Katras

Katras "("कतरास) (also known as Katrasgarh) is a neighbourhood in Dhanbad City in Dhanbad Sadar Subdivision in the Jharkhand state, India.
Overview.
An hour drive from the district headquarters in Dhanbad, Katras is a place where people from various religions and communities live together. Katras comes under Dhanbad's municipal corporation. It is a popular destination for conducting Durga Puja celebrations. Lilori Sthan temple is a place of worship in Katras.
Coal mining.
Katras is located on the bank of the river Katri and is surrounded by coal mines, which provide the chief source of income. The primary coal mines are owned by Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), headquartered in Dhanbad City. However, income from BCCL is limited and there are few sources of income and limited educational offerings. As a result residents of Katras have begun to migrate to other cities in search of opportunities.
The city suffered the loss of its railway connectivity when Coal India Limited reported coal under the rail tracks. The Railways only came to function after a strike of about 700 days, the longest ever supported by many political leaders of the area.
History.
Katras is believed to be named after the "Katri" River, which flows by Katras. Some claims it to be named after katras raja. It is believed that people have inhabited Katras for more than 200 years. Around 1900 AD, many migrants from Bihar came and settled here as Bihar was suffering from a severe famine. Many coal mines were founded in Katras under British rule. A new railway route from Asansol to Ranchi via Dhanbad and Katras was created in 1894 and Katras Railway station was founded around 1900 (later it was re-established in 1953 and came to be known as Katrasgarh).
Geography.
Location.
Katras is located at . It has an average elevation of 201 metres (659 feet).
The earlier census town was combined with other urban units to form Dhanbad Municipal Corporation in 2006.
Katras is part of Ward No. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation.
The region.
The region shown in the map is a part of the undulating uplands bustling with coalmines. The Damodar River, the most important river of the Chota Nagpur Plateau, flows along the southern border. The area beyond the Damodar was once a part of Dhanbad district but was transferred to Bokaro district in 2001. The bulk of the area shown in the map is part of Baghmara community development block. In the Baghmara CD block 67% of the population lives in rural areas and 33% in urban areas. The block has 18 census towns, all marked in the map, except Rajganj, which is shown in the map for the northern portion of the district. A portion of Dhanbad Municipal Corporation extends into the region till around Katras. The places in the DMC area are marked as neighbourhoods. Most of the DMC area is shown in the maps for the central and southern portions of the district. Four operational areas of BCCL operate fully within the region – Katras Area, Govindpur Area, Barora Area and Block II Area. The Mahuda sector of Western Jharia Area also operates in the region.
Neighbourhoods.
Katras adjoins many cities such as Dhanbad, Bokaro Steel City, Bagamara, Rajganj.
Ponds.
There are several ponds in Katras such as Raja Bandh, Rani Bandh, Guhi Bandh and others. Most of them, however, are under threat. Telia Bandh was once a large pond is now almost extinct and the same is true for most other ponds. Population growth has created the burden of limited space, and ponds are losing out to residential buildings, making the water crisis more acute. Nowadays there are two water tanks near Katras College.
Katri Nadi is a small river that passes through the area. It discharges its water into the Damodar River. It is a river of the rainy season so most of the time the water level is very low. In Chhapulwa a small dam has been made, from which water is supplied to the railways.
Green Park.
A Green Park has been developed by Katras Area, BCCL which is a 3.02 hectare area over the mining overburden dump located at Keshalpur. The primary purpose for developing the park is to restore the ecology around the mining area.
Katras is also surrounded by several religious pilgrimage sites such as Lilori Mandir, Surya Mandir, Bajrang Balj Mandir, Katras Taj Masjid, Bada Gurudwara, Sjiua Church, and so on.
Demographics.
In the 2011 Indian census, Katras had a population of 2,51,182, of which 54% are male and 46% are female. Katras has an average literacy rate of 84%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 87%, and female literacy is 76%. In Katras, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Government and public services.
Civic administration.
Katras was established as a notified area in the Dhanbad district along with Jharia, Chatatand, and Sindri. In 2006, the notified areas were merged into the district under the jurisdiction of the Dhanbad Municipal Corporation (DMC). It is allocated to the Baghmara development block of the district and has its own police station.
Utility services.
Water scarcity is a perennial problem, true also for electricity. A water project was initiated several years back but did not reach fruition due to corruption and mismanagement. The water tower built in Dak Bunglaw was of such poor quality that experts feared to store water in it lest it would sag and endanger the lives of local people. Thousands of hand pumps and submersibles have led to a severe drop in ground water level. It is common to see people carrying water in plastic containers.
Economy.
The chief source of income is BCCL, the coal company. It employs a large number of people. Presence of Tata steel also provide employment in the vicinity of the town.
Katras also has 3 large market place at Panchgarhi, Katras bazar & Bhatmurna.
Out of which Panchgarhi is the largest . Self employment in these areas are also huge.
Collieries functioning in the Katras Area of BCCL are: Salanpur, Angarpathar, Keshalpur, Ramkanali, Ramkanali OC, West Mudidih, Gazlitand, Keshalpur OC, Katras Chot and East Katras.
Agriculture is under-developed. Farms are tiny and ancient tools are used. BCCL is now retrenching and closing its mines due to coal depletion. New professions emerging in the area are Coal-theft and Dalali (Agent-ship).
The whole economy is based on coal mining basically.
Transportation.
Buses are a significant mode of travel along with automobiles, trackers and tongas. The city is well-connected by railways and roads. The nearest functional airport is in Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand. Katras Airport is under development, located in the nearby city of Bokaro Steel City.
There were three railway stations: Katrasgarh, Nichitpur and Tetulmari. Katrasgarh until 15 June 2017 and Tetulmari have express line stops, while Nichitpur is just a halt station. Katrasgarh was also on a loop line and ended because of the fragile underground. It was restarted before 2019 elections
By railways Katras is connected with Kolkata , Ahmedabad,Ranchi , Dhanbad, Tatanagar, Rourkela, ,Visakhapatnam , Chennai, Jabalpur, Patna, Gorakhpur, Bhagalpur, Asansol, Durgapur, Kochi , Ajmer
Roadways
It has a small bus stand, which has regular bus service .
It is 13 KM away from GT road via which it is connected to most northern cities in India
It also has 24*7 auto rickshaw facilities towards Dhanbad . Nowadays electric rickshaws are providing prominent and convenient services for traveling in and around the town.
Education.
Katras College was established at Katras Bazar in 1964. Affiliated with the Binod Bihari Mahto Koylanchal University, it offers courses in arts, science and commerce.
Culture.
Katras is known for its Durga Puja festival . People visit Katras from off place during Durga puja with Holi, Diwali, Eid al-Fitr, with much fun-fare organized for each festival. The Katras Hatia is a local village market that runs every Sunday.
Lilori Temple.
Located 5 km from the city center, Lillori Sthan Mandir (Lilori Temple) is an ancient temple of Goddess Lilori, family deity of the local landlord (Raja), who nowadays is considered an incarnation of Goddess Kali. Goddess Lilori, typical to Bengal and neighboring areas, is non-vegetarian and daily hundreds of animals are sacrificed on her altar.
The temple is one of the area's few natural picnic spots, even though tree felling and government neglect has adversely affected much of the greenery. It also attracts thousands of people on summer days for weddings. It neighbours the local smashan (crematorium).
Bharatiya Club.
It is one of the oldest libraries in India which solely carries books from Hindi literature. The library was started by the freedom fighter Late Shri Ramanand Khaitan, who was an ardent political activist during the Indian freedom movement. During the days of British occupation, the library was a melting pot of pro-freedom think-tanks and activists. Today, the library serves the people of Katras and its surrounding areas, filling a necessary void in providing access to Hindi literature. It has a free, open access reading room which offers a regular supply of newspapers, magazines and journals.
Raksha Kali Temple.
This is a small temple of Raksha Kali in Hatiya (a small vegetable market). Raksha Kali is a very fierce form of Kali and she was supposed to be invoked only when there were calamities like war, epidemic, and the like. That is why the gate of the temple remains closed all the time. Earlier the temple gate was opened only for the annual midnight Puja or on certain occasions like Kali-Puja. Nowadays its gate is opened daily perhaps because the local landlord (Raja), who earlier was responsible for temple upkeep, is unable to continue with it, or because the Pandit who opens its gate expects to earn money through Aarti-offerings, etc. Once a year the Goddess is worshiped at midnight. Animal offerings are given and Khichdi is cooked with the animal meat. After everyone there has taken the Prasad of this Khichdi, all remaining materials are buried in front of the temple. There are very small temples of Goddesses like Shitla in the backside of this temple.
Rakshash Temple.
The oldest and most important historic and archaeological structure is Rakshas temple of Jhinjhi Pahari. This temple is made solely of stones without even a small amount of any other material, including sand, to join them. It is understood to be at least six hundred years old. It is said that a similar temple was located just in front of the Lilori Temple which fell in an earthquake, and that these two temples signified some treasure. There is a myth that the temple was constructed by Lord Vishwakarma in a single night.
Healthcare.
Despite its fairly large population, Katras lacks quality medical facilities. There are several hospitals though none have facilities to address emergencies on a 24-hour basis. Katras has no intensive care facilities, and local diagnostic centers are considered unreliable. There is rampant medical corruption, with doctors recommending unnecessary tests and costly medicines. Underlined tests (in the prescription) are not supposed to be carried out, but are only for cheating patients. Tilatand Hospital of BCCL was once a centre for better treatment, but currently remains empty much of the time. With no better alternative, many people either go to Dhanbad (for minor treatments) or Bokaro (for major treatment), or finally to Christian Medical College, Vellore for better treatment. The lone train from Dhanbad to Allepey, also taken away, was full of patients. There is an urgent need of a good hospital either in the private or public sector.


Malangas

', officially the ' (Cebuano: "Lungsod sa Malangas"; Filipino (Tagalog): "Bayan ng Malangas"; Zamboangueño/Chavacano: "Municipio de Malangas"), is a in the province of , . According to the , it has a population of people.
The municipality is generally rolling near the shorelines and mountainous in the hinterland with some patches of flat land located within the mangroves near the shorelines. It borders Buug to the north-east; Diplahan to the north-west; Imelda to the west; Margosatubig, Zamboanga del Sur, to the east; and Alicia to the south.
Malangas is the site of coal mining in Western Mindanao area, operated by the Philippine National Oil Company - Exploration Corporation. The coalmine is one of the largest in the country. Its town center nests in a harbor in Dumanquilas Bay, boasts of its twin ports, one for coal, the other for passengers.
Malangas, unfortunately is infested with drug pushers and drug addicts for many years now. It has been dubbed as "Little Ozamis" due to its abundancy of Metamphetamine Hydrochloride or commonly called Shabu.
History.
Malangas is one of the oldest municipality of its former province, Zamboanga del Sur. In 1951, the barrios of Malangas, La Dicha, Diplo, Gusem, Buug, Matinaw, Gaulan, Tinungtungan, Manangon, Lindang, Luop, Silupa, Minsulao, Paruk, Lubing, Balabao, Mali, Baluran, Sampuli and Bacao, all from Margosatubig were separated to form the town of Malangas.
The name Malangas got its name from a sitio later named Malangas Gamay, probably of Spanish origin. Though the exact origin of “Malangas” is unclear, the word itself might have Spanish origins, probably taken from the word “Malanga” which means “Taro” (Colocasia Esculenta to Botanists) in English (“Taro” is called “Gabi” in Filipino), as the natives of Malangas might have been planting this crops during the time when the Spaniards paid them a visit.
A booming coal town during the 1900s, and the mother town of various towns namely Buug, Diplahan, Imelda, part of Siay in Zamboanga Sibugay and the towns of Bayog and Kumalarang in Zamboanga del Sur.
Geography.
The town is Located on the south-eastern tip of Zamboanga Sibugay province. It is bounded on the east by Dumanquilas Bay and south by the Celebes Sea. The total distance from Manila to Malangas, Philippines is . This is equivalent to 792 kilometers or . It is two and a half hours away from Pagadian city, 45 minutes drive from the Provincial capital, and 133 kilometers away from the city of Zamboanga.
Malangas also includes the island of Muyong, having endowed with white sand beaches, and other of uninhabited islands near the shorelines. Mainland area are steeply sloping terrain of hills and mountains. Due to its topography and elevation the town do not experience flooding.
Climate.
The Municipality of Malangas enjoys a location that is free from the typhoon belt area. March to May is hot and dry, with temperature at , while in June to October is rainy, and November to February is cool, with temperatures ranging from . Average humidity year round is 77%.
Barangays.
Malangas belongs to the 1st District of Zamboanga Sibugay. It is politically subdivided into 25 barangays.
Demographics.
The indigenous people of the area now known as Malangas were the Malangeneous.
The large majority of the population of Malangas is Roman Catholic (87%). Other religions represented are Protestant (3%), and Islam (10%).
Language.
The Main language of Malangas is Bisaya. Locals can also speak well in Tagalog and English.
English is widely used in education and understood. Other languages of the Philippines are also spoken, mostly between family members, relatives, or neighbors belonging to the same ethnic group. Among these languages, the most spoken include Chavacano languages, Tausug, Maguindanao, and the Subanen.
Economy.
Coal mining has been in operation in Malangas since the early 1930s, which strengthens the local economy as well as that of the entire province Zamboanga Sibugay. In 1938, the Malangas Coal Reservation was established. Although the scale of the present operations is relatively modest, the production is of considerable national significance. There are relatively large deposits of coal and this estimates to contain nearly 10 million tons of coal (according to Frederick L. Wernstedt,Joseph Earle Spencer) some of which is of coking quality - a small quantity to be sure, but one that gains added significance in light of the general overall shortage of mineral fuels in the Philippines. The present production of Malangas coal is being shipped to the Iligan Industrial area.
The rest of Malangas is still heavily dependent on agriculture and aquaculture, while in the coastal areas there is also commercial fishing.
Manufacturing:
Coal mining.
There are Philippine coals which are of such quality that they can be used by current users without the need for any coal preparation or blending with imported coals. Among these are the coal deposits being mined in Malangas. The PNOC (Philippine National Oil Company) and the TMC its Taiwanese partner operates coal within the Malangas Coal Reservation. It also operates a large-scale coal mine known as the Integrated Little Baguio (ILB) colliery, which is currently the largest semi-mechanized underground coal mine in the country.
In the year 1995, a worst tragedy happened when a huge methane gas explosion ripped through a coal mine tunnel in Malangas town, killing more than 100 people. The blast set off a fireball, which swept through nine kilometers of mines, and setting off other explosives which had been stockpiled inside the tunnel. Ten years later, six miners were killed when a coal tunnel collapsed in Diplahan town.
News about the coal mine in Malangas has been rumored that PNOC-EC may sell mine to San Miguel Corp.
According to the news, the Philippine National Oil Company - Exploration Corp. (PNOC-EC) is in talks with diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. to sell a coal mine in Mindanao and this is probably in Zamboanga Peninsula where Malangas is located. For 2009, total coal production in Malangas amounted to 91,440 metric tons, a decrease from the 2008 output of 110, 549 metric tons due to major repair and rehabilitation “conducted immediately upon takeover of the mines.” Today, Mining operators are still operating in the coal reservation of the town.
Places of interest.
Malangas is endowed with several islets that are ideal for resort development. One of these is Isla Muyong, comparable to Boracay Island in Katiklan and Coron palawan . One characteristic that they have in common is their white sand beaches. Others are also sprawled in some of the town's coastline.
The most notable beach in Malangas is the Municipal Government owned beach resort, located in Bunker, the site of the town's coal port. Many people who live in the nearby towns like it because of the proximity of the place.
Local government.
The local council is administered by the mayor, with the assistance of the vice mayor. There is only one representative Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Council) and Association of Barangay Captains (ABC).
Malangas has been administered by elected and appointed officials since July 23, 1951, with a strong Mayor-council government. The current mayor is governed by Alfredo A. Atilano, the first male elected mayor in the 21st century in the history of Malangas. The Municipal mayor is restricted to three consecutive terms, totaling nine years, although a mayor can be elected again after an interruption of one term. Marcelo Baquial Jr. is the municipal's incumbent vice mayor. The vice mayor heads the legislative arm composed of the elected Municipal councilors.
Infrastructure.
Water Supply.
One of the major problems in Malangas is the water system. Water resources are also less abundant. Almost 90 percent of the population get its water supply from a nearby barangay. But this is not abundant for the population. This explains the water scarcity in the area. While some barangays receive enough water, others experience constant water deficiency most especially in the poblacion area. Lack of access to water is a larger problem in the population anywhere else in the town center. The water supply only runs hourly within the different districts/purok. There are recent government efforts to improve the management of water resources in Malangas but all had failed. As of now, the government is trying to solve the problem to help get the people a good and fine water system.
Education.
Malangas is home to one of the external studies unit of Western Mindanao State University, the state university in western Mindanao region which is ranked sixth among 68 universities all over the country, according to a survey on the Top Academic Institutions in the Philippines conducted by the Commission on Higher Education. Head office of the university is in Zamboanga City The campus is located at the mountain hill of the town viewing the Dumaguillas Bay and neighboring islets.


Los Santos mine

Los Santos Mine is a tungsten open pit mine in the province of Salamanca (Spain). The only tungsten producing mine in Spain, it has been in continuous production since its commissioning in 2008.
History.
The Los Santos scheelite deposit in western Spain was originally investigated by Billiton in the 1970s. Ownership passed into the hands of Siemcal S.A. (SIEMCALSA), a publicly owned company of mining and geological consultants based in Valladolid, Spain. In 2007 the deposit was purchased by Daytal, which at the time was 100% owned by Heemskirk Consolidated Limited (Heemskirk). The mine started production in 2008, managed by Daytal.
The mine has continued operation since. Daytal was acquired by Almonty Industries in September 2011. The production mining operations currently employ 30 people – all contractors. All of the other 68 employees on site work directly for Daytal.
Ownership.
Daytal Resources Spain S.L. (“Daytal”) is a wholly owned Spanish subsidiary of Almonty Industries Inc (Almonty), a corporation governed by the Canada Business Corporations Act (the “CBCA”). Almonty trades on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) under the symbol “AII”. The Los Santos mine is 100% owned by Daytal. Adjacent to Los Santos mine concession, Daytal owns also two exploration permits that are named “Quien Sabe Donde”and “Por si Acaso”, both located in the continuity of the mining rights and in the border of Avila granite.
Location.
Los Santos is located in the western part of the Iberian Peninsula, in the southern part of the province of Salamanca, within the municipalities of Los Santos, Fuenterroble de Salvatierra and Valdelacasa at longitude 5o 46’ west and latitude 40o 32’ north. It is 180 km west of Madrid,
50 km south of the city of Salamanca and 1 km east of the town of Los Santos. Coming from Guijuelo, the access is done by a road right at the entrance of Los Santos village.
The average altitude of the sector where the deposit is located is 1.000 m above sea level, being located in the South slope of a hill, that extends 3 km from West to East, with a maximum altitude of 1.108 m, descending towards the South to 900 m.
The climate is warm Mediterranean, with cold winters and an annual average rainfall of 900 mm, mainly between November and March, with minimums in June, July and August. The average annual temperature is between 11°C and 14°C, with a maximum registered value of
38°C and a minimum of -14°C. The values for real evapotranspiration is between 40 and 80% of precipitation. The solar evaporation is in the order of 1500 mm/year.
Geology and Mineralization.
Los Santos lies within Lower Palaeozoic sediments in the Central Iberian Tectonic Zone, which forms part of a Europe-wide, Variscan age orogenic belt. The stratigraphy comprises a thick sequence of clastic metasediments, ortho- and para-gneisses, with volcanic and carbonate formations.
This stratigraphy was intruded by Hercynian (274 Ma old) granitoids in a series of plutons, with numerous, crosscutting granite and aplite dykes, sills and irregular pods intruding the metasediments up to 0.5km from the regional granite contact.
In particular areas sulphide-rich skarns also occur. They are up to 5m thick and several metres in strike length, and comprise massive or semi-massive sulphide horizons with scheelite mineralisation. Sulphides comprise pyrite, arsenopyrite (lollingite), pyrrhotite and
chalcopyrite as principal minerals.
The four main rock types present at Los Santos are skarn, granite, calc-silicates and corneanas, a word applied to mean all other metamorphic rocks (mostly hornfels) at the site.
Mining methods.
The open pit operations are conventional drill and blast operations, using mining contractors. Mining operations are based on mining 10m benches in waste, and 5m benches in ore, with 0.5m of sub-drilling.
The blastholes are 3.5 in. in diameter, and drilled on a 3m x 2.5m pattern in Los Santos Sur, and a 3m x 2.5m pattern in the other pits.
Pre-split lines are drilled along the edges of final walls. These pre-split holes are 3 in. in diameter, and are 0.8m apart. When water is present, water-resistant emulsion explosives (Riogel) are used.
The night following every blasting containing ore, a team of geologists checks with ultraviolet (UV) lighting the real position of the ore after blasting displacement, in order to reduce dilution to the minimum. They also pass the UV lamp by the waste dumps and stockpiles, to
check for any kind of error on ore/waste selection.
During all ore mucking operations, a grade control geologist is always present, to check for any other variations that can be seen in the pit with the blasted skarn material.
Mineral Processing.
The plant is primarily based on gravimetric separation, aimed at recovering scheelite, so as to provide a concentrate containing greater than 65% WO3. Current overall plant recovery of scheelite is approximately 60%. The plant is located immediately to the south of the Los Santos Sur pit, near the existing underground portal, in an area close to existing mine workings, the main waste dump and other infrastructure.
With improvements in mill recovery, this has meant that specific areas where tailings have historically been deposited still contain economic WO3 grades. These tailing areas comprise two different kinds of tailings:
a) Coarse rejects from the thickening cyclones and dewatering screens (Arenas).
b) Fine rejects from the filter press (Tortas).
Environment.
The mining method is open pit mining by transference in which the excavated pit volumes can be subsequently used for waste dumping purposes.
With respect to water management, underground water is intercepted in some of the open pit workings. This water is currently used for dust suppression on the haul roads. Some of this water is also used to augment the water used in the processing plant. Ahead of reusing the water from the pits, the water used in the plant is sourced from the local municipal water supply. The plant design has been modified to recycle as much water as possible. There is no tailings discharge from the process and no tailings dam: all plant waste is dewatered and transported back to the mine waste dumps for disposal. These tailings will be reprocessed in a later phase of the project and used to restore the last pit shell. At the beginning of pits exploitation, topsoil is saved and used in the environmental restoration of filled pits and benches of waste dumps. The environmental restoration is a process that follows the exploitation of the mine.


Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park

Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park is a state park unit preserving the largest hydraulic mining site in California, United States. The mine was one of several hydraulic mining sites at the center of the 1882 landmark case "Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Mining and Gravel Company." The mine pit and several Gold Rush-era buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Malakoff Diggins-North Bloomfield Historic District. The "canyon" is long, as much as wide, and nearly deep in places. Visitors can see huge cliffs carved by mighty streams of water, results of the mining technique of washing away entire mountains of gravel to wash out the gold. The park is a drive north-east of Nevada City, California, in the Gold Rush country. The park was established in 1965.
History.
The Malakoff mine pit on the San Juan Ridge is the impetus for one of the nation's first environmental protection measures.
In 1850 there was little gold left in streams. Miners began to discover gold in old riverbeds and on mountainsides high above the streams. In 1851 three miners headed northeast of what is now Nevada City for a less crowded area to prospect. One miner went back to town with a pocket full of gold nuggets for supplies and was followed back by many prospectors. These followers, however, did not find any gold and declared the area "Humbug", thus the stream was so named "Humbug Creek". Around 1852, settlers began to arrive in the area and the town of "Humbug" sprang up. These miners could not decide how to move the dirt to a place where there was water.
By 1853 miners invented a new method of mining called hydraulic mining. Dams were built high in the mountains. The water traveled from the reservoirs through a wooden canal called a flume that was up to long. The water ran swiftly to the canvas hoses and nozzles called monitors waiting in the old riverbeds. The miners would aim the monitors at the hillsides to wash the gravel into huge sluices. Over time the monitors became bigger and more powerful. Their force was so great they could toss a fifty-pound rock like a cannonball or even kill a person. Over 300 Chinese worked on this project and two Chinese settlements existed in North Bloomfield.
By 1857 the town had grown to 500 residents. Locals felt the name "Humbug" was too undignified and renamed the town "Bloomfield", but California already had a town by this name so they renamed the town "North Bloomfield".
In the late 1860s the towns of Marysville and Yuba City were buried under of mud and rock, and Sacramento flooded repeatedly. The farmers in the valleys complained about the tailings that flooded their land and ruined their crops. Thousands of acres of rich farmland and property were destroyed as a result of hydraulic mining.
By 1876 the mine was in full operation with 7 giant water cannons working around the clock. The town had grown to a population of around 2000 with various business and daily stage service. In 1880 electric lights were installed in the mine and the world's first long-distance telephone line was developed to service the mine, passing through North Bloomfield as it made its way from French Corral to Bowman Lake.
By 1883 San Francisco Bay was estimated to be filling with silt at a rate of one foot per year. Debris, silt, and millions of gallons of water used daily by the mine caused extensive flooding, prompting Sacramento valley farmers to file the lawsuit "Woodruff v. North Bloomfield Mining and Gravel Company". On January 7, 1884 Judge Lorenzo Sawyer declared hydraulic mining illegal.
Climate.
At an altitude of , Malakoff Diggins generally has warm, dry summers and cold, wet winters. Weather can change rapidly any time of the year. Rain and snow fall usually from October until April, though there may be thunderstorm activity in the summer as well.
North Bloomfield.
The visitor center has exhibits depicting life in the old mining town of North Bloomfield, with a past population of 1,500 that served as a supply base for the Diggins. About a block of buildings, some dating to the 1850s, are restored or re-created in a Gold Rush style, including white picket fences. One of the buildings is used as park headquarters and there is a museum with old artifacts, and a model showing how hydraulics worked. In summer, park rangers lead tours through a general store, a furnished home, and a drugstore whose shelves are lined with bottles, boxes and vials of medicines. A church, schoolhouse and other buildings are also part of the tour.
Park facilities include hiking trails, picnic area, swimming and fishing, a campground and rustic cabins that can be rented by campers.
Humbug Days, including a parade and barbecue, is an annual event.
Hiking and trails.
Visitors to the state historic park can hike on miles of trails. The mining pit is unfenced and accessible from the road and pathways that surround it. Hikers can enter the Hiller Tunnel, through which water for the mining operation once flowed. The park also contains a bedrock tunnel that served as a drain. Other hiking includes:
Proposed for closure.
Malakoff Diggins was one of 70 California state parks proposed for closure by July 2012 as part of a deficit reduction program. It was previously one of many state parks threatened with closure in 2008. Those closures were ultimately avoided by cutting hours and maintenance system-wide.


Mobilong diamond mine

The Mobilong mine is a diamond deposit in the East Region of Cameroon.
In December 2010, the resource was reported to the Korean stock exchange as being 736 million carats. In 2013, the resource was estimated to have reserves of 416 million carats of diamonds and an annual production capacity of 0.8 million carats. It was owned by C&K Mining, a joint venture between Cameroon and the South Korean state. The adjustment led to legal action in Korea relating to manipulating the stock market. In 2014, a majority interest was sold to a Chinese-American investor.
The deposit was reported to be under revaluation in 2016 to determine exactly what is in it.
Mobilong appears to be one of many failed mining ventures in Cameroon. It got further than most by having a camp and some mining equipment on site.


Wyodak Mine

The Wyodak mine is a coal mine in Wyodak, Wyoming, United States, located about east of Gillette in the coal-rich Powder River Basin.
Description.
The operation is an open pit mine that utilizes a truck and shovel mining method to produce a low-sulfur, sub-bituminous coal that is used for domestic energy generation. The mine ships its coal to the adjacent Wyodak power plant and to other customers via railroad. The mine is operated by Wyodak Resources Development, a subsidiary of the Black Hills Corporation.
As of 2009, Wyodak had reserves of 294mm tons of sub-bituminous coal and a maximum permitted production capacity of 10mm tons per year. Typical annual production has been in the 5-6mm ton range for the last several years though. In 2008, the mine produced just over 6.0 million short tons of coal, making it the 30th-largest producer of coal in the United States.
The average quality of the coal produced from the Wyodak Mine is 8,050 BTU/lb, 0.40% Sulfur, 6.0% Ash, and 0.94% Sodium (of the ash). Train loading operations at the mine are done by a flood loading system that is coupled to a "weigh-in-motion" track scale system. Silo capacity at the mine's rail loop, which can accommodate a single unit train, is 24,000 tons.
History.
Mining operations at the mine site first began around 1918 with the establishment of the Peerless Mine. The Peerless Mine was an underground room and pillar operation that mined coal near the outcrop of the Wyodak seam. Though the operation went out of business in 1925, it left behind underground workings which were uncovered and mined through by the Wyodak mine in the 1950s.
The modern Wyodak mine was established in 1923 to provide coal for power plants that supplied energy to the Homestake Mine (South Dakota) for its mining and milling operations. In 1956, the Black Hills Corporation purchased the mine from the Homestake Mining Company by exercising an option that was negotiated during its purchase of the Wyodak power plant in 1954.
It is believed that Wyodak is the oldest, continually operated surface coal mine in the United States.


Willow Creek mine

The Willow Creek mine is an in-situ leach (ISL) uranium mining project located in Powder River Basin in the state of Wyoming, United States. It comprises the Irigaray central processing plant and wellfields, and the Christensen Ranch ion exchange plant and wellfields.
Project history.
The uranium deposits at Irigaray and Christensen ranches were discovered in 1973. In July 1974, Wyoming Mineral Corporation (WMC), a subsidiary of Westinghouse Electric Corporation, established a pilot uranium recovery plant at the Irigaray site. A commercial source material license was issued in November 1978. In 1982, operations ceased at the Irigaray plant and well fields, and the facility was placed on standby status pending improvements in the uranium market.
During this period, the Christensen Ranch facility was developed under an R&D license issued by the NRC in 1978 to Western Nuclear, Inc. (WNI), a subsidiary of Phelps Dodge Corporation (now Freeport-McMoRan). Research had been performed at one location, the Willow Creek R&D site. In 1985, WNI sold its interest in the Christensen Ranch project to Malapai Resources Company, a subsidiary of electricity utility Arizona Public Service.
Malapai purchased the Irigaray site from Westinghouse in June 1987, and resumed operations. The Christensen Ranch satellite ion exchange plant and its associated well fields were included under the same license in 1988. The Irigaray project was then upgraded to include facilities for processing ion exchange resin from Christensen Ranch, and the flow rate of the Irigaray recovery plant was increased to 2,400 gallons per minute capacity. Operations under Malapai continued until February 1990.
In 1990, Malapai was sold to Electricité de France (EdF), a French state nuclear utility. Operations resumed in 1991. In 1993 another French state-owned company, COGEMA Mining Inc. (now called Areva), acquired EdF's properties in Wyoming and Texas and continued the in-situ recovery operation until June 2000. In April 2007, COGEMA applied to recommence operations, which was approved on 30 September 2008.
On 25 January 2010, Uranium One USA, Inc. bought COGEMA's US assets. The NRC approved the return to active uranium recovery operations at Willow Creek, in December 2010. On 27 December 2010, Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation completed the purchase of Uranium One.
Reserves.
As of December 31, 2016 Willow Creek had proven and probable reserves of 6.49 million tonnes of ore grading 0.036% uranium (6.09 million pounds U3O8).
Although Willow Creek has a permitted annual production capacity of 1.3 million lbs U3O8, since 2014, production has been scaled back and well field development put on hold, due to low uranium prices. In 2016, it produced 59,900 lbs U3O8.


VPR Mining Infra Private Ltd

VPR Mining Infra Private Ltd., is a diversified Mining Company with its Head Office in Hyderabad, India. As on March 2016 the company has executed 360 Million Bank Cubic Meter (BCM) of excavations of all kinds.
Overview.
The company was registered as Private Limited company in the year 2008. Founded and Promoted by Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy, The company undertakes works pan-India.
The company has worked on many government projects in Central Coalfields, Northern Coalfields, Western Coalfields, Mahanadi Coalfields, National Mineral Development Corporation, NTPC Limited and Singareni Collieries Company.
The company also does many Irrigation projects that Involve heavy excavations for the government bodies like AP Irrigation and CAD, Telangana Irrigation and CAD, Vidarbha Irrigation and CAD and Waters Resources Department Maharastra.


Broughton, Pennsylvania

Broughton is an unincorporated community in South Park Township, Pennsylvania. Originally named Curry after Dr. Joseph Curry, frontier physician and Coroner of Allegheny County in 1810, it was renamed Broughton, to avoid confusion with the nearby "Curry Hollow" and the Curry in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is located at the junction of Brownsville Road, Curry Road, and Broughton Road. It was racially integrated in the early 20th century, due to coal miners working nearby mines in Horning, Pennsylvania. It was the location of Pittsburgh Terminal Coal Company's No. 5 mine.


Llangolman

Llangolman () is a village and parish in the southeastern Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is part of the community of Mynachlog-ddu. There are prehistoric remains nearby and the parish has a history of slate and clay quarrying.
History.
Llangolman lies in a historic landscape near the upper part of the valley of the Eastern Cleddau and its tributaries. The village place name derives from the church dedicated to St. Golman, or in Irish, St Colman. Colman is attributed to Colmán of Dromore, a 6th-century saint.
Anglican church.
Llangolman church stands on high ground just to the south of the main village. The current building is Victorian or early Victorian, with little to show for the original medieval building that once stood on the site. Of historical interest is the recording in the 19th century of a stone gate post about from the churchyard. This stone, known as the Maen-ar-Golman (the stone upon Colman) is about tall with a number of cross markings carved on the stone. The stone appears to have no inscriptions. The local belief is that Colman is buried nearby.
The earliest recorded tombstone in the graveyard is for Stephen Lewis from Llangolman with the date 1778.
Local chapels.
There are two local chapels in the area, Llandeilo and Rhydwilym. Rhydwilym ("English: William's Ford") is the oldest active Welsh Baptist chapel in the world and was founded in 1668. Funds to build the first chapel were provided by the gentleman farmer John Evans of Llwyndwr in 1701. There was a chapel on the site in 1763; a plaque on the front wall indicates that the 1763 chapel was rebuilt in 1841, and further enlarged in 1875.
The current Llandeilo chapel was built in 1882, though earlier chapel structures are recorded in the immediate vicinity. The name Llandeilo comes from the local church dedicated to the 5th-century saint, Teilo.
Historical buildings.
Two gentry houses from the 18th century include Plas-y-Meibion and Llangolman Farm. There is also the house called Temple Druid (c. 1795) which was designed by John Nash, architect to King George IV, and is located roughly halfway between Llangolman and Maenclochog.
Llangolman Farm has some architectural interest. Although most of the current house probably dates from the 18th century, the rear wing of the house has an older structure that includes barrel vaulting. There are two vaults, one above the other. The lower vault covers the underlying cellar which has three rooms. The end room in the cellar, and deepest, includes a fresh water well. The first room, entered from an open arched doorway, includes square holes in the vaulted ceiling that allowed butter to be easily dropped into the cellar for storage. Above the cellar vault is a second vaulted ceiling that currently houses the bathroom. The farm was a centre of production, including clay, slate, salted bacon, butter and a large mill for grinding corn.
Location and terrain.
The area surrounding the village is riddled with steep wooded valleys, presumably cut during one or more of the glacial episodes of the Pleistocene. The village itself sits on a plateau where two valleys meet, the Eastern Cleddau and a tributary that originates near the small village of Llandelio. The underlying geology consists of interbedded Ordovician shales and sandstones with extensive slate outcrops. Evidence of glaciation is also seen from banks of gravel and sand to the east of the village, which form deep drainage seeps from which discharges excellent spring water.
The springs emerge in boggy land at the base of the gravel banks, where deposits of blue boulder clay, known by the natives as "indiarubber clay", can also be found. Clay pits close to the farmhouses of Llangolman Farm (still visible) and Llyn are evidence that the clay was once extracted on a significant scale. The study by Jehu mentions that the clay pit at Llyn was down to a depth of 15 to 20 feet, and ladders were required to get in and out. His report goes on to state that the clay is bluish in color and very tough (hence the nickname indiarubber clay). The clay covers the valley bottom from Llyn to Llangolman Farm at a level of over 400 ft.
The valley sides have largely been saved from deforestation due to their steepness, and there is some evidence of old forest along the western side of the Llandelio tributary. Otters have been seen in the rivers. Of historical interest is a surviving and working hydraulic ram that pumps water to the local farm called Ffynnon Sampson ("Sampson's Well").
Industry.
The current landscape around the village is entirely rural; the local economy is mostly based on farming (dairy, cattle and sheep) and tourism (bed and breakfasts and rented cottages). Of more interest and of historical importance is the slate quarrying industry. There is a seam of green slate running roughly east–west along the Taf Valley. This slate is of volcanic ash origin and of Ordovician date. The slate is generally of a greenish-grey or light blue colour. This slate was often used, in addition to roofing, for covering exposed walls to keep out moisture. Until the 1970s, the outer walls of Llangolman Farm were covered in hanging slates.
The slate itself was exploited at least as early as 1860; the largest quarry was Dandderwen quarry (known as Whitland Abbey Slate quarry after the name of the company which exploited it). There is some suggestion that the Gilfach quarry may have been worked as early as the 16th century. It is also claimed that the slate used on the roof of the Houses of Parliament, when rebuilt in the 1830s, originated from the Gilfach quarry. Much of the slate industry went into decline after the 1890s, and by the 1930s most were closed due to competition from cheaper sources. Gilfach quarry on the eastern side of the Eastern Cleddau was still in operation until 1987.
There are many smaller workings dotted amongst the landscape; some of the quarries are in the steep-sided valley that carries the western tributary from Llaneilo that joins the Eastern Cleddau; some are near Llangolman Farm, with one immediately north of the farmhouse.
Schools.
There are no schools in Llangolman village. Children from Llangolman would either go to Maenclochog about 2.5 miles away or until 1964 they would walk to the slightly closer school at Nant y Cwm (1.7 miles away). Nant y Cwm closed in 1964 but reopened in 1979 as a Steiner School.
Archaeological sites.
A number of sites at Llangolman are recorded in the 1925 Inventory of Ancient Monuments.
One of the most obvious sites still visible today is the Iron Age enclosure located to the south of the village between the farms Bryn Golman and Pencraig Fawr. The site, locally called the Gear (in the field called Gear Meadow) is an enclosure that has a roughly level interior with measurements c.63m E-W and 66m N-S. The bank down-slope side stands up to 2 m high externally and 0.25 m internally. There appears to be a slight ditch on the northeast side. An entrance may be present that faces west.
A second highly visible site is an enclosure called Castell Blaenllechog, located just to the west of the farm Pengawsai (itself located to the northwest of the village). It is not certain what the enclosure is, but suggestions include a medieval castle site, a medieval homestead or even an older Iron Age defensive site. What is particularly noticeable are the massive ramparts which stand 3.3 m high. Internally the height is less at about 1.5 m. Traces of a ditch 0.3 m to 0.6 m can be found to the west and south. This enclosure is particularly noticeable on the aerial views from Google Maps.


Tirebolu mine

The Tirebolu mine is a large mine in the north of Turkey in Giresun Province, 517 km north of the country's capital, Ankara. Tirebolu represents one of the largest copper reserve in Turkey having estimated reserves of 8.6 million tonnes of ore grading 3% copper and 2% zinc. This translates to 260,000 tonnes of copper metal and 172,000 tonnes of zinc metal.


Kostomuksha mine

The Kostomuksha mine is a large iron mine located in north-western Russia in the Republic of Karelia. Kostomuksha represents one of the largest iron ore reserves in Russia and in the world having estimated reserves of 10 billion tonnes of ore grading 45% iron metal.


Frank Hinman Waskey

Frank Hinman Waskey (April 20, 1875 – January 18, 1964) was a delegate from the District of Alaska to the United States House of Representatives.
He was born in Lake City, Minnesota in Wabasha County. He attended the public schools of Minneapolis, moved to Alaska in February 1898, and settled in Nome. He engaged in mining and was the president of a mining company. He was also the director of a bank and a publishing company, both in Nome.
He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-ninth Congress as the first Delegate from Alaska and served from August 14, 1906 to March 3, 1907. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1906. He prospected for minerals in Alaska and worked as a curio dealer from 1911 to 1955. From 1915 to 1918, he was a United States commissioner at Fortuna Ledge, Alaska. He moved to Oakville, Washington in 1956, where he died on January 18, 1964. He was interred in Shelton Cemetery in Shelton, Washington.


List of coal mines in Japan

This list of mines in Japan 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.


Uncle Billy Wilson

Uncle Billy Wilson was an American miner and rancher in the 19th century. Wilson Canyon and the Wilson Mining District are named after him. His brother David Wilson settled in the Mason Valley with his wife Abigail, who was the first white woman to settle in the valley.


Pitmatic

Pitmatic (originally "pitmatical"), colloquially known as "yakka", is an English dialect used in Northumberland and Durham counties of England.
The separating dialectal development from other Northumbrian dialects, such as Geordie, is due to mineworker's jargon used in local coal pits. In Tyneside and Northumberland, "Cuddy" is an abbreviation of the name "Cuthbert" but in Durham Pitmatic "cuddy" denotes a horse, specifically a pit pony. In Lowland Scots, "cuddie" usually refers to a donkey or ass but may also denote a short, thick, strong horse.
According to the British Library, "Locals insist there are significant differences between Geordie [spoken in Newcastle upon Tyne] and several other local dialects, such as Pitmatic and Mackem. Pitmatic is the dialect of the former mining areas in County Durham and around Ashington to the north of Newcastle upon Tyne, while Mackem is used locally to refer to the dialect of the city of Sunderland and the surrounding urban area of Wearside".
Nowadays, "Pitmatic" is an uncommon term in popular parlance. In recent times, all three dialects have converged and have acquired more features from Standard English. The dialect of English spoken in present-day County Durham is akin to Mackem, with the exception of Tees Valley areas whose dialect is closer to that of Middlesbrough.
Traditionally the dialect, with rural Northumbrian communities including Rothbury, used a guttural R. This is now less frequently heard; since the closure of the area's deep mines, younger people speak in local ways that do not usually include this characteristic. The guttural r sound can, however, still sometimes be detected amongst elderly populations in rural areas.
Dialectology.
While in theory pitmatic was spoken throughout the Great Northern Coalfield, from Ashington in Northumberland to Fishburn in County Durham, early references apply specifically to its use by miners especially from the Durham district (1873) and to its use in County Durham (1930).
Dialect words in Northumberland and Tyneside, including many specific to the coal-mining industry, were collected in the two volumes of "Northumberland Words" by Oliver Heslop in 1892 and 1894.
Although he did not use the term, Alexander J. Ellis's work on the language of miners "between rivers Tyne and Wansbeck" has been studied as an early transcription of Pitmatic, which used informants from Earsdon and Backworth. In the 1950s, the Survey of English Dialects included Earsdon as a site and many of the forms recorded matched the transcriptions in Ellis's early work, although some appeared to have modified under pressure from other forms of English.
Harold Orton compiled a database of dialect forms for 35 locations in Northumberland and northern Durham, known as the "Orton Corpus".
In 1973, a book "Pit Talk in County Durham" was written by a local miner named David John Douglass, who later moved to South Yorkshire and published a series of socialist books.
In media.
Melvyn Bragg presented a programme on BBC Radio 4 about pitmatic as part of a series on regional dialects. Pitmatic has rarely featured in entertainment. One of the few cases is the second episode of Ken Loach's series "Days of Hope", which was filmed around Esh Winning in Durham with mostly local actors, although the lead Paul Copley has a Yorkshire accent.
Related forms of English.
Other Northern English dialects include


Medvezhy Ruchey mine

The Medvezhy Ruchey mine is a large copper mine located in the center of Russia in Krasnoyarsk Krai. Medvezhy Ruchey represents one of the largest copper reserve in Russia and in the world having estimated reserves of 354.7 million tonnes of ore grading 0.39% copper.


Woolage Village

Woolage Village is a former mining village situated midway between Canterbury and Dover in the English county of Kent. It is 1 mile (1.6 km) to the east of the A2 road. Together with Womenswold and Woolage Green, it forms Womenswold parish.
It consists of approximately 52 semi-detached houses built in 1912, to house miners and their families working at the nearby Snowdown Colliery. The village shop and post office was shut in the 1990s and converted to a dwelling.


Joseph Carne

Joseph Carne (17 April 1782 – 12 October 1858) was a British geologist and industrialist.
Early life.
Carne was born at Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom, the eldest son of William Carne, a banker, and his wife Anna Carne née Cock of Helston. He was educated at home and at the Wesleyan school, Keynsham, near Bristol. One of his four younger brothers was the author and traveller John Carne. From an early age Carne showed an interest in mineralogy and geology. He was in the habit of walking round to the copper mines, and collecting specimens of the rarer ores, which the miners were glad to sell at low prices, thereby forming the nucleus of his mineralogical collection.
On 23 March 1808 he married Mary Thomas, the daughter of William Thomas of Kidwelly, MD, physician at Haverfordwest. After his marriage he lived for a short time at Penzance, and in 1808 he removed to Rivière House, Phillack on being appointed manager of the Cornish Copper Company's smelting works at Hayle. His good business habits and quickness at figures well fitted him for this situation. Seven of his eight children (two boys and five girls) were born at Rivière House, before he resigned his role as manager (remaining an investor like his father) and returned to Penzance. His youngest son was born and died in their home in Chapel Street, Penzance.
Career.
Carne was a close observer, and paid special attention to the granitic veins of St Michael's Mount, and the vein-like lines of porphyritic rocks provincially termed "elvans." In 1816 and 1818 Carne communicated to the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall his investigation "On Elvan Courses," in which he established their general characters and fixed the probable dates of their intrusion into the granite masses and the clay-slates. "The Granite of the Western part of Cornwall" and the "Geology of the Scilly Isles" were additional communications made to the local geological society.
After studying the formation of mineral veins, in 1818 he sent a paper to the Geological Society of Cornwall entitled "On the relative Age of the Veins of Cornwall." This inquiry led, some years after, to the formation of a fund by subscription, which enabled William Jory Henwood to devote all his leisure, for many years, to personal observations in every mining field in Cornwall. These inquiries led to Carne being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 28 May 1818. In 1821 he published his paper "On the Mineral Productions and the Geology of the Parish of St. Just."
This work led to the collection of Cornish minerals, which he left in his Will to the care of his daughter Elizabeth. After her death in 1873, they became part of the family estate in the possession of Charles Campbell Ross, formerly MP for St. Ives. The Carne Mineral Collection was purchased for Cambridge University, by a coalition of sponsors and patrons keen to see it preserved, from the bankruptcy sale of the Carne bank's assets in the 1890s. See 'Fall of the House of Carne' on-line. The Carne Collection forms part of the large geological collections exhibited in the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Cambridge.
Carne's paper "On the Pseudo-morphous Minerals of Cornwall" was calculated to throw light on the mysterious changes which occur in minerals. In connection with this subject Carne also examined most of the varieties of tin ore which have been found in veins, and such as are peculiar to the deposits in stream works. In 1846 a paper was read by Carne "On the Remains of a Submarine Forest in the North-eastern part of the Mount's Bay," and in 1851 "Notice of a Raised Beach lately discovered in Zennor" will be found in the pages of the "Transactions of the Cornwall Geological Society," vol. vii.
Carne also wrote on the history of copper mining, and on the improvements made in its metallurgy—on the discovery of ancient coins—on the formation of the blown sands of the north coasts of the county, and contributed a paper to the Statistical Society of London entitled "Statistics of the Tin Mines in Cornwall and of the Consumption of Tin in Great Britain."
Carne was an honorary member of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. In 1837 he was picked for Sheriff of Cornwall but did not accept the appointment. For many years he was the treasurer of the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall and due to his extensive knowledge of the laws of mines and minerals, and his intimate acquaintance with local usages, he was referred to in most cases of difficulty.
Later life.
All the Wesleyan chapels of West Cornwall sought Carne's assistance and advice. He took charge of Sunday schools, and kept a large stock of books for the teachers. In 1820 Carne left Hayle, and went to Penzance to become a partner in his father's bank (Batten, Carne, & Carne).
He died at Penzance on 12 October 1858.
His daughter, Elizabeth Catherine Thomas Carne was also a noted geologist. Upon Joseph's death his large mineral collection became her responsibility and she continued to collect specimens and created a private museum. She also assumed his place as Managing Partner of the family bank, until her own demise in 1873.


Wheaton Precious Metals

Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. is a multinational precious metals streaming company. It produces over 26 million ounces and sells over 29 million ounces of silver mined by other companies (including Barrick Gold and Goldcorp) as a by-product of their main operations.
Originally named Silver Wheaton, the company changed its name to Wheaton Precious Metals on May 10, 2017.
In 2016, the company reported attributable production totaling 30.4 million ounces of silver and 353,700 ounces of gold, with net earnings of US$195 million on operating cash flows of $584 million.
History.
Silver Wheaton was established in 2004. It was previously controlled by Goldcorp until December 7, 2006 when Goldcorp's sale of 18 million shares reduced its ownership to 48%. On February 14, 2008 Goldcorp divested itself completely of Silver Wheaton, selling 108 million shares for C$1.566 billion.
Silverstone Resources, acquired in 2009 previously traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol SST (delisted May 25, 2009 just after the takeover) as a Tier 1 stock (the exchange's premier tier).
In October 2020, the company was admitted in the London Stock Exchange under the ticker WPM.
Contracts.
Although most agreements it makes are short-term contracts, at least one with the Penasquito mine in Mexico lasts the length of the mine's life. Until the third quarter of 2012 all of the gold it sold came from the Minto Mine in the Yukon, acquired in mid-2009 following the Cdn $190 million acquisition of Silverstone Resources Corp. In 3q2012 it started receiving gold from HudBay's 777 polymetallic mine in Manitoba . In 2013 it began receiving gold from 3 new mines: Sudbury (33,000 oz), Salobo (29,100 oz), and Constancia. Average realized price for gold produced at 777 was $1390 which is similar to Minto however, average realized cash cost is 32% higher at mine 777 ($400 vs $303).</small>
In total, there are 15 agreements with 11 different companies; being able to pay a large portion of the contract price in cash initially, and having already developed extensive relationships with mining companies, helps it gain access to the commodity. In 2013 the average price paid per ounce of pure silver was $4.12 up from $4.06, $3.99, $3.97 in 2012, 2011, 2010. Penasquito (one of the largest silver deposits in the world, Silver Wheaton's 25% interest would rank in the top 25 silver mines in the world) will give the company an average of 7 million ounces annually for 22 years (begins early production in 2010-2011). In 2013 Penasquito produced 6.216 million ounces for Silver Wheaton (down from 6.572m in 2012, 5.284m in 2011) at a cost of $4.02 per ounce (up from $3.99, $3.93). Like over half of the world's silver producing mines, the Penasquito mine also produces lead, copper and zinc. In 2013 company production totaled 35.823 million ounces (26.754 million of that pure silver +0%, the rest being gold) 22.0% higher than 2012, 41.2% more than 2011, +110% vs 2009. In 2013 it sold 29.963 million ounces of silver equivalent (+9.6%) at an average price per ounce of $23.58 ($31.09 in 2012, $34.65 in 2011). In 2013 the unit price paid for pure silver was up six cents to $4.12 (incl gold $4.65) while the realized price was down 717 cents to $23.86 (incl gold $23.58). In 2011 though the unit price paid per silver equivalent ounce was only five cents higher at $4.09 it sold each ounce for 67.6% more, in 2010 it was 36.6% more. Total revenue was down 17% in 2013, up 16% in 2012, up 72% in 2011.
Mines.
The silver it has agreed to purchase is in Mexico (40%), Portugal (20%), USA (10%), Chile (9%), Peru (9%), Argentina (7%), Sweden (4%), Greece and Canada (about 1%). Silver Wheaton doesn't own or operate the mines but the contracts it has with their owners gives it full access to any silver (gold at the Minto Mine) mined there. The six mines from which the company gets most of its silver are : San Dimas, Penasquito, Barrick (made up of five parts), Yauliyacu, Zinkgruvan, Cozamin and Minto. In addition there are six other smaller mines that contribute about 22% of the total.
The San Dimas mine was sold by Goldcorp in the summer of 2010 to Mala Noche Resources Corp. (later renamed Primero Mining) for half a billion dollars complicating things for Silver Wheaton which had already made an agreement with Goldcorp for the silver. In response Silver Wheaton agreed to a new contract agreement. The Penasquito mine which began producing in September 2010 (and has a mine life of 22 years) is Mexico's largest open pit mine.
The agreement it has with Barrick Gold involves the silver produced at 4 mines; Pascua Lama, Lagunas Norte (Peru), Pierina (Peru) and Veladero (Argentina). The deal involving the Lagunas Norte, Pierina and Veladero mines was made in September 2009, required an initial deposit of $212.2 million, gives Silver Wheaton 100% of the silver produced and ends at the conclusion of 2013. The Pascua-Lama mine (at the border of Chile and Argentina) contract gives Silver Wheaton access to a quarter of the silver produced there from 2013 to 2017 and could raise silver sales by 30%.
Subsidiary Silverstone Resources Corp. owns 100% of the life of mine silver produced at mines in Neves-Corvo and Aljustrel, Portugal. The Lundin Mining owned Neves-Corvo mine located near the Iberian Pyrite Belt is primarily a copper and zinc producer.
Mine 777 in Manitoba belongs to HudBay Minerals. The mine was the source of 62.8% of Silver Wheaton's gold produced in 2012. In the last quarter alone it accounted for 19,615 ounces of gold, more than Silver Wheaton's other gold mine produced over the entire year (18,600 oz). When converted to silver equivalent using the gold to silver ratio, gold from 777 accounted for 40.5% of the increase in total production in 2012.


Kencana mine

The Kencana mine is one of the largest gold mines in Indonesia and in the world. The mine is located in the east of the country in North Maluku. The mine has estimated reserves of 4.63 million oz of gold and 6 million oz of silver.


Aranos mine

The Aranos Mine is a coal mine located in the Hardap Region, Namibia. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 300 million tonnes of coking coal, one of the largest coal reserves in Africa and the world. The mine produces around 8 million tonnes of coal per year. Prospecting works started in 2008 with an investment of South African coal tycoon Kobus Smith.


Szklary mine

The Szklary mine is a large mine in the centre of Poland in Szklary, Kłodzko County, 142 km south-west of the capital, Warsaw. Szklary represents the largest nickel reserve in Poland having estimated reserves of 28.8 million tonnes of ore grading 0.73% nickel. The 28.8 million tonnes of ore contains 210,000 tonnes of nickel metal.


Welcome Stranger

The Welcome Stranger is the biggest alluvial gold nugget found, which had a calculated refined weight of . It measured and was discovered by prospectors John Deason and Richard Oates on 5 February 1869 at Moliagul, Victoria, Australia, about 14.6 kilometres (9 miles) north-west of Dunolly.
Discovery.
Found only below the surface, near the base of a tree on a slope leading to what was then known as Bulldog Gully, the nugget had a gross weight of (241 lb 10 oz). Its trimmed weight was (210 lbs), and its net weight was (192 lbs 11.5 oz).
At the time of the discovery, there were no scales capable of weighing a nugget this large, so it was broken into three pieces on an anvil by Dunolly-based blacksmith Archibald Walls.
Deason, Oates, and a few friends took the nugget to the London Chartered Bank of Australia, in Dunolly, which advanced them £9,000. Deason and Oates were finally paid an estimated £9,381 for their nugget, which became known as the "Welcome Stranger". At August 2019 gold prices, it would be worth US$3.4 million [2.3 million GBP]. It was heavier than the "Welcome Nugget" of that had been found in Ballarat in 1858. The goldfields warden F. K. Orme reported that of smelted gold had been obtained from it, irrespective of scraps that were given away by the finders, estimated as totalling another .
The nugget was soon melted down and the gold was sent as ingots to Melbourne for forwarding to the Bank of England. It left the country on board the steamship "Reigate" which departed on 21 February.
An obelisk commemorating the discovery of the "Welcome Stranger" was erected near the spot in 1897. A replica of the "Welcome Stranger" is in the Old Treasury building, Treasury Place, Melbourne, Victoria; another replica is owned by descendants of John Deason and is now on display at the Dunolly Rural Transaction Center.
Discoverers.
John Deason was born in 1829 on the island of Tresco, Isles of Scilly, off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England, UK. In 1851, he was a tin dresser before becoming a gold miner. Deason continued with gold mining and workings most of his life and, although he became a store keeper at Moliagul, he lost a substantial proportion of his wealth through poor investments in gold mining. He bought a small farm near Moliagul where he lived until he died in 1915, aged 85 years.
Richard Oates was born about 1827 at Pendeen in Cornwall. After the 1869 find, Oates returned to the UK and married. He returned to Australia with his wife and they had four children. The Oates family, in 1895, purchased of land at Marong, Victoria, about west of Bendigo, Victoria, which Oates farmed until his death in Marong in 1906, aged 79 years.
Descendents of the two discoverers gathered to celebrate the 150th discovery of the nugget.


Coal companies of Australia

Some of the more notable coal companies in Australia are the following:
Anglo Coal Australia Ltd.
Anglo Coal Australia Ltd owns and operates a number of mines in Queensland and New South Wales.
Mines.
Callide mine: is a leading Queensland domestic coal producer providing low-sulphur, sub-bituminous thermal coal primarily for domestic power generation. The coalfields cover an area of 180 square kilometres and contain seams up to 26 metres thick. Annual production is 7 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of sub-bituminous thermal coal. At December 2014, estimates for ROM reserves are approximately 202 Mt of domestic and export thermal quality, with an additional 262 Mt of mineable in-situ resources outside the current mine layout.
Bloomfield Collieries Pty Ltd.
The Bloomfield Group is an Australian owned group of private companies which operate in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. The Group has interests in mining and engineering. It operates two open-cut coal mines: Bloomfield at East Maitland and Rix's Creek at Singleton. Rix's Creek is 5 km north west of Singleton on the New England Highway. Situated in the Whittingham Coal Measures, it is part of the Singleton Super Group including the Barrett, Liddell, Arties and Pikes Gully seams. The mine produces 0.88 million tonnes per annum.
BHP.
BMA.
Jointly owned with Mitsubishi Development Pty Ltd, the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) is Australia's largest coal miner and exporter, and the world's largest supplier to the sea borne coking coal market. BMA's mines are located in the coal-rich Bowen Basin of Central Queensland, where BMA owns and operates seven mines – Goonyella Riverside, Broadmeadow, Peak Downs, Saraji, Norwich Park, Gregory Crinum, and Blackwater – and the Hay Point terminal near Mackay. They also manage the South Walker Creek and Poitrel mines, owned by BHP (80 per cent) and Mitsui and Co. (20 per cent). The Bowen Basin covers an area of 75,000 km² of Permian Age marine and freshwater sediments and is roughly triangular in shape, extending around 550 km from its northern peak at Collinsville, southwards to its base at Theodore, where it is approximately 250 km wide. With the exception of the Crinum and Broadmeadow underground longwall operations, the mines are open-cut, using dragline and truck/shovel fleets for overburden removal. Coal seams are mined by front end loader and hydraulic excavators, and coal is transported to mine preparation plants by large capacity haul trucks.
Mines.
The mines managed by the BMA have a capacity to produce 58 million tonnes of coal annually, which are currently sold to over 93 customers in 23 countries, including Japan, the UK, Europe, South America, Korea, Taiwan and India.
BMC.
BMC owns and operates two open-cut metallurgical coal mines in the Bowen Basin – South Walker Creek Mine and Poitrel Mine. BMC is owned by BHP (80 per cent) and Mitsui and Co (20 per cent).
Hunter Valley Energy Coal (HVEC).
The Mount Arthur coal mine is a large open-cut mine near Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, producing approximately 16 million tonnes per annum.
Centennial Coal Company Ltd.
Centennial Coal Company Ltd, located predominantly in New South Wales, was acquired in September 2010 by Thailand-based Banpu, which operates in the coal and energy industries. Centennial is a coal mining and marketing company supplying thermal and coking coal to the domestic and export markets. The company has five operating coal mines in NSW, making Centennial one of the largest underground coal producers in NSW. It is a major fuel supplier in NSW, producing approximately 40% of the State's coal-fired electricity. The company sells approximately 40% of its coal to export markets, primarily for use in power stations and steel mills in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Europe. Coal is exported through ports at Newcastle and Port Kembla in New South Wales.
Pollution issues.
Centennial Coal has been responsible for more than 900 pollution notices between 2000 and 2013 from the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). In 2015 it was responsible for a major release of coal fines into the Wollangambe River and World Heritage listed areas of the Blue Mountains National Park. Centennial Coal has been dumping mine effluent into the Wollangambe River for approximately 30 years, effectively killing large sections of it. Between 2000-2015, Centennial's Clarence Colliery has been cited for more than 65 non-compliance breaches of its licence. As of 2015, Centennial Coal has applied to extend the Springvale Mine, undermining swamps of "National Environmental Significance" and dumping up to 50 million litres a day of mine effluent into the Coxs River which also flows through the Blue Mountains World Heritage area and into Sydney's drinking water catchments.
Coalpac Pty Ltd.
Coalpac acquired the assets of the Lithgow Coal Company in February 2008. These assets include the Cullen Valley Mine located in the Western Coalfield of New South Wales.
Coalpac has been operating in the Lithgow district since 1989. The company currently operates the Cullen Valley open cut mine and the Invincible open cut mine. See also effects of the mining operation on surrounding property.
Cornwall Coal.
Cornwall Coal Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cement Australia. The company operates underground and open-cut coal mines, and a coal washing and processing plant, with the main facilities located in NE Tasmania, and a mine in Southern Tasmania. Production of raw coal in 2007/2008 totalled 725 490 tonnes, with 436 544 tonnes of saleable coal being produced.
Donaldson Coal Pty Ltd.
Donaldson Coal is a coal producer based in New South Wales, Australia. The mining operations are based in the Hunter Valley just south of Maitland, 25 kilometres from Newcastle and Port Waratah. Production is sourced from three mines.
Mines.
The Tasman underground mine, where mining started in 2006, is near Mount Sugarloaf, approximately 20 km from Newcastle and 18 km from South Maitland. Entry to the site is off George Booth Drive approximately 1.5 km west of Seahampton. The Mine Lease covers approximately 952 hectares with George Booth Drive to the north, the F3 Freeway to the east and Mount Sugarloaf in the centre. Production commenced in late 2006, following approval by the Minister for Infrastructure and Planning.
Enhance Place Pty Ltd.
Enhance Place Colliery near Lithgow, NSW. Pine Dale Coal Mine.
Ensham Resources Pty Ltd.
Established in 1993 as a joint venture among major international companies and their Australian subsidiaries, Ensham Resources Pty Limited is one of Queensland's largest and fastest-growing thermal coal producers. Ensham's mining operations currently comprise five open-cut coal mining pits: Pits A,B,C & D either side of the Nogoa River—referred to as the ‘Ensham Project’—and the ‘Yongala’ pit, which is located approximately 5 km to the north of the main Ensham operation. Total combined production is currently in the vicinity of 9 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). Ensham Resources produces around 9 million tonnes per annum of high-energy low-ash thermal coal and small quantities of semi-soft coking coal. The coal is exported to leading energy producers in Japan, Korea, India and China and other countries.
Felix Resources Limited.
Felix Resources is an expanding company with a focus on coal mining and the development and operation of coal-related assets.
Newcastle Coal Infrastructure Group (NCIG) Terminal.
Felix Resources is one of six companies involved in the construction of the NCIG terminal which is designed with a final capacity of 66 million tonnes per annum. The first stage is 30 million tonnes per annum.
Foxleigh Mining Pty Ltd.
Foxleigh Mining is the operator of a coal mine in central Queensland. The project is a joint venture between Brisbane company CAML Resources (63%), ICRA Foxleigh, part of the Japanese Itochu group (20.6%), and Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) (16.4%). The mine commenced operations in late 1999 and presently exports coal to steel mills in Korea, Japan, and elsewhere. In July 2004, the mine had between 20-30 Indigenous employees on site among an employee population of approximately 230.
Idemitsu.
One of the world's largest privately owned energy companies with major investments in oil refineries and petroleum products, primarily in Japan. J-Power (formerly Electric Power Development Corporation (EPDC)) is one of Japan's largest power utilities. LG International is one of Korea's largest diversified conglomerates with interests in a vast array of international businesses including electronics. Bligh Coal is a 100% subsidiary of Idemitsu.
Ensham Resources.
Queensland's third largest thermal coal producer is planning to expand its operations significantly in coming years with a proposed future underground mine in addition to continued expansion of its open-cut operations. Idemitsu Australia Resources Pty Ltd and its Australian subsidiary, Bligh Coal Limited together own 85% of the joint venture. The operator of the mine, Ensham Resources Pty Limited, together with the company's marketing arm, Ensham Coal Sales are based in Brisbane. Ensham Resources produces around 9 million tonnes per annum of high-energy low-ash thermal coal and small quantities of semi-soft coking coal. The coal is exported to leading energy producers in Japan, Korea, India and China and other countries.
Illawarra Coal Holdings Pty Ltd.
Illawarra Coal produces premium-quality, hard coking coal (used in the production of steel) and some energy coal. Based in Wollongong and operating in the Illawarra and Wollondilly regions south of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Illawarra Coal operates three high-volume underground longwall mines: Appin/Appin West, West Cliff (to the west of the Illawarra Escarpment) and Dendrobium (on the eastern side of the Escarpment).
Appin West.
Known as the Douglas Project during its development stages, Appin West is an extension of the existing Appin Mine that accesses valuable coking coal reserves to the north of the previous Tower Mine operations. Appin West is situated on Douglas Park Road, near Douglas Park, to the west of Appin, approximately 30 minutes from Wollongong.
Jellinbah Group.
Jellinbah Group Pty Ltd (formerly Queensland Coal Mine Management Pty Ltd) is a privately owned independent Queensland-based coal company. Jellinbah Group has 70% ownership interests in the Jellinbah and Lake Vermont Mines. Jellinbah Group is also the manager of both operations.
Lithgow Coal Company Pty Ltd.
Coalpac acquired the assets of the Lithgow Coal Company in February 2008. These assets include the Cullen Valley Mine located in the Western Coalfield of New South Wales, Australia. It is immediately adjacent to the Baal Bone Colliery to the west and the Invincible Colliery to the south, and is approximately 5 km by road from the Mount Piper coal-fired power station. The Mine has development consent to produce up to 1 Mtpa, however historical production has been around 700,000 tonnes per annum.
Macarthur Coal.
An independent Queensland-based coal mining company with operations located in Queensland's Bowen Basin. Macarthur Coal currently operates out of its Coppabella, Moorvale and Middlemount mines. The company also has an extensive range of prospects for new projects.
Macarthur Coal mines approximately 5.5 million tonnes of raw coal to produce 4.2 million tonnes of product coal each year.
Muswellbrook Coal Company Ltd.
Taken over by Muswellbrok Industries Limited.
Idemitsu Muswellbrook Coal a subsidiary of Idemitsu Kosan acquired the entire share capital of Muswellbrook Coal from Muswellbrook Energy and Minerals.
New Hope Corporation Ltd.
New Hope is an independent energy company which has open-cut mines at Acland on the Darling Downs and at Rosewood near Ipswich. The New Acland open cut mine is located approximately 150 kilometres west of Brisbane in the Darling Downs region of Queensland. The mining method used at New Acland is an open-cut multi-thin-seam operation which utilises trucks, excavators and front-end loaders. Overburden is blasted or ripped by bulldozers prior to extraction. New Oakleigh operates an open-cut coal mine near the town of Rosewood, 23 kilometres west of Ipswich and 92 kilometres from the Port of Brisbane. The mining method used at New Oakleigh is a multi-thin-seam operation utilising trucks, excavators and front-end loaders. Overburden is blasted or ripped by bulldozers prior to extraction.
During the fiscal year ended 31 July 2008 (fiscal 2008), total saleable coal production from New Hope's operations was 4.451 million tons. The New Acland Mine is located 16 kilometres northwest of Oakey on the Darling Downs in South East Queensland and is the Company's major production source with approximately 3.92 million tons produced during fiscal 2008. The balance of coal production in the fiscal year 2008 of 531,000 tons came from the New Oakleigh mine in the West Moreton district, near Ipswich. In September 2008, the Company announced the sale of New Saraji Coal project to the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA).
Peabody Energy Australia.
Peabody Pacific is one of Australia's largest mining companies with a total of 10 operations in Queensland and New South Wales. In 2003, Peabody Energy shipped a record 185 million tonnes (204 million tons) of coal to its clients worldwide.
Queensland hosts six of the mine sites operated by Peabody Pacific. Four of these, Burton, North Goonyella, Eaglefield and Millennium span the length of the Bowen Basin coalfield. The Wilkie Creek mine site operates within the Surat Basin. Burton mine is located in the Bowen Basin, about 150 kilometres south-west of Mackay. Mining commenced in 1996 and now extends over three individual operating pits: Plumtree, Wallanbah and Broadmeadows. The open-cut mine uses the terrace mining technique supported by a truck and shovel fleet. It is operated under contract by Thiess. North Goonyella underground and Eaglefield open-cut mines are located at the northern end of the Bowen Basin, about 160 kilometres west of Mackay. The combined operations produce around three million tonnes (3.3 million tons) of coking coal a year from a lease of 3,341 hectares. Mining commenced from the underground in 1994. Millennium mine is located near the town of Moranbah in the Bowen Basin. Mining commenced in May 2006 at a rate of 1.5 million tonnes (1.65 million tons) a year. The mine plans to increase its annual saleable PCI and coking coal production to three million tonnes (3.3 million tons) as port constraints are eased at Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal. Millennium provides a low-ash coking coal and low-to-mid-volatile PCI coal to customers in Japan, Korea and India. Wilkie Creek mine is located in the Surat Basin of southern Queensland. Although mining originally started in 1994, Peabody commenced operations in 2005. Currently producing around 1.8 million tonnes (2 million tons) of low-sulphur, low-nitrogen, environmentally superior thermal coal, plans are under way to ramp up to 2.5 million tonnes (2.8 million tons) in 2008.
Peabody Pacific operate four mine sites in New South Wales. These extend from the Hunter Valley coalfields west of Newcastle to the Southern coalfields just below Sydney. Wilpinjong mine is located 10 kilometres south-east of Ulan mine and 40 kilometres north-east of Mudgee. Mining commenced in late 2006; production in 2009 was 8.3 million tons, and Peabody plans to make further investments to increase output. Wambo is one of Peabody's largest operating mines and is located in the Hunter Valley, about 30 kilometres from Singleton. Mining commenced in 1969. Wambo produces around five million tonnes (5.5 million tons) of saleable thermal coal a year. Metropolitan is located in the Southern coalfields, about 50 kilometres south of Sydney. The coal leases cover an area of 5,195 hectares. The mine currently produces around 1.5 million saleable tonnes (1.65 million tons) of hard coking and semi-hard coking coal per year. Reserves provide for a mine life of more than 20 years at current and proposed levels of production.
Rio Tinto Coal Australia Pty Ltd.
In Queensland, Rio Tinto Coal Australia operates the Blair Athol coal mine, Hail Creek coal mine and Kestrel coal mine and is currently constructing the Clermont Mine Project. In New South Wales, Rio Tinto Coal Australia manages Coal & Allied's operations at Mount Thorley Warkworth, Hunter Valley Operations and Bengalla.
Hail Creek Mine can now produce eight million tonnes of coking coal. Bengalla Mine is a 6.6 million tonne per year open-cut operation located about four kilometres west of Muswellbrook. The mine produced 5.9 million tonne of thermal coal in 2005, and has marketable reserves of 154.6 million tonnes. The Hunter Valley coal preparation plant (HVCPP) is consented to receive has a capacity of about 20 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) run of mine (ROM) coal utilising dense medium cyclones and spirals. The coal preparation plants at MTW have a capacity of 9 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of feed yielding about 5.8Mtpa of saleable coal, utilising crushing, screening, dense medium separation, froth flotation.
Vale.
Vale’s global coal business is headquartered in Australia, but includes mining operations in Australia, China, Colombia and Mozambique. In Australia, Vale operates mines in Queensland's Bowen Basin and the Hunter Valley district of New South Wales with a nominal production capacity of 8Mtpa. Vale is also involved in continuing exploration activities with 7,000km2 of coal exploration assets in Queensland.
Wesfarmers Coal Ltd.
Wesfarmers Ltd is a major diversified Australian public company. Its Resources division has mining interests throughout Australia. Their coal interests include the Curragh coal mine in the Bowen Basin in Queensland (metallurgical coal for export markets and steam coal for domestic markets), the Premier coal mine at Collie in Western Australia's south west (steam coal for domestic markets), and a 40% interest in the Bengalla coal mine in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales (steam coal for both export and domestic markets).
Coal production at the Curragh mine during the 2009 March quarter totalled 2.157 million tonnes, comprising 1.451 million tonnes of metallurgical coal and 706,000 tonnes of steaming coal, down 13.5% on the previous quarter.
Whitehaven Coal Limited.
A publicly listed mining company, Whitehaven Coal Limited is currently developing and operating coal projects in the Gunnedah Region of New South Wales and exploring other opportunities.
Mines.
The Group operates five open-cut mines, Canyon (formerly Whitehaven), Tarrawonga, Werris Creek, Rocglen (formerly Belmont) and Sunnyside and is developing the Narrabri North underground mine.
Xstrata Coal Pty Ltd.
Xstrata is a major global diversified mining group, listed on the London and Swiss stock exchanges.


Khuut coal mine

The Khuut Coal Mine is a coal mine located in the Matad sum of Dornod aimag in eastern Mongolia.
The mine has coal reserves amounting to 294.2 million tonnes of brown coal. The mine has an annual production capacity of 0.12 million tonnes of coal.


Woodlark Island

Woodlark Island, known to its inhabitants simply as Woodlark or Muyua, is the main island of the Woodlark Islands archipelago, located in Milne Bay Province and the Solomon Sea, Papua New Guinea.
Although no formal census has been conducted since 1990, the current population is estimated at approximately 6000 people (see section below on Population Issues). There is one primary school on the island (in Kulumadau) that teaches about 200 students (60 students are from outer islands); to attend highschool/secondary school, and all children must travel to Alotau on the mainland.
Etymology.
Woodlark Island is also called Woodlark or Woodlarks by English language speakers. It is called Murua by the inhabitants of some other islands in the province. The wider Woodlark Islands group also consists of Madau and Nusam to the west, Nubara to the east, and the Marshall Bennett group to the southwest.
History.
The Australian whaling ship (Captain George Grimes) called in the 1830s and the report of that visit led to "Woodlark"s name being attached to the island. Other whaling ships visited for water and wood in the decades that followed and islanders sometimes served as crewmen on those vessels. The last recorded whaling ship to call was the American vessel "Adeline Gibbs" in October 1873.
An Italian missionary order of Catholic clergy, the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (P.I.M.E.), sent five priests and two brothers to Woodlark Island in 1852. Giovanni Battista (John) Mazzucconi was killed there in 1855 by an islander called Avicoar who opposed the missionaries and their religion.
Richard Ede and Charles Lobb, who had a trading post on the nearby Laughlan (Nada) Islands, discovered gold on the island in 1895. News of the find sparked off a gold-rush from Australia. By early 1897, steamers were arriving with gold seekers from Queensland every fortnight. In 1896–97, there were 400 white miners and 1,600 Papuan labourers on Woodlark who produced 20,000 ounces of gold. Records show an estimated pre-World War II gold production, including alluvial sources, of about 220,000 ounces of gold.
Operation Chronicle was the name given to the landing of the United states's 112th Cavalry Regiment on Woodlark Island and Kiriwina on June 30, 1943, during World War II. Within a few months of the landing Seabees of the 60th Naval Construction Battalion had constructed a major airbase at Guasopa Bay, known as Woodlark Airfield (later Guasopa Airport).
The island has been extensively logged for ebony which has always been an important cash commodity to the communities on the island since the 1970s. Modern gold exploration was initiated on Woodlark Island in 1962 with the Bureau of Mineral Resources undertaking surface geochemistry, limited geophysics, and diamond drilling during 1962 and 1963 at Kulumadau.
Population issue.
The most recent figures are those of the 1990 census, which note about 1,700 people. The largest villages in the census were Kaulay (160), Moniveyova (140) and Wabunun (154), and these villages are the largest today. However, separate from the villages are the two post-colonial creations of Guasopa and Kulumadau (described in the census book as 'large rural non-villages'), which both have relatively large populations, 147 and 242 respectively. As such, Kulumadau is typically seen as the largest conglomeration of people on the island. Since the 1990 census, Guasopa has gained a health center, while Kulumadau has gained a medium-sized timber company (Milne Bay Logging) and a mining exploration camp (BHP).
In terms of the traditional divisions of the island, the eastern region (Muyuw) accounts for about 600 people (44% total population), central region (Wamwan) for 400 people (30% total population), and the southern region (Madau/Neyam) for 350 people (26% total population). An unofficial census in 2010 counts place the total population of Woodlark Island at around 6,000 people, with the largest conglomeration of people still in the non-villages of Kulumadau and Guasopa, and the largest village of Kaulay.
Historically, the island may have lost up to two-thirds of its population between 1850 and 1920, according to Fred Damon, an anthropology professor from the University of Virginia who lived on Woodlark Island in the mid-1970s. That is, from an estimated 2,200 people on Woodlark Island during first European contact, the population had dropped to between 700 and 900 by about 1915, though it has rebounded over the years.
Geography.
Geology.
The island includes a volcanic core of Tertiary age and a wide limestone belt, mainly originated by corals (coral reefs are still active around the island). Also intrusive rocks and sedimentary sands are found.
Fauna.
Murua Gharial.
An extinct gharial species, ""Gavialis" papuensis" (occasionally informally referred to as "Murua Gharial"), occurred in Woodlark Island during the Pleistocene or Holocene period. A late surviving gryposuchine, this 2-3 meter long piscivore was the last known truly marine crocodilian (modern saltwater crocodiles that still occur in the Solomon only occasionally venture into the sea, preferring freshwater environments), found in association with sirenian and sea turtle remains. Like other insular Pleistocene megafauna, it was presumably hunted to extinction by the first human settlers of the islands.
Conservation.
A plan by the Malaysian company Vitroplant to use 70% of the island for palm oil production was scrapped after opposition from the islands inhabitants. The project was seen as a threat to endemic organisms on the island. , a full wildlife survey of the island had not yet been carried out.
Endemic snakes.
Due to its relative isolation, Woodlark Island is home to two endemic snake taxa.
There are NO medically important terrestrial venomous snakes on Woodlark Island.
Demographics.
Muyuw language, one of the Kilivila–Louisiades languages and part of the Austronesian language family, is spoken on the island.