would travel to the site later Saturday.
Mine officials said the explosions were believed to have been caused by an accumulation of methane gas. Officials have banned anyone from going down the mine for the next 48 hours.
Eight injured miners are being treated for burns. Officials said about 100 miners were working at the time of the first explosion.
Relates.
"We don't know anything, he is down there in the mine, that's all we know, we know absolutely nothing of him," one relative said.
Another complained: "I don't know where to go, nobody tells us anything, I don't know whether I should stay here or go to the hospital."
Men stand outside the Petrila mine waiting for news.
Some 100 people were working in the mine at the time of the first blast.
Mining was once a thriving industry in Romania, employing almost half a million people, and miners were a feared political force in the 1990s.
But the industry has struggled in recent years to compete against cheaper imported coal and cleaner forms of energy.
In 2001, a Romanian mining explosion left 14 people dead.


Rakha Mines

Rakha Mines are copper mines situated near Jamshedpur in Jharkhand state of India. There is also another copper mine nearby called Kendadih copper mines and refineries at Indian Copper Complex at Ghatshila.
Location and transportation.
The nearest airport and big town is Jamshedpur. There is a railway station for the mines, in the same name as Rakha Mines Railway Station, on the Tatanagar-Kharagpur railway line. The station code is RHE. This station is also the nearest railway link to nearby Jaduguda Uranium mines at Jadugora.
History.
The first industrial copper mining started at Rakha Mines by a British firm in 1900. After independence the mines were nationalized and are presently being run by a Government of India undertaking, Hindustan Copper Limited, which was formed in 1967.
The name Rakha was put upon the name of "Mr. Rakhal Chandra Bhakat". He came from a small Village called "Swaspur". The whole area in which the mines, colony and mill were constructed belongs to him.


East Junggar coalfield

The East Junggar is a large coal field located in the north of China in Xinjiang. East Junggar represents one of the largest coal reserve in China having estimated reserves of 390 billion tonnes of coal.


Laza mine

The Laza mine is a large open pit mine located in the north-western part of Spain in Province of Ourense. Laza represents one of the largest tin reserves in Spain having estimated reserves of 20 million tonnes of ore grading 0.05% tin.


Nahe mine

The Nahe mine is a large potash mine in southern Laos in Khammouane Province. Nahe represents one of the largest potash reserves in Laos having estimated reserves of 226 million tonnes of ore grading 17.5% potassium chloride.


Kelsey Lake Diamond Mine

Kelsey Lake Diamond Mine is a defunct diamond mine in Colorado, USA. It is located in the State Line Kimberlite District, near the Wyoming border, and consists of nine kimberlite volcanic pipes, of which two were open pit mined.
At the time it was operating, it was the United States' only modern diamond mine, and only the second commercial diamond mining operation in North America, the first being in the Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas which was mined in the early 1900s.
History.
Ever since diamonds had first been found in the State Line Kimberlite District in 1976, interest had been high in locating a viable commercial mining operation. Geologist Howard Coopersmith headed the Diamond Company L.N. which explored the feasibility of mining diamonds at the Kelsey Lake site. In 1995 Australian firm Redaurum acquired controlling interest in Diamond Co. and proceeded to lease mining rights for the land around Kelsey Lake . Commercial output started in May 1996. After mining and selling approximately 200 carats worth of diamonds, Redaurum was sued by Union Pacific who had originally sold the land in 1896 but claimed that it held on to the mineral rights. The two parties settled the lawsuit but in September 1997 Redaurum decided to liquidate its diamond properties to concentrate on exploration.
The mine was operated sporadically until the operation was acquired by McKenzie Bay International Ltd. in 2000. McKenzie bought the mine management firm Diamond Co. from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, transferred all its assets to a subsidiary, Great Western Diamond Co., and invested $2 million in new equipment for the mine. In 2001, McKenzie tried to sell the mine to focus on mining vanadium after the price of that metal rose dramatically. However, due to a dispute with the landowner over royalty payments, the sale fell through and McKenzie was unable to find another buyer. The mine ceased operations in 2001, and the site was fully reclaimed by 2006.
Production.
Of the nine volcanic pipes found, three were reported to contain diamonds, and two (KL-1 and KL-2) were mined. These two pipes are each approximately in area, are at least deep, and are situated apart. Bulk sampling during exploration in 1990 and 1991 recovered grades of 3.4 to 4.5 carats per hundred tons (cpht) for diamonds larger than . Of the diamonds recovered, 50-65% were gem quality, and 25-30% of those were or larger.
While Redaurum ran the operation, the mine ran at half-capacity and produced almost 12,000 carats in 1996 and 9,000 carats in 1997. Due to Redaurum's African operations taking most of their time and capital, during their tenure the mine was unprofitable. In addition McKenzie Bay estimated that due to Redaurum's outdated equipment only 40% of the mined ore yielded diamonds, on the order of 1.5 cpht.
When McKenzie Bay first acquired the mine, they estimated with their equipment improvements that they could recover 3.5 cpht from the ore. They also estimated that each of the two pipes being mined had about 340,000 carats worth of gems and could be profitably mined for about 10 years. The previous owners had a marketing agreement with local Denver diamond dealers to sell them Kelsey Lake diamonds for $115 per carat. If production had risen to the expected levels of 60,000 carats per year, McKenzie Bay expected to make $6.9 million annually. However, with the rising prices of vanadium McKenzie Bay shifted their focus away from Kelsey Lake and began mine reclamation procedures in 2003.
Diamonds.
The price of diamonds depends mainly on the 4 C's of diamonds - carat, color, clarity, cut. Because of this pricing system large gemstones are worth more than a comparable mass of smaller stones. For this reason a successful diamond mining operation can't rely solely on the mass of carats recovered. The Kelsey Lake mine has produced some large stones.
In 1994 a 14.2-carat, gem-quality white diamond was recovered. At the time the sixth-largest diamond ever found in North America, it was described as "almost flawless" and estimated to be worth $250,000.
In 1996 the largest diamond found at the mine was discovered. Named the "Colorado Diamond," it was a yellow stone and the fifth-largest diamond found in North America. The gem was cut and polished by legendary New York diamond cutter Bill Goldberg which yielded a faceted stone that sold for $87,500.
In July 1997, the company found two gem-quality stones weighing in at 16.3 carats and 28.2 carats. The 28.2 carat diamond was cut into a 16.86-carat stone, one of the largest finished stones ever produced in North America. The cut diamond is bigger than the gemstone produced from the "Uncle Sam" diamond, which was cut into a 12.42-carat stone.


James Joseph Brown

James Joseph "J.J." Brown (September 27, 1854 – September 5, 1922), was an American mining engineer, inventor, and self-made member of fashionable "society". His wife was "RMS Titanic" survivor Molly Brown.
J.J. was born in Waymart, Pennsylvania. His father, James Brown, was an Irish immigrant. His mother, Cecilia Palmer, was a schoolteacher. J.J's family moved to Pittston, Pennsylvania shortly after his birth. J.J's mother home-schooled him and later sent him to St. John's Academy. He left home at the age of 23, lured by the riches in the West. His first stop was a farm in Nebraska. From Nebraska he moved to the placer mines in the Dakotas. He spent two years learning the mining trade before moving to Colorado where he tried his luck in Georgetown, Aspen, and Ashcroft. He spent another two years in the Aspen and Ashcroft area before moving to Alma, Fairplay, Red Cliff, and, finally, Leadville. He studied geology, ore deposits, and mining techniques to become a better miner.
Marriage.
J.J. married Margaret Tobin on September 1, 1886, in Leadville's Annunciation Church. Margaret was later known as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" when a Broadway fictionalized movie about her life titled, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" was released in 1964. That was how Margaret's moniker "Molly" was acquired. Margaret Brown was one of the survivors of the RMS Titanic sinking in 1912. At the time of their marriage, J.J. was 31 and Margaret was 19. They first settled in Leadville, Colorado in a small, two-room log cabin, then later moved to a two bedroom house at 320 East Ninth Street.
Children.
The Browns had two children:
Separation.
In 1909, after 23 years of marriage, J.J. and Molly signed a separation agreement and went their separate ways. The agreement gave Margaret a cash settlement and possession of the Victorian mansion on Pennsylvania Street in Denver's Wealthy Capital Hill neighborhood, and also the summer mansion Avoca Lodge in Southwest Denver, near Bear Creak. She also received a $700 monthly allowance (equivalent to $19,066 today) to continue her travels and philanthropic activities. Although they never reconciled, they remained connected and cared for each other throughout their lives. At the time of J.J.'s death in 1922, Margaret told newspapers "I've never met a finer, bigger, more worthwhile man than J.J. Brown."
Career.
Although J.J. was not born into wealth, he was ambitious, smart, and charismatic. He quickly rose through the mining ranks to shift-boss and timberman. He was foreman of the Louisville Mine by the time he and Margaret met. By 1887 he was superintendent of the Louisville Mine, and in 1888 he was superintendent of the Henriette & Maid Consolidated Mining Company, at the time one of the most productive mines in the area.
The Brown family came into great wealth when J.J's engineering efforts proved instrumental in the production of a substantial gold and copper seam at the Little Jonny mine of his employers, Ibex Mining Company.
Little Jonny mine.
J.J., who was the superintendent of all the Ibex properties, devised a method of using baled hay and timbers to stop cave-ins. His invention paid off. When the Little Jonny mine opened, vast quantities of high-grade copper and gold were found. The grade of gold was so pure and the vein so wide that it was heralded as the world's richest gold strike. By October 29, 1893, the Little Jonny was shipping 135 tons of gold ore per day. J.J. was awarded 12,500 shares or 12.5% of stock and a seat on the board. The Ibex Company and its owners, including the Browns, became extraordinarily wealthy. In 1894, the Browns moved to Denver, Colorado, buying a $30,000 Victorian mansion in Denver's wealthy Capitol Hill neighborhood. In 1897, they built a summer mansion Avoca Lodge in Southwest Denver, near Bear Creak.
Death.
On September 5, 1922, J.J. died after suffering a series of heart attacks at a hospital in Nassau, New York, with his daughter Catherine by his side. He died without a will, and it took 5 years of fighting between Margaret and her two children to settle the estate. Due to their lavish spending, J.J. left an estate valued at only $238,000 (worth $ today). Margaret was to receive $20,000 in cash and securities, and the interest on a $100,000 trust fund set up in her name. $118,000 was divided between her two children. Her son Lawrence received a $59,000 (worth $ today) trust fund, and her daughter Catherine received a $59,000 trust fund. From that time until her death in 1932, Margaret had no contact with her two children (but Margaret's page says they were reconciled). Both J.J. and Margaret are buried in the Cemetery of the Holy Rood in Westbury, New York.


Richard Quesnel

Richard Quesnel (born 1955) is a Canadian entrepreneur and mining engineer, currently president and chief executive officer of Colt Middle East, and a member of the board of directors of Sama Resources.
Quesnel was born in Quebec, Canada. He speaks English and French. He has a Bachelor of Science in mining engineering from Mcgill University and is a member of the Order of Engineers of Quebec.
Career.
Throughout his 35-year mining career as a professional engineer and entrepreneur, Quesnel has contributed to the successful development of several large gold, copper, nickel and iron ore mining properties around the world.
In his capacity for over 5 years as president and chief executive officer of Consolidated Thompson, he was responsible for the development of Consolidated Thompson's Bloom Lake iron ore deposit which came into commercial production in early 2010, three years after completion of the feasibility study.
Insider trading convictions, appeal, and aquital.
According to the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), Quesnel purchased 30,000 shares of Consolidated Thompson-Lundmark Gold Mines Limited (now Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines Limited) on two occasions in March 2006 while in possession of undisclosed information regarding the Bloom Lake mine feasibility study.
On November 17, 2010, Judge Juanita Westmorelant-Traoté of the Court of Quebec, district Montreal, found Richard Quesnel guilty of these charges. On May 6, 2011, Judge Juanita Westmorelant-Traoté of the Court of Quebec, district of Montreal, imposed $132,974 in fines against Richard Quesnel.
Legal counsel advised Quesnel these judgement were erroneous in law and informed him of the compelling grounds for appeal in which Richard Quesnel intended to vigorously pursue.
Richard Quesnel appealed these insider trading convictions to the Quebec Superior Court. On June 12, 2012, the Hon. Rejean F. Paul rendered judgment, granting Richard Quesnel's appeal and acquitting him of all insider trading charges.
The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) subsequently applied to the Quebec Court of Appeal, seeking leave to appeal Richard Quesnel's acquittal. On August 15, 2012, the Hon. Jacques Dufrense of the Quebec Court of Appeal rendered judgment denying the Application for Leave. This judgement rendered, acquitted Richard Quesnel fully of all insider trading charges.