Coal mining in Pakistan

Pakistan has coal deposits in Sindh, Punjab and Baluchistan.
The total coal resources of Pakistan are reported to be approximately 185 Billion tons.
Regions.
Duki.
Duki is in Balochistan. It is rich with high-quality coal with the highest rate of extraction in Pakistan. Coal is the main business in the area. More than 80% of the local population are directly involved in the coal business. The coal business is entirely in private hands, although only individuals and not companies are the owners.
Almost all Pushtun tribes in Duki including Nasar, Tareen, Luni and Dumar participate. The Nasar tribe has a large share, and is considered to be the master miners and businessmen. In the 2010s, the local coal tycoons were Sardar Akbar Khan, Nasar Kamalkhail, Sardar Masoom Khan Tareen and Tekadar Atha Muhammad Nasar.
In the Duki district coal is mainly under the control of the mine owners, the Petti Tekadars, and the coal agents. The mine owners are either land owners or hold extraction rights. Ownership is held by only a few families, mainly the sardars of different tribes. Petti Tekkadars do not own mines, rather they license them from the owners. Many Petti Tekaddars work in Dukki Tehsil. Coal agents help transport coal to other cities by becoming middlemen. At least 3000 metric tons of coal are transported to Punjab Province. The coal is mainly used in brick kilns and other factories such as textile and cement. The width of the coal seams vary from 6 inches to 9 feet.
On average 1000 coal mines operate with turnover of Rs.50 million daily.
Duki is the best private mining valley in Pakistan. More than 50% of the labor is from Afghanistan.
Musakhael.
Kingri sub-Tehsil of Musakhel District is located on the borders of Punjab Province. In the early 1980s coal exploration started, but ended due to poor roads. In President Musharaf's regime, the roads from Fort Minro to Kingri were improved. The area hosts two streams, one from Chamalang and one from Duki. The coal-bearing areas are supportive of mining. Fifty plus mines are now operating there. Aram in Kingri has excellent coal and charcoal reserves, available at a depth of 30 feet. The specifications of Kingri coal areas:
Thar.
Pakistan's largest coal reserves are found in Sindh, measuring approximately 175 billion tonnes. Tharparkar division of Sindh is said to host huge deposits.


Turukhanskoye mine

The Turukhanskoye mine is a large iron mine located in central Russia in Turukhansky District, Krasnoyarsk Krai. Turukhanskoye represents one of the largest iron ore reserves in Russia and in the world having estimated reserves of 3 billion tonnes of ore grading 30.3% iron metal.


Tumbler Ridge

Tumbler Ridge is a district municipality in the foothills of the B.C. Rockies in northeastern British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Peace River Regional District. With a population of 1,987 (2016) living in a townsite, the municipality encompasses an area of of mostly Crown land. The townsite is located near the confluence of the Murray River and Flatbed Creek and the intersection of Highway 52 and Highway 29 and includes the site of the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and Tumbler Ridge Airport. It is part of the Peace River South provincial electoral district and the Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies federal riding.
Tumbler Ridge is a planned community with the housing and infrastructure construct built simultaneously in 1981 by the provincial government to service the coal industry as part of the British Columbia Resources Investment Corporation's Northeast Coal Development. In 1981, a consortium of Japanese steel mills agreed to purchase 100 million tonnes of coal over 15 years for US$7.5 billion from two mining companies, Denison Mines Inc. and the Teck Corporation, who were to operate the Quintette mine and the Bullmoose mine respectively. Declining global coal prices after 1981, and weakening Asian markets in the late 1990s, made the town's future uncertain and kept it from achieving its projected population of 10,000 people. The uncertainty dissuaded investment and kept the economy from diversifying. When price reductions were forced onto the mines, the Quintette mine was closed in 2000 production and the town lost about half its population. Coal prices began to rise after the turn of the century, leading to the opening of the Peace River Coal Trend mine by Northern Energy & Mining Inc. (now owned by Anglo American Met Coal) and the Wolverine Mine, originally owned by Western Canadian Coal, which was purchased by Walter Energy in 2010. Walter went bankrupt in 2015, and their Canadian assets—including the Wolverine Mine—were purchased by Conuma Coal in 2016.
After dinosaur footprints and fossils were discovered in the municipality, along with fossils of Triassic fishes and Cretaceous plants, the Peace Region Paleontology Research Center opened in 2003, followed by a dinosaur museum. The study of the area led to a recognition of its geological importance and listing in the UNESCO Global Geopark Network. Nearby recreational destinations include numerous trails, mountains, waterfalls, snowmobiling areas and provincial parks, such as Monkman Provincial Park, Bearhole Lake Provincial Park, and Gwillim Lake Provincial Park.
History.
Archaeological evidence show a human presence dating back 3,000 years. The nomadic Sekani, followed by the Dunneza and then the Cree, periodically lived in temporary settlements around the future municipality. Formal exploratory and surveying expeditions were conducted by S. Prescott Fay, with Robert Cross and Fred Brewster in 1914, J.C. Gwillim in 1919, Edmund Spieker in 1920, and John Holzworth in 1923. Spieker coined the name "Tumbler Ridge", referring to the mountains northwest of the future town, by altering Gwillim's map that named them "Tumbler Range". Permanent settlers were squatters, five families by 1920, who maintained trap lines. In the 1950s and 1960s, oil and natural gas exploration and logging was conducted through the area, and 15 significant coal deposits were discovered. Coal prices rose after the 1973 oil crisis leading to 40 government studies examining the viability of accessing the coal, given the 1,130 km (700 mi) to the nearest port and the mountainous barrier.
With these coal deposits in mind, a purchasing agreement was signed in 1981 by two Canadian mining companies, a consortium of Japanese steel mills, and the governments of British Columbia and Canada. As part of the deal, the provincial government committed, under the North East Coal Development plan, to build a new town near the deposits, two highways off Highway 97, a power line from the W. A. C. Bennett Dam at Hudson's Hope, and a branch rail line through the Rocky Mountains. An alternative of using work camps staffed by people from Dawson Creek and Chetwynd was also considered. Massive initial investments were required as planning for the new town began in 1976 with the objective of having a fully functioning town ready before residents arrived. Coordinated through the provincial Ministry of Municipal Affairs the town, regional infrastructure, and mining plants were all built simultaneously. When the municipality was incorporated in April 1981 the area was completely forested. During that year building sites and roadways were cleared and in the winter the water and sewerage system was built. In 1982, houses and other buildings were constructed. Full production at the mines was reached the following year.
In 1984, world coal prices were dropping and the Japanese consortium requested a reduction in the price of coal from the Tumbler Ridge mines. As price reduction requests continued, the concern over the viability of the mines led the BC Assessment Authority to lower the 1987 property assessments for the Quintette mine from CAD$156 million to $89 million and the Bullmoose mine $70 million to $43 million. This lowered their taxes as they tried to enforce the purchasing agreement at the Supreme Court of Canada. Their 1990 ruling required the Quintette Operations Company to reduce coal prices and reimburse the Japanese consortium $4.6 million. The company responded by reducing production, cutting employment, and applying for court protection from creditors. This allowed Teck to acquire 50% interest and take over management of the Quintette mine, but it was unable to stop further job losses. As most residents left town, apartment blocks were closed and the mine companies bought back all but 11 houses in the town. After 30% of the workforce had been laid off, new contracts with the Japanese consortium were signed in 1997, allowing re-hirings to begin, but with lower export levels. The North East Coal Development was projected to create a net benefit of CAD$0.9 billion (2000), but incurred a net loss of $2.8 billion and half the expected regional employment.
The population declined as many residents were unable to find other work in the town, even as a sawmill for specialty woods opened in 1999. After Teck closed the Quintette mine in August 2000 and shifted production to the lower cost Bullmoose mine, the town council established the Tumbler Ridge Revitalization Task Force to investigate ways to boost and diversify the economy. The Task Force negotiated the return of the housing stock from the mines to the free market, grants from the province to become debt-free, and stabilized funds from the province for healthcare and education. The discovery of dinosaur tracks in 2000 by two local boys while playing near a creek, led to major fossil and bone discoveries from the Cretaceous Period. To survey and study the finds, government funding was secured to found both the Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation and Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre.
The town went through a second boom-and-bust cycle beginning in 2004 with the increase in world coal prices. Western Canadian Coal opened new open-pit mining operations creating the Brule (Dillon) mine using some of the Bullmoose mining infrastructure, between the townsite and Chetwynd, and the Wolverine mine. These mines were purchased by Walter Energy in 2010, but world coal prices began to drop again in 2011 and in April 2014, Walter put their Canadian operations into care and maintenance, laying off nearly 700 people. Similarly, Anglo American placed their Trend mine in care and maintenance in 2015. These second generation coal mines were not as dominant in town affairs as Quinette and Bullmoose were such that, while as of 2016 there were no operating coal mines, the town had achieved some success in other activities, such as wind power, forestry and tourism. Most significantly, the area around Tumbler Ridge was listed as North America's second UNESCO Global Geoparks promoting its geological significance.
Demographics.
The town's 1977 Conceptual Plan projected a population of 3,568 residents in 1981, 7,940 in 1985, and 10,584 in 1987, after which the level was expected to stabilize. However, lower coal prices shortly after production began placed a persistent insecurity over the viability of the mines, and therefore the town, discouraging long-term investments. Temporary work camps, where workers numbered between 200 and 2,000, were used during the construction of the town and mines. The planners of the town advised the mining companies to hire workers who were married, believing they would live in Tumbler Ridge longer and reduce employment turn-over. The population rose slowly to 3,833 people in 1984, nearly half the projected level. The 1986 Canadian census, the first census to include Tumbler Ridge, recorded 4,566 residents after which in-migration ended and the population level began to fluctuate. The population peaked in 1991 at 4,794 people but then declined to a low of 1,932 people in 2001. Since then, population growth has been led by new mining activities and increased exploration following higher world energy prices. The town's population is currently in a state of flux as people dependent on the mines for work leave, while other people, attracted by the town's low rent, arrive.
The 2016 Canadian Census reported 1,987 residents living in 865 households and 595 families. This was 26% fewer people than the previous census five years earlier. The median age increased from 38.8 years in 2001 to 39.4 in 2016. In 2006, of those over 15 years of age, 62% were married, higher than the 54% provincial average. The town has few visible minorities as 94% of Tumbler Ridge residents were Canadian-born and 93% had English as their first language. Though not included as a minority, 9% of residents claimed to have an Aboriginal identity. Reflecting the nature of the industrial jobs available in town, in 2001, only 12% of residents between 20 and 64 years of age completed university, half of the provincial average, and 26% did not complete high school, much higher than the 19% provincial average.
Geography and climate.
The townsite is located on a series of southern-facing gravel terraces on a ridge of Mount Bergeron, overlooking the confluence of the Murray and Wolverine Rivers. The site, above the floodplain of the Murray River, has well-drained soils with easy access to aquifers with potable water. The rocks, mostly shale and mudstone but lacking quartzite, make the mountains less rugged than their neighbouring ranges. The terraces grow Lodgepole Pine, White Spruce, Trembling Aspen trees. Moose and elk are common. Escarpments to the east and north could pose a snow avalanche threat but are kept forested for stability. In 2006, the town was evacuated for several days as four forest fires approached the town.
Major coal deposits indicate the site was a swampy forest during the Cretaceous. Paleontologists have discovered tracks or fossils from ankylosauria, ornithopods (including a "Hadrosaurus"), and theropods. Fossils of Cretaceous plants such as ferns, redwoods, cycads, and ginkgo, and Triassic fishes and reptiles such as coelacanths, "Weigeltisaurus", and ichthyosaurs have been recovered.
The town experiences a continental climate. Arctic air masses move predominantly southwestly from the Mackenzie Valley towards the Rocky Mountains and through the mountains north of town. The town is in a rain shadow behind Mount Bergeron, though much of the precipitation is lost in the mountains beforehand. Town planners laid out the roads so that they run along wind breaks, and buildings and parks are located in wind shadows.
After examining other resource towns in Canada, the planners followed socio-spatial guidelines and principles in physical planning. The coal mining facilities were well separated from the townsite to minimize the feeling of a company town. An attempt to mitigate potential lifestyle conflicts between families and childless households was made by separating the low-density, single-family dwellings from the low-rise apartments. The apartment blocks were planned for areas with clusters of trees and excellent viewscapes, but close to the town plaza. The low-density residences that were more likely to have children living in them were oriented around elementary schools and parks. Cul-de-sacs were avoided in favour of better linkages and pedestrian access.
Infrastructure and services.
Two highways diverge from Highway 97 and intersect in Tumbler Ridge: Highway 52 (Heritage Highway) which runs 98 km (61 mi) south at Arras, and Highway 29 which runs 90 km (56 mi) southeast from Chetwynd. At the intersection Highway 29 ends but Highway 52 continues south past Tumbler Ridge, then unpaved, it runs northeast to Highway 2 near the Alberta border. In town, the 28 km (17 mi) of paved roads are laid out in a curvilinear pattern that use two arterial roads, MacKenzie Way and Monkman Way, to connect each section of town. Service roads from the townsite to the mines and forestry areas are maintained by the industries but are unpaved.
The unmanned Tumbler Ridge Airport, with its 1,219 m (4,000 ft) asphalt runway, is used by chartered and local flights. The closest airports with regularly scheduled flights are in Dawson Creek, Fort St John and Grande Prairie. The rail line into town is a 132 km (82 mi) formerly electrified branch line through the Rocky Mountains constructed by BC Rail to transport coal to the Ridley Terminal at the Port of Prince Rupert. The branch line includes two major tunnels: the 9 km (6 mi) Table Tunnel and the 6 km (4 mi) Wolverine Tunnel.
Fire rescue services are provided by the town's own 16-member composite fire department. Police services are provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police which maintains a five officer detachment within the municipality. BCEHS maintains an on-call ambulance service as well as a Community Paramedicine Program. Tumbler Ridge Search and Rescue provide backcountry emergency response to the surrounding areas around Tumbler Ridge. The town operates a water treatment system and sewage disposal system. Drinking water is drawn from two drilled wells south of the townsite where it is stored in a 7 million litre reservoir before being chlorinated and pumped into town. The storm sewers empty into the Murray River, but the sanitary sewage is processed through a lagoon system and released into the Murray River north of town. Both the town and the province, through the Northern Health Authority, operate the Tumbler Ridge Community Health Centre. The closest hospitals with over-night beds are in Chetwynd and Dawson Creek. The two public schools, Tumbler Ridge Elementary School and Tumbler Ridge Secondary School are run by the School District 59 Peace River South. Post-secondary courses, programs, and industry training are offered by Northern Lights College at the secondary school and community centre.
Economy.
Tumbler Ridge was built to provide a labour force for the coal mining industry, which has remained the dominant employer throughout the town's history. The mining companies had a contract to sell 100 million tons of coal to a consortium of Japanese steel mills over 15 years for US$7.5 billion (1981). The Quintette Operating Corporation (QOC) was formed by partnership between Denison Mines (50%), Mitsui Mining (20%), Tokyo Boeki (20%), and other smaller firms, and began blasting at the Quintette mine in October 1982. The Bullmoose Operating Corporation was formed by the Teck Corporation (51%), Lornex (39%), and Nissho Iwai (10%) and worked the smaller Bullmoose mine. The economic viability of the mining companies were in question since the world coal prices began falling in the early 1980s and the Japanese consortium requested reduced prices. After the Supreme Court ruled that the coal prices must be reduced, the QOC filed for court protection from its creditors allowing the Teck Corporation to take over management in 1992. By 1996, even as lay-offs continued, over half the town's labour force were employed at one of the two mines. New contracts with the Japanese consortium, signed 1997, moved production to the lower cost Bullmoose mine but guaranteed production until 2003 when that mine was expected to be exhausted. The Quintette mine was closed altogether on August 31, 2000. Since then, three other coal mines opened but were unprofitable: Walter Energy's Willow Creek, Brule and Wolverine mines. HD Mining International pursued opening another coal mine, the Murray River project, but encountered labour challenges.
While there was an intent by the town's planners to move to a more diversified economy, the few initiatives in this direction were not supported by the industries or local decision-makers. Uncertainty about the town's future had been a serious concern to residents since the 1984 price reduction demands, but it was not until the closure of the Quintette mine that the town pursued diversification initiatives, such as tourism (attractions from dinosaur fossil discoveries, outdoor recreation, and nearby provincial parks), forestry, and oil and gas exploration.
Culture, recreation and media.
After dinosaur trackways were discovered in 2000, and bones in 2002, the Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation began excavations and opened the Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre. Fossils and bones are displayed at both locations. Tours and educational programs related to dinosaur, the trackways, and the wilderness are offered. In Fall 2014 Tumbler Ridge was designated a full member of UNESCO's Global Geopark Network. Comprising 7,822 km2, the geopark highlights the geological heritage of the area such as Cretaceous dinosaur tracks and bone bed and fossils of Triassic fishes and marine reptiles.
Tumbler Ridge's location among the Rocky Mountains has allowed for the development of numerous trail systems for motorized and non-motorized recreation. The trails and open areas span numerous mountains. Kinuseo Falls along the Murray River in the Monkman Provincial Park is the most popular destination for visitors to Tumbler Ridge. Two other provincial parks are just outside the municipal boundaries: Bearhole Lake Provincial Park and Gwillim Lake Provincial Park.
Annual events held in Tumbler Ridge include the Grizfest Music Festival and the Emperor's Challenge. The Emperor's Challenge is a 21 km (13 mi) half marathon up Roman Mountain that has been held in August since 1998. The Grizfest Music Festival (formerly Grizzly Valley Days) is a two-day event held on the August or September long weekend that includes a concert, parade, displays and other community-wide events.
Tumbler Ridge has one newspaper published in the community, the locally owned and operated "Tumbler Ridgelines""." It started after the publisher of the "Tumbler Ridge News" (formerly "Community Connections") died in 2017. The "Tumbler Ridge Observer" formerly covered the town and was published by the "Peace River Block Daily News" in Dawson Creek. No radio station, or television station broadcasts from the town but there are local repeaters for stations from larger centres.
Government and politics.
The District of Tumbler Ridge's council-manager form of municipal government is headed by a mayor (who also represents Tumbler Ridge on the Peace River Regional District's governing board) and a six-member council; these positions are subject to at-large elections every four years. Keith Bertrand was elected mayor on October 21, 2018, succeeding one-term mayors Don McPherson (2014-2018), Darwin Wren (2011-2014) and Larry White (2008-2011), who had all succeeded long-time mayor Mike Caisley. Residents of the District also elect one school trustee to School District 59.
For representation in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Tumbler Ridge is part of the Peace River South electoral district which has been represented by Mike Bernier of the BC Liberal Party since 2013. Prior to Bernier, the riding was represented by Blair Lekstrom who was elected in the 2001 provincial election, with 72% support from the town's polls and re-elected in 2005 with 64% and in 2009 with 70% support. Before Lekstrom, Peace River South was represented by Jack Weisgerber as a member of the Social Credit Party of British Columbia (1986–1994) and Reform Party of British Columbia (1994–2001). In 1996, as leader of the Reform Party, Weisgerber won re-election despite the Tumbler Ridge polls placing him second to the New Democratic Party candidate.
Federally, Tumbler Ridge is in the Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies riding, represented in the House of Commons of Canada by Conservative Party Member of Parliament Bob Zimmer. Before Zimmer, who was elected in May 2011, the riding was represented by Jay Hill since 1993. The riding was represented by Frank Oberle of the Progressive Conservative Party from 1972 to 1993. Oberle served as Canada's Minister of Science and Technology in 1985 and Minister of Forestry in 1989.


George Alexander Parks

George Alexander Parks (May 29, 1883 – May 11, 1984) was an American engineer who worked in Alaska Territory for most of his career. Following an unexpected nomination from President Calvin Coolidge, he became the territory's first resident governor. As governor, he was the first person to serve two complete four-year terms and the first chief executive to travel extensively by air.
Background.
Parks was born to James and Mary Leach (Ferguson) Parks on May 29, 1883, in Denver, Colorado. He was educated in public schools before graduating from the Colorado School of Mines in 1906. After graduation, he worked as a mining engineer in Canada, Mexico, and the Western United States before arriving in Alaska in 1907 as part of an engineering team tasked with making evaluations for a group of investors.
In 1908, Parks worked for the United States Land Office in Denver as a mineral examiner for two months before taking a similar position in Alaska. Following the American entry into World War I, he joined the Army Corps of Engineers. Rising to the rank of captain by the war's end, he returned to the Land office after his military service.
In 1920, Parks was appointed Chief of the United States Land Office in Juneau. Four years later he was in Anchorage working as Assistant Supervisor of Surveys of Public Lands for Alaska. During his time with the land office, he traveled extensively throughout the territory, gaining an intimate knowledge of the geography and becoming acquainted with both the white and indigenous populations of Alaska.
Governorship.
While President Warren G. Harding, Hubert Work, and Herbert Hoover were visiting Alaska, Parks was assigned as a tour guide for the dignitaries. The group was impressed by their guide's detailed knowledge of the territory. When President Calvin Coolidge was later looking for a new territorial governor, Work and Hoover, who by then were both members of the Presidential Cabinet, recommended Parks. Coolidge nominated Parks to be Governor of Alaska Territory on February 14, 1925, and the new governor took his oath of office on June 17, 1925.
Transportation was a major issue for the territory during the Parks administration. To offset running deficits and reduced federal subsidies, rates for the Alaska Railroad were raised and a toll was implemented on the Richardson Highway. One area that saw an improvement however was air travel. In 1925 funds for landing fields was authorized by the territorial legislature. Two years later subsidized air travel between the Alaska Railroad and Seward Peninsula was initiated. Parks became an avid enthusiast of air travel, using it to inspect much of the territory in May and June 1929. The speed and increased mobility even allowed him to attend his niece's graduation in California.
Much of Parks' term of office was largely uneventful. Among the issues he dealt with were the reduction in federal funding for the United States Geological Survey and elimination of the territory's agricultural experimentation stations. He also initiated a contest among school children to design a territorial flag.
Parks was reappointed for a second term by President Hoover on September 27, 1929.
 He left office on April 19, 1933, following the completion of his term.
Later life.
After leaving the governor's office, Parks settled in Juneau and became District Cadastral Engineer of Alaska. He remained there until his retirement from the Bureau of Land Management in July 1948. After leaving government service, he worked for the R.J. Sommers Construction Company and became Vice-President of the First National Bank of Juneau.
Parks never married. During the mid-1970s, Parks was forced to leave his Juneau apartment and move into a nursing home. In 1975, the Parks Highway (Alaska Route 3) between Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska, was named in his honor. Parks died on May 11, 1984, at the age of 100 in Juneau, Alaska.


Castletown, Sunderland

Castletown is a suburb of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. A former mining community, the Hylton Colliery was located at the east end of the village; it lies north of the River Wear, and is near to Hylton Castle and Washington. At Hylton Riverside, on the eastern fringe of Castletown, there is a large retail park.
There is a large-scale redevelopment project, aimed at modernising the former pit houses and the area around the Aviary Estate.
Since 2011 there have been further developments in the east part of the village. The Aviary area has been completely demolished and a new housing estate has replaced both sides of the main street. This site was re-developed by the Gentoo Group.
At the opposite end of Castletown is the newer development of Fulford Grange.
Currently, the records state that Castletown is the least ethnically diverse area in Sunderland, with 99.3% of the population being white.
Despite its proximity to Sunderland, until 1967 this colliery village was under the administrative control of Durham County Council and was part of the Sunderland Rural District Council. This was because it was a fairly isolated community until the extensive council house building of the fifties and sixties at the Red House, Hylton Castle and Town end Farm Estates effectively joining the settlement to the rest of Sunderland's new northern suburbs.
The New Wear Bridge joining Castletown to Pallion is under construction. The bridge was originally going to be named after local hero Lynn Hardy, however was petitioned against it due to the passing of Bradley Lowery.
During the search for the Yorkshire Ripper, the accent of "Wearside Jack", the author of a hoax letter claiming to be from the Ripper, was identified by the forensic linguist Stanley Ellis as that of the Castletown area. The hoaxer was eventually revealed to have come from nearby Pennywell.


Northumberland Coalfield

The Northumberland Coalfield is a coalfield in north-east England. It is continuous with the Durham Coalfield to its south. It extends from Shilbottle in the north to the boundary with County Durham along the River Tyne in the south, beyond which is the Durham Coalfield.
The two contiguous coalfield areas were often referred to as the Durham and Northumberland Coalfield(s) or as the Great Northern Coalfield.
Coal seams.
The following coal seams are recorded from the Northumberland Coalfield. They are listed here in stratigraphic order with the youngest at the top and the oldest/deepest at the bottom. Not all seams are named and not all occur at any one locality.
Pennine Coal Measures Group.
Upper Coal Measures
Middle Coal Measures
Lower Coal Measures
Yoredale Group.
Stainmore Formation (Namurian)
Alston Formation (Visean)


Vostok mine

The Vostok mine is a large copper mine located in the center of Russia in Krasnoyarsk Krai. Vostok represents one of the largest copper reserve in Russia and in the world having estimated reserves of 115.2 million tonnes of ore grading 0.88% copper.


Thomas W. Williams (Los Angeles)

Thomas W. Williams (ca. 1867–1931) was a former coal miner, school principal and church minister who was a member of the Los Angeles, California, City Council between 1929 and 1931. He was the first councilman elected under the 1925 city charter to die in office.
Background.
Williams was born around 1867 in Utah and began work in a coal mine when he was "little more than 8, to support his mother, his father having died when he was a baby." He attended grammar and high schools at night and when he was 18 he became principal of a school in Lucas, Iowa. He became a minister of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, preached and traveled through Europe as a missionary.
He was married in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at age 25 to Addie May Cady. They had six children. After the Williamses moved to Los Angeles, they took up residence in the Silver Lake district.
Political activity.
"See also List of Los Angeles municipal election returns, 1911 and 1929
Williams's first run for the City Council was in 1911, when he came in seventeenth in a field of eighteen at-large candidates, with the highest nine being elected.
In 1914 he was the California State Secretary for the Socialist Party of America and was speaking on behalf of an eight-hour day proposal on the California ballot. He appeared before a group of farmers in Orange County and told them that "if the law would injure California's prosperity the Socialists would not want to see it passed."
As a Socialist, he was opposed to the direct-primary method of nominating candidates for public office. He said in 1915 that
The direct primary law permits every vice it is supposed to correct. . . . It relieves employers the necessity of hiring detectives to learn the political affiliation of employees. It makes perjurers of thousands, who register contrary to their convictions, in order to save their jobs.
In the 1929 municipal election he ousted incumbent Douglas Eads Foster in the 12th District, which at that time consisted of Downtown Los Angeles-Hill Street and the Westlake-Silver Lake areas.
Death and aftermath.
Williams died in Glendale on April 11, 1931, after a cerebral hemorrhage, leaving his widow and four children, Ward Williams, Wallace R. Williams, Ruth Funk and Helen Livingston. Presbyterian services were followed by cremation.
Williams was the first City Council member to die in office after adoption of the new city charter in 1925—just a few weeks shy of the May 1931 election, in which Williams was not a candidate. Although the name of his wife, Addie Williams, was proposed as an interim council member, the City Council voted the idea down, 9–6, and the seat was left vacant until July 1, when the municipal election winner—Thomas Francis Ford—was installed.


Luxulyan Valley

The Luxulyan Valley (, meaning "alder tree valley") is the steep sided and thickly wooded valley of the River Par, situated in mid Cornwall, England, UK. It contains a major concentration of early 19th century industrial remains, and was designated as part of a World Heritage Site in 2006.
The valley stretches south-east from the village of Luxulyan . It reaches as far as the edge of the built-up area around the town of St Blazey and the port of Par, a distance of some 5 km. It lies within the civil parishes of Luxulyan, Lanlivery and Tywardreath, and is one of the areas (designated A8i in the original nomination) of the larger, but discontinuous, Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape World Heritage Site.
Most of the industrial remains in the valley are the results of the endeavours of Joseph Treffry (1782–1850). Copper mining was booming in the area during the early 19th century, and Treffry was the owner of Fowey Consols mine, one of the deepest, richest and most important of the Cornish copper mines. The mine was situated to the east of the southern end of the Luxulyan Valley proper, and its site is part of the designated World Heritage Site. At its peak it was worked by six steam engines and 17 water wheels.
In the late 1820s, Treffry built the port of Par Harbour. He then linked this to Pontsmill, at the southern end of the valley, by means of the Par Canal. A mineral tramway connected the canal head to the mine. A second tramway followed in 1835, via an inclined plane, a flat route along the eastern lip of the valley, and the major Treffry Viaduct across the valley to Luxulyan. This second route served two major purposes, as it enabled Treffry to develop Carbeans and Colcerrow granite quarries in the upper valley, and was also used by a leat carrying water to supply the mine at Fowey Consols. Two further granite quarries, known as Rock Mill and Orchard, operated lower down in the valley. In 1870 these were linked to Pontsmill by a third tramway along the valley floor.
The 1835 tramway eventually became part of the Cornwall Minerals Railway which linked the English Channel ports of Par and Fowey with the china clay workings of mid Cornwall, and to the Atlantic port of Newquay. As part of this process, the section of the route between Pontsmill and Luxulyan, with its incline and flat sections ideal for animal haulage, was replaced with a more gradually climbing route through the valley itself, more suited to locomotive haulage. The newer route is still in use, as part of the Atlantic Coast Line, and passes beneath the spans of the Treffry Viaduct that carried its predecessor. The older tramway routes remained in use to serve the various granite quarries until the early 20th century. The last stone came from Carbeans in 1933 but a few sections of Treffry's rails can still be found.
The thickly-wooded terrain of the Luxulyan Valley also played a major part in the early tin mining industry of Cornwall. The woods were important for making the charcoal that was needed in large quantities for smelting tin from the rich alluvial deposits on the moors to the northwest. Charcoal-burning platforms are to be found close to nearby Prideaux Castle.


Quincy Mine No. 2 Shaft Hoist House

The Quincy Mine No. 2 Shaft Hoist House is an industrial building located north of Hancock, Michigan along US Highway 41 within the Quincy Mining Company Historic District. The Hoist House contains the largest steam hoisting engine in the world, which sits on the largest reinforced concrete engine foundation ever poured. The shaft hoist house was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1969 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
History.
The Quincy Mining Company was first organized in 1846, and incorporated two years later, to mine the then-recently discovered Portage Lake copper formations. It wasn't until 1856 that the mine hit upon their most productive lode, and it took until 1862 before the first dividend was paid. However, after that time, the Quincy Mine was a reliable investment, paying dividends every year from 1867 until 1921.
In the early part of the twentieth century, the shafts at Quincy Mine were increasing in depth at a prodigious rate as the company pushed farther underground in search of copper. Between 1905 and 1920, the depth of the principal shafts increased from 5000 feet to over 7000. The requirements to lift rock to the surface from ever-increasing depths severely strained the capabilities of the company's mine hoist equipment. By 1916, the hoist servicing the number 2 shaft had reached its depth limit. Rather than abandon the shaft or eke out a little more depth by retrofitting the existing hoist, Quincy hired the Nordberg Manufacturing Company and Bruno V. Nordberg to design a new hoist engine at a cost of $160,000. It would be the largest mine hoist in the world.
Quincy contracted for delivery of the Nordberg engine in early 1917, but World War I intervened, delaying receipt until late 1919. In the meantime, a hoist house was designed by J. H. Hoff and built by the McLean Construction Company of Chicago at a cost of $43,000 for the foundation and $53,000 for the superstructure. The house was essentially finished in 1918. Installation of the hoist began in December 1919; it took until November 1920 before the hoist was fully operational. The additional cost for installing the hoist was $34,000; the total cost of the project, including building, engine, installation, and ancillary structures, was $370,000. The hoist operated from 1920 until the mine closed in 1931, a victim of falling copper prices.
The building and hoist were restored in 1968 and are open to the public.
Description.
The Quincy Mine No. 2 Shaft Hoist House is a rectangular structure, faced with red brick veneer, measuring in plan and rising to a height of almost five stories. The building is particularly decorative for a hoist house, containing an inordinate number of windows and, originally, a green glazed tile roof. By 1978, the green tile had been removed. The design of the building included large doors, open interior space with no columns, and an overhead crane to facilitate the installation of the hoist. The reinforced concrete foundation supporting the building and the hoist engine is particularly notable: it contains of material and was reputedly the largest block of reinforced concrete ever poured for such a purpose. It was one of the first very large reinforced concrete buildings ever built.
The hoist inside measures weighs , and could pull a skip with of rock at .


Kilembe Mines

Kilembe Mines is a copper and cobalt mine in Uganda, the third-largest economy in the East African Community.
Location.
The mine is located in Kilembe, a suburb of the town of Kasese, in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains in the Western Region of Uganda The mine is approximately , by road, west of Kampala, the country's capital and largest city. The coordinates of Kilembe Mines are:0°12'30.0"N, 30°00'25.0"E (Latitude:0.208333; Longitude:30.006944).
Overview.
Kilembe Mines is Uganda's largest copper mine, with estimated deposits of copper in excess of 4,000,000 tonnes and an undetermined amount of cobalt ore. In addition, there approximately , of unexplored acreage at the site.
History.
In July 1950, two Canadian mining companies, "Frosbisher Limited" and "Ventures Limited", formed a joint venture, named Kilembe Mines Limited (KML), whose objective was to mine copper from under the Rwenzori Mountains near Kasese. KML built and operated a copper smelter in Jinja and maintained offices in Kampala, the country's capital. Other assets include a housing estate for staff in Kasese and the 5MW Mubuku I Power Station in the Rwenzori Mountains.
In 1962, KML was acquired by "Falconbridge of Africa", who sold it to the Government of Uganda in 1975. Copper extraction ceased in 1982 due to dilapidated equipment, high inflation and insecurity.
In 2013, after nearly 30 years of dormancy and after several failed attempts to privatize the mine, a consortium led by Tibet-Hima Mining Company Limited, won the competitive bid to manage, rehabilitate and operate Kilembe Mines Limited for 25 years from 2013 until 2038. In exchange for those rights, the consortium paid a cash down payment of US$4.3 million and is expected to make an annual payment of US$1 million until the end of the concession. Also, the consortium will invest US$135 million into rehabilitating and improving the mine and will increase the capacity of Mubuku I Power Station to 12MW. In addition to the cash payments above, the Ugandan government will receive royalties on the minerals extracted as well as taxes from Kilembe Mines Limited business operations.
Recent events.
, the managers at Kilembe have set September 2015 to resume copper extraction. The mine will be revived in stages. A copper smelter will be constructed at Kilembe to process the ore and produce 99.9% pure copper for export. When fully operational, the mine will employ 4,000 full-time workers.


Beutong mine

The Beutong mine is a large copper mine located in the west of Indonesia in Sumatra. Beutong represents one of the largest copper reserve in Indonesia and in the world having estimated reserves of 505 million tonnes of ore grading 0.59% copper, 2.1 million oz of gold and 20 million oz of silver.


John Nixon (mining engineer)

John Nixon (10 May 1815 – 3 June 1899) was an English mining engineer and colliery proprietor and an influential figure in the development of the South Wales coalfield and export business.
Life.
He was born at Barlow, Gateshead, the only son of a tenant farmer of that village. He was educated at the village school and at Dr. Bruce's academy at Newcastle-on-Tyne, famous as the training-place of many great engineers. Leaving school at the age of fourteen, Nixon was set to farmwork for a time, and shortly after was apprenticed to Joseph Gray of Garesfield, the Marquis of Bute's chief mining engineer. On the expiry of his indentures he became for two years overman at the Garesfield colliery. At the end of this time, in 1839, he undertook a survey of the underground workings of the Dowlais Company in South Wales. Some years later he accepted the appointment of mining engineer to an English company working a coal and iron field at Languin near Nantes. He perceived, however, that the enterprise was destined to fail, and did not hesitate to inform his employers of his opinion. After labouring for some time to carry on a hopeless concern he returned to England.
During his first visit to Wales, Nixon had been impressed by the natural advantages of Welsh coal for use in furnaces. On his return from France he found that it was beginning to be used by the Thames steamers. He perceived that there was a great opening for it on the Loire, where coal was already imported by sea. At the time, however, he was unable to obtain a supply with which to commence a trade. Lucy Thomas of the Graig colliery at Merthyr, who supplied the Thames steamers, was disinclined to extend her operations, and Nixon was compelled to return to the north of England. However, business again taking him to South Wales, he chartered a small vessel, took a cargo of hundreds of tons of coal to Nantes, and distributed it gratuitously among the sugar refineries, which had been using Newcastle coal.
Its merits were quickly perceived; the French government definitely adopted it, including using it exclusively for the French Navy, and a demand was created among the manufactories and on the Loire. Returning to Wales he made arrangements for sinking a mine at Werfa to secure an adequate supply. After being on the point of failure from lack of capital he obtained assistance and achieved success, with the Navigation Colliery in Mountain Ash being completed in 1860, becoming the first true deep pit in South Wales.
Continuing his operations in association with other enterprising men of the neighbourhood, he acquired and made many collieries in South Wales. By 1896, Nixon's Navigation Coal Co. Ltd. employed 1558 men, and in 1897 the output of the Nixon group was 1,250,000 tons a year.
Nixon succeeded, after a long struggle, in inducing the railway companies of Great Britain to adopt Welsh coal for consumption in their locomotives.
He had great difficulty also in persuading the Great Western Railway to patronise the coal traffic, which came to form so large a part of their freight business.
Much of Nixon's success was due to his improvements in the art of mining. He introduced the 'long wall' system of working in place of the wasteful 'pillar and stall' system, and invented the machine known as 'Billy Fairplay' for measuring accurately the proportion between large coal and small, which came into universal use. He also made improvements in ventilating and in winding machinery. He was one of the original movers in establishing the sliding-scale system, and one of the founders of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coalowners' Association. He was for fifteen years chairman of the earlier South Wales Coal Association, and for many years represented Wales in the Mining Association of Great Britain. Nixon materially contributed to the growth of Cardiff by inducing leading persons in South Wales to petition the trustees of the Marquis of Bute in 1853 for increased dock accommodation, and by persuading the trustees, in spite of the objections of their engineer, Sir John Rennie, to increase the depth of the East Dock.
He died in London, on 3 June 1899 at 117 Westbourne Terrace, Hyde Park, and was buried on 8 June in the Mountain Ash cemetery, Aberdare valley.


Gag Island mine


Machrihanish

Machrihanish (, ) is a village in Argyll, on the west coast of Scotland. It is a short distance north of the tip of the Mull of Kintyre, which faces out towards Ireland and the Atlantic.
Machrihanish bay.
The main sandy beach of Machrihanish Bay runs north to Westport, providing opportunities for surfing. Basic accommodation is available for surfing groups in the Machrihanish village hall. There are static caravans, wooden wigwams and camping spaces at the Machrihanish Holiday Park. The village is one of the start/finish points of the Kintyre Way, one of Scotland's Great Trails. The Scottish Wildlife Trust's Largiebaan nature reserve lies to the south, about along the Kintyre Way.
Features.
Campbeltown Airport, formerly RAF Machrihanish, is located near the village. Although still available to the Royal Air Force, the former airfield has been taken over by the specially-formed Machrihanish Airbase Community Company.
Coal was mined near the village; the Machrihanish Coalfield was one of Britain's smallest coalfields. A canal to Campbeltown was constructed between 1773 and 1794, later replaced by the narrow-gauge Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway. Machrihanish railway station opened in 1906 and finally closed in 1932.
Machrihanish has a classic links golf course designed by Old Tom Morris, with views towards the islands of Gigha, Islay and Jura. A second, newer course has been built nearby called Machrihanish Dunes. This course is part of a multimillion-pound development by an American company, which has renovated the previously-dilapidated Ugadale Hotel in the village and owns the Royal Hotel on the sea front in nearby Campbeltown.
Weather data is collected from Machrihanish and broadcast in the Shipping Forecast.
Notable people.
Reginald Aubrey Fessenden built a radio transmitting station with a high mast there in 1905 to transmit Wireless Telegraphy to a similar station at Brant Rock in Massachusetts, United States. An exchange of messages took place on 1 January 1906 but the mast blew down in a gale on 5 December 1906 and was never rebuilt.
Cadets from the Air Training Corps recreated this historic trans-atlantic transmission in Easter of 2006. Edinburgh and South Scotland Wing, who were on camp at the nearby airfield, contacted the Civil Air Patrol cadets in Brant Rock on 14 April 2006.
The views and skies seen from the beach and Lossit Point to the west were a subject for the Scottish marine and landscape painter William McTaggart, who had a house in the village.


Mining Association of Great Britain

The Mining Association of Great Britain (MAGB) was an industry association of employers in the mining industry of Great Britain that was active from 1854 to 1954.
History.
The Mining Association of Great Britain was established in 1854 to represent mining industry employers.
Its purpose was to review proposed legislation that could affect the owners, and take action in necessary.
There was a central policy committee and various sub-committees.
The MAGB participated in discussions over mine worker's wages, hours and employment conditions.
It published a journal, ran schools and a college of mining, and funded research into ways to prevent coal dust from causing explosions in the mines.
The MAGB worked with the government's National Conciliation Board for the Coal Mining Industry and the Mineworkers' Federation of Great Britain.
Following World War I (1914–18) there was discussion about the possibility of the mines being nationalized.
Some of the owners were open to this if they could get sufficient compensation.
Evan Williams, chairman of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners' Association and soon to become virtually the life-president of the MAGB, told the MSWCOA that there would inevitably be some change in structure, and "there are certain owners who think it would be advisable to accept Nationalisation. There is, to an extent, an amount of justification for this, but it must be remembered that it is not in the Nation's interests, as well as the Owner's interests, that this should be resorted to."
The MAGB became largely irrelevant after the coal industry was nationalized in 1947.
It was dissolved on 23 September 1954.
Presidents.
Presidents of the association included:


Natalka mine

The Natalka mine is one of the largest gold mines in Russia and in the world. The mine is located in Magadan Oblast. The mine has estimated reserves of 59.7 million oz of gold.


Wellington Pit

Wellington Colliery was a coal mine operating on the Manchester Coalfield before 1869 in Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England.
Originally named Messhing Trees, the colliery was sunk by William Ramsden and, with Nelson Pit, formed Ramsden's Shakerley Collieries. The colliery worked the Trencherbone mine at 360 yards and was ventilated by furnace in 1895. Coal to make gas and household coal was produced in 1896 from the Arley, Hell hole, Trencherbone and Yard mines. Shakerley Collieries' combined workforce for the two pits was 422 underground and 87 surface workers.
The colliery lasted until 1935 when the company was taken over by Manchester Collieries and closed the same year.


Clark County Museum

Clark County Museum is located in Henderson, Nevada and is owned and operated by Clark County. The museum includes the Anna Roberts Parks Exhibit Hall and Heritage Street which contains eight historic buildings from the county.
The museum focuses on the history of the southernmost county in Nevada with emphasis on the early Native American inhabitants such as the Paiute people, as well as mining, the impact of the railroads, and gaming. Exhibits include several historic houses as well as a recreated ghost town.
History.
In 1911, Anna Nuhfer Roberts came to Nevada with her husband, William Roberts. He was the first mortician in Las Vegas, and together they travelled across southern Nevada while also conducting business. During this time, Anna became a collector of historical artifacts, minerals, and clothing.
In the mid-1920s, William and Anna's marriage ended. William moved to California. However, Anna remained in Nevada with her daughter, Edith Jennings Mariano, born in 1920, and her widowed mother. During this time, Anna worked as a mortician since she had completed undertaker training and was licensed in both Nevada and California. She continued to travel throughout southern Nevada as a mortician, while continuing to add to her collections.
In May 1926, she opened Palm Mortuary in Las Vegas and, shortly after, married Gene Parks. She assumed her husband’s last name and become known as Anna Roberts Parks. She initially stored her burgeoning collection inside her home or scattered about her five-acre property. As her collection outgrew her own property, much of it was moved to an army building near 21st and Fremont Streets. This location proved less satisfactory since people broke in and stole valuable and historic artifacts.
In 1962, Anna Roberts Parks died in a car crash, leaving her collections and property to her only daughter, Edith. Edith sought a local sponsor to create a museum for her mother’s collection and keep the collection in southern Nevada. After another break-in at the army building, a local Nevada historian, Maryellen Vallier Sadovich contacted Edith and bolstered the search for a sponsor. Maryellen brought the collection to the attention of Dick Pryor, a member of the Henderson Chamber of Commerce. The Henderson Chamber of Commerce was interested, but like other potential sponsors, they expressed their uncertainty over where to house the collection and how to raise sufficient money to build a proper museum building. In response to Maryellen's letter dated June 11, 1966, the Chamber announced the creation of a permanent committee to study the problem. The initial three committee members were Frank Schreck, Glen Taylor, and Dick Pryor. By January 1968, the Chamber of Commerce voted to go ahead with the plans for a museum building, but they had been told previously that the Henderson school facilities were not an option. About that same time, Maryellen Sadovich called to report that the collections had been vandalized yet again from their storage location, primarily in the army barracks building at 21st and Fremont Street. This prompted a call to Glen Taylor, a member of the school board. Within an hour, Glen secured the Townsite school's gymnasium on Water Street for the project. There were months of cautious obstructions and objections about using school property for the museum.
In light of these developments, Dick Pryor, Maryellen Sadovich, Glen Taylor, and Ellen Shirley-Frehner immediately drove to Las Vegas to supervise moving the collection from the army barracks to the school gymnasium in Henderson. By January 11, 1968, the move was complete and the collection was secured in the school gymnasium, awaiting a good cleaning, organization, and preparation for display.
The new museum became a community project for the close-knit community of Henderson. To properly structure the new museum, by-laws were drawn up by District Judge Jim Santini. Bill Boyd drew up a contract that legally transferred the collections from Mrs. Jennings to the Chamber of Commerce. The new museum became a legal entity on March 19, 1968. The name was later changed to the Southern Nevada Museum.
Later, the museum's name changed to Clark County Museum or Clark County Heritage Museum, by which it is currently known. The administrator of the Clark County Heritage Museum is Mark Hall-Patton, a 20th-century historian who has been featured on the reality television series "Pawn Stars" as a recurring expert.
Exhibits.
Historic houses.
The Candlelight Wedding Chapel, previously located on the Strip, is now housed on the Museum grounds, at the end of Heritage Street. A historic railroad cottage from downtown Las Vegas has also been relocated to the Museum grounds, but is not yet open to the public. One can look inside at period furnishings from the porch.


Rodu mine

The Rodu mine is a large open pit mine in the west of Romania in Alba County, 73 km west of Alba Iulia and 467 km north-west of the capital, Bucharest. Rodu represents a large gold deposit with estimated reserves of 0.81 million oz of gold and 1.7 million oz of silver. The project is owned by the Toronto-based company Gabriel Resources.
The project will involve the mining and processing of 1.37 million tonnes of ore per annum over an open pit life of 19 years. The open pit is expected to yield approximately 42,600 oz of gold and 89,500 oz of silver per year in doré, reflecting an average total process recovery of 68% for gold and 81% for silver.


Archie Skym

Archie Skym (12 July 1906 – 15 June 1970) was an international rugby union player for Wales and played club rugby for Llanelli and Cardiff. Skym played as a prop and was renowned for his strength and vigour and was nicknamed "The butcher". An excellent scrummager, he was known to be able to lift opponents in the front row. Skym had good hands and was able to dribble with some skill.
Club career.
Due to his father's religious beliefs, Skym was not allowed to play rugby as a child, but during a nine-month miners strike Skym joined a local team, at his home town of Drefach, as something to do. Although an adult when he started playing, he picked up the game quickly and soon moved to Tumble Rugby Club. He impressed in his play and on 26 December 1926 he was playing for top-flight team Llanelli against London Welsh.
Although a Welsh international by early 1928, Llanelli didn't pick him to play once during the 1928/29 season, and by February Skym had enough and left for rival team Cardiff. With regular matches for Cardiff, Skym was back in the Welsh team. An excellent 1931/32 season including a great game for Cardiff against the South African team, saw Skym cement his place at international level. In January 1935, in a match against Swansea, Skym broke his ankle but stayed on the pitch for the entire game. It was injury that ended his international career and he retired from rugby at the end of the season.
International career.
Skym played twenty matches for Wales, his first cap was against England on 21 January 1928. He would score two tries, and was part of the Wales team that in 1933 finally beat England at Twickenham.
International matches played.
Wales


St. John Mine

The St. John Mine is located in Potosi, Wisconsin. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
History.
Once a natural cave, Native Americans mined lead out of the site before Wisconsin's "lead rush" in 1827. The first non-Native American work the mine was Willis St. John. The mine is privately owned and tours are no longer available.


Storgangen mine

The Storgangen mine is one of the largest titanium mines in Norway. The mine is located near Sandbekk, Rogaland. The mine has reserves amounting to 60 million tonnes of ore grading 17-18% titanium.


Andrew Kashita

Andrew Elias Kashita (1932 – 13 January 2020) was a Zambian politician. He served as Member of the National Assembly and held several ministerial posts.
Biography.
An engineer by training, Kashita became Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and then managing director of INDECO (Industrial Development Corporation of Zambia). He was appointed Minister of Mines and Industry in 1973, and was also given a nominated seat in the National Assembly. He was deemed by the United States to be an excellent technocrat and manager, but not a good politician. As a result of his independence, he was dismissed from both positions in January 1975. He later became executive director of Zincom.
In 1990 Kashita returned to politics as one of the founder members of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy. He was elected to the National Assembly in the Bwana Mkubwa constituency in the 1991 general elections, and was appointed Minister of Transport and Communications. He was later moved to become Minister of Works and Supply in a cabinet reshuffle in January 1994, but was sacked on 17 July 1995. He did not contest the 1996 general elections.
Kashita died on 13 January 2020.


Ishikari coalfield

The Ishikari coal basin lies in the tertiary mountains of the mining region of Sorachi, east of the Ishikari Plain in central Hokkaido. These coal veins contain the largest quantity of coal of Japan. Because of its late discovery the historical role of the coalfield could not be compared with that of the Chikuho coalfield, but its economic importance since the Japanese industrial revolution is comparable with that of the southern Chikuhō coalfield.
The Discovery.
It was explorer Matsuura Takeshirō (松 浦 武 四郎), who, during his journey through Hokkaido in 1857, first marked the coal seams on the banks of the Sorachi river near Akabira. In 1868, carpenter Kimura Kichitarō (木村 吉太郎) discovered coal in Horonai, Mikasa (三 笠). However, it took another six years before the local government took action, and the mining engineers Benjamin Smith Lyman and Takeaki Enomoto welded an investigation. Their findings were satisfactory, and the Meiji government decided to build in Horonai the first coalmine of the Ishikari coal basin. In 1889, the Meiji government sold off the mine and its railways to, Hori Motoi, who found the Hokkaido Colliery and Railway Company (北海道炭礦鉄道会社 Hokkaidō Tankō Tetsudō Kaisha), abbreviated as Hokutan.
Alongside to the historic mine Horonai this basin is also home to the famous mining town of Yūbari (夕張市). Here in 1888, coal was discovered by engineer (坂市太郎) Ban Ichitarō (1854-1920), a follower of Benjamin Smith Lyman, on the upper reaches of the river Shihorokabetsu (士幌加別川). The following year, Hokutan opened its first colliery in Yūbari, the Yūbari Saitanjo (夕張採炭所).


John Dowgray

John Dowgray (6 June 1873–28 January 1950) was a New Zealand coalminer, trade unionist and bank director. He was born in Bothwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland on 6 June 1873.


Toyoha mine

The Toyoha mine is one of the largest lead and zinc mines in Japan. The mine is located in northern Japan in Hokkaido. The mine has reserves amounting to 13 million tonnes of ore grading 2.1% lead, 7% zinc and 51.6 million oz of silver.


Cacica mine

The Cacica mine is a large salt mine located in northern Romania in Suceava County, close to Cacica. Cacica represents one of the largest salt reserves in Romania having estimated reserves of 238 million tonnes of NaCl.


Blackfire Exploration

Blackfire Exploration Ltd. is an exploration and mining company based in Calgary, Alberta,
Canada. The company holds mineral rights in British Columbia, Canada, and Chiapas, Mexico (through its 100% owned Mexican subsidiary company: Blackfire Exploration Mexico S de RL de CV). Blackfire has Canadian and Mexican mineral properties at various stages of development and is currently focused on projects in both Canada and Chiapas, Mexico:
Blackfire Exploration operated a barite mine in Mexico from 2007–2009 selling high-grade barite for oilfield drilling to the Mexican market. Blackfire discovered multiple high grade deposits of vanadium, titanium, barite, gold and antimony while working in Chiapas, Mexico.
Controversy.
In 2009, three men with ties to Blackfire (one current and two former employees) were arrested following implication in the murder of Mariano Abarca, an anti-mining activist from Chicomuselo. Only a few days later, Blackfire's mine in Chicomuselo was closed by the State Government authorities due to permitting concerns.
The former mayor of Chicomuselo, Mayor Julio César Velázquez Calderón, has been accused by Blackfire and others of extortion and theft of funds. In 2009, Blackfire reported to the State Government that the mayor misappropriated funds from the town of Chicomuselo, which were in place to repair road damage caused by heavy mining equipment being moved through the town and for the sponsorship of the local town fair. In a statement made in December 2009, Blackfire claimed that "[Mayor Velázquez Calderón] asked us for the amount of 10,000 pesos per month to prevent the Mexican co-operative farm near where we mine from taking up arms." On Friday, December 18, 2009 about 500 people demonstrated against Blackfire in the neighbouring town of Frontera Comalapa. The company was accused by anti-mining groups that the misappropriated funds were a bribe; after a lengthy investigation authorities did not lay any charges.
In January 2012, Horacio Culebros Borrayas explained to journalists that the reason for the shutdown of the mine was because the Governor Juan Sabines Guerrero and the Governors Under Secretary Nemesio Ponce wanted Blackfire's mineral wealth for themselves. Mr. Culebros Borrayas accused Governor Juan Sabines Guerrero and Nemesio Ponce of assassinating Mariano Abarca Roblero to accomplish the goals of driving the Canadian company out of Chiapas and falsely imprisoned Horacio Culebros Borrayas and Walter Leon Montoya. Culebros Borrayas and Leon Montoya at the time where political adversaries to the State Government because they prevented the Governor from violating the State constitution and exposed a massive money laundering operation being undertaken by the State government . <https://web.archive.org/web/20150415032253/http://www.radiobonampak.org/amantes-de-lo-ajeno-sabines-guerrero/> Both Governor Sabines and Nemesio Ponce are accused of looting the state of billions of dollars and terrorising and imprisoning those who opposed them <https://archive.is/20150427204232/http://impacto.mx/revista/sDP/sebasti%C3%A1n-lerdo-de-tejada-con-cuentas-por-pagar-a-sabines>
In February 2013, two former employees of Blackfire, Roblero Ciro Perez and Luis Antonio Flores Villatoro were detained by the State police, interrogated and underwent lie detector testing. Both men were cleared of having any involvement in the murder of Mr. Abarca. These interrogations cleared the names of the last two gentlemen who were falsely accused of the crime. The investigation continues and it remained focused on the former State government officials Nemesio Ponce and the former Governor Juan Sabines Guerrero.
In 2015 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police cleared Blackfire after a multi-year corruption investigation. "In a letter from RCMP Staff Sergeant Les Dolhun, team leader for the K Division Federal Policing South's Financial Integrity Team, based in Calgary, Alberta and dated February 18, 2015 (reference: 2009-479985) to MiningWatch Canada, the Canadian government delivered its response to the case of Blackfire Exploration Ltd. and Blackfire Exploration Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V. with regard to the bribery and corruption in 2008 of then-Mayor of Chicomuselo, Chiapas, Julio César Velázquez Calderón of the PRD party.
"Thank you for your referral. We have completed our investigation into this matter. The assessment of the evidence does not support criminal charges and accordingly, we will be concluding our file. Please be advised that the RCMP does not comment on concluded investigations which do not result in criminal charges," <https://web.archive.org/web/20150406131720/http://www.miningwatch.ca/news/mexican-network-deplores-conclusion-canadian-investigation-blackfire-chicomuselo-chiapas>
On July 31, 2019, the Canadian government denied that its embassy in Mexico had anything to do with the coverup of the 2009 murder of activist Mariano Abarca, reportedly at the hands of the Blackfire Exploration. Family members vow to continue the struggle. Abarca's son said, "No vamos a tener a nuestro padre de vuelta, pero queremos sentar un precedente. Hay conflictos mineros en muchas zonas de México; también en otros países de América Latina. Es importante mostrar el apoyo que reciben frecuentemente las compañías de las embajadas." ("We are not going to get our father back, but we want to establish a precedent. There are mining conflicts in many areas of Mexico and in other countries in Latin America. It is important to demonstrate the frequent support they get from embassies.")


Nirsa (community development block)

Nirsa is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Dhanbad Sadar subdivision of Dhanbad district, Jharkhand state, India.
Overview.
Dhanbad district forms a part of the Chota Nagpur Plateau, but it is more of an upland than a plateau. The district has two broad physical divisions – the southern part is a coal mining area with mining and industrial towns, and the northern part has villages scattered around hills. The landscape of the southern part is undulating and monotonous, with some scars of subsidence caused by underground mining. One of the many spurs of Parashnath Hills (1,365.50 m), located in neighbouring Giridih district, passes through the Topchanchi and Tundi areas of the district. The spur attains a height of 457.29 m but there is no peak as such. The Dhangi Hills (highest peak 385.57 m) run from Pradhan Khunta to Gobindpur. While the main river Damodar flows along the southern boundary, its tributary, the Barakar, flows along the northern boundary. DVC has built two dams across the rivers. The Panchet Dam is across the Damodar and the Maithon Dam is across the Barakar.
Maoist activities.
Jharkhand is one of the states affected by Maoist activities. , Dhanbad was one of the highly/moderately affected districts in the state., Dhanbad was not identified as a focus area by the state police to check Maoist activities. However, there were some isolated Maoist activities in the Dhanbad area.
Geography.
Nirsa is located at .
Nirsa CD Block is bounded by Jamtara CD Block, in Jamtara district, on the north, Salanpur CD Block, in Paschim Bardhaman district in West Bengal, on the east, Neturia CD Block, in Purulia district in West Bengal, on the south and Baliapur, Govindpur and Purbi Tundi CD Blocks on the west.
Nirsa CD Block has a forest area of 2,528.97 hectares, covering 6.07% of the area of the CD Block.
Nirsa CD Block has an area of 431.96 km2. It has 68 gram panchayats and 119 villages. Nirsa and Chirkunda Police Stations serve this block. Headquarters of this CD Block is at Nirsa.
It is located 30 km from Dhanbad, the district headquarters.
Demographics.
Population.
As per the 2011 Census of India Nirsa CD Block had a total population of 381,105, of which 261,893 were rural and 119,212 were urban. There were 197,591 (52%) males and 183,514 (48%) females. Population below 6 years was 54,481. Scheduled Castes numbered 64,573 (16.94%) and Scheduled Tribes numbered 61,350 (16.10%).
Nirsa CD Block has several census towns (2011 population figure in brackets): Bhamal (4,818), Panrra (9,563), Nirsa (14,794), Marma (4,640), Egarkunr (11,829), Siuliban (24,125), Mera (7,051), Maithon (18,830), Panchmahali (4,832), Dumarkunda (11,434) and Panchet (7,296).
Large villages (with 4,000+ population) in Nirsa CD Block are (2011 census figures in brackets): Kapsara (4,138), Brindabanpur (4,345), Gopinathpur (4,369) and Mugma (4,277).
Literacy.
 census the total number of literates in Nirsa CD Block was 225,102 (68.92% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 135,442 (71.93% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 89,660 (57.05% of the female population over 6 years). The gender disparity (the difference between female and male literacy rates) was 22.89%.
 census, literacy in Dhanbad district was 74.52%. Literacy in Jharkhand was 66.41% in 2011. Literacy in India in 2011 was 74.04%.
See also – List of Jharkhand districts ranked by literacy rate
Language.
Hindi is the official language in Jharkhand and Urdu has been declared as an additional official language. Jharkhand legislature had passed a bill according the status of a second official language to several languages in 2011 but the same was turned down by the Governor.
In the 2011 census, Hindi was the mother-tongue (languages mentioned under Schedule 8 of the Constitution of India) of 62.5% of the population in Dhanbad district, followed by Bengali (19.3%) and Urdu (8.1%). The scheduled tribes constituted 8.4% of the total population of the district. Amongst the scheduled tribes those speaking Santali formed 77.2% of the ST population. Other tribes found in good numbers were: Munda, Mahli and Kora.
Economy.
Livelihood.
In Nirsa CD Block in 2011, amongst the class of total workers, cultivators numbered 23,423 and formed 17.90%, agricultural labourers numbered 26,413 and formed 20.19%, household industry workers numbered 3,440 and formed 2.63% and other workers numbered 77,577 and formed 59.29%.
Infrastructure.
There are 221 inhabited villages in Nirsa CD Block. In 2011, 214 villages had power supply. 48 villages had tap water (treated/ untreated), all villages had well water (covered/ uncovered), 203 villages had hand pumps, and all villages had drinking water facility. 18 villages had post offices, 30 villages had sub post offices, 27 villages had telephones (land lines), 65 villages had public call offices and 133 villages had mobile phone coverage. 219 villages had pucca (paved) village roads, 34 villages had bus service (public/ private), 7 villages had railway stations, 58 villages had autos/ modified autos, and 95 villages had tractors. 12 villages had bank branches, 6 villages had agricultural credit societies, no village had cinema/ video hall, no village had public library and public reading rooms. 142 villages had public distribution system, 6 villages had weekly haat (market) and 168 villages had assembly polling stations.
Coal.
Jharia coalfield is the richest treasure house of metallurgical coal in India. A portion of the Chanch/Victoria Area of BCCL and the Mugma/Nirsa Area of ECL are located in the Nirsa CD Block.
The following collieries function under the Chanch/Victoria Area: Dahibari and Dumagaria.
The Chanch Victoria area is the lone area of BCCL located in West Bengal and partly in Jharkhand. The Barakar flows through the area.
The following collieries of Mugma field function under the Mugma Area of Eastern Coalfields: Chapapur II, Badjna, Nirsa, Mandman, Kapasara, Lakhimata, Kumardhubi, Gopinathpur, Khudia Open Cast, Khudia Under Ground, Shyampur A, Shyampur B, Hariyajam, Rajpura OCP and Barmuri OCP.
Industry.
The area has numerous hard coke plants.
Agriculture.
Dhanbad district has infertile laterite soil, having a general tendency towards continuous deterioration. The soil can be classified in two broad categories – red sandy soil and red and yellow soil. There are patches of alluvium along the river banks. Limited water resources constitute a major constraint for cultivation. Paddy is the main crop. The soils for rice cultivation fall into three categories – "baad", "kanali" and "bahal". "Aghani", is the main winter crop, consisting primarily of winter rice. "Bhadai" is the autumn crop. Apart from paddy, less important grain crops such as marua and maize are grown. The "Rabi" crop includes such cold weather crops as wheat, barley, oats, gram and pulses.
Backward Regions Grant Fund.
Dhanbad district is listed as a backward region and receives financial support from the Backward Regions Grant Fund. The fund, created by the Government of India, is designed to redress regional imbalances in development. As of 2012, 272 districts across the country were listed under this scheme. The list includes 21 districts of Jharkhand.
Transport.
The Asansol-Gaya section, a part of the Grand Chord, Howrah-Gaya-Delhi line and Howrah-Allahabad-Mumbai line, passes through this block. There are stations at Mugma and Kumardhubi on this line.
NH 19 (old no. NH 2)/ Grand Trunk Road passes through this block.
Education.
In 2011, amongst the 221 inhabited villages in Nirsa CD Block, 17 villages had no primary schools, 153 villages had one primary school and 51 villages had more than one primary school. 82 villages had at least one primary school and one middle school. 19 villages had at least one middle school and one secondary school.
Healthcare.
In 2013, Nirsa CD Block had 1 block primary health centre, 8 primary health centres, 4 medical units of Central Government/ Central PSU and 18 private nursing homes with total 54 beds and 11 doctors (excluding private bodies). 4,364 patients were treated indoor and 60,104 patients were treated outdoor in the hospitals, health centres and subcentres of the CD Block.
In 2011, amongst the 221 inhabited villages in Nirsa CD Block, 13 villages had primary health centres, 26 villages had primary health sub-centres, 4 villages had maternity and child welfare centres, 6 villages had a TB Clinic, 9 villages had allopathic hospitals, 9 villages had alternative medicine hospitals, 12 villages had dispensaries, 6 villages had veterinary hospitals, 17 villages had medicine shops and 160 villages had no medical facilities.


Hale Tharp

Hale Dixon Tharp was a miner during the California Gold Rush, and the first non-Native American settler to enter Giant Forest, in what is now Sequoia National Park.
Gold Country.
Tharp was born in Michigan in 1828. In 1851, a widow from Illinois, Chloe Ann Smith Swanson, hired Tharp to take her and her four sons to California in a covered wagon with two teams of oxen. They settled in Placerville, where Tharp married Swanson. Tharp then began mining in California's Gold Country.
Sequoia.
In the summer of 1856, Tharp went to Tulare County to establish a preemption homestead, with the intent to return later to ranch cattle. He built a shake and brush shack near the confluence of the Kaweah River and Horse Creek, east of Visalia and south of Three Rivers. He then returned to Placerville.
Two years later, Tharp, along with his brother-in-law John Swanson, returned to his homestead and built a log cabin and barn, Cattle Cabin. Tharp then sought cattle summer pasturage. Led by the local Yokut Indians, Tharp "discovered" Crescent Meadow and Log Meadow near the Giant Forest. He claimed grazing rights there for several years.
Tharp's Log is a home Tharp built in a hollowed Giant sequoia ("Sequoiadendron gigantuem") log at Log Meadow. It is restored and visited by tourists in Sequoia National Park today, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hale Tharp, along with stepsons George and John Swanson, were the first non-Native American settlers known to ascend the granite dome Moro Rock.


Zolotushinsky mine

The Zolotushinsky mine is a large copper mine located in the south of Russia in Altai Krai. Zolotushinsky represents one of the largest copper reserve in Russia and in the world having estimated reserves of 148.5 million tonnes of ore grading 0.79% copper.


Sibanthracite Group

Sibanthracite Group () is Russia's largest producer of metallurgical coal and world leader in the production and export of high quality UHG anthracite. All coal companies of the Group are managed by Management Company "Sibanthracite", having its offices in Moscow.
History.
Sibanthracite Group was established in 2018. The Group includes the leading coal companies of Novosibirsk region: Siberian Anthracite and Open-Pit Mine Vostochny (both anthracite producers), and Open-Pit Mine Kiyzassky (a major T grade coal producer in the Kemerovo region.
The Group's strategy is growth through the development of new start-up projects: from obtaining a mining licence to the start of dynamic production. Open-Pit Mine Vostochny and Open-Pit Mine Kiyzassky illustrate this strategy implementation.
At the moment Sibathracite is developing the Sugodinsko-Ogodginskoe coal deposit, the largest one in the Far East region (Amur Region), of which the production began in 2020. In addition, The Group owns Sibantracite Kuzbass, which holds a license for the development of the Verkhnetishskoye coalfield in Kuzbass. Production will start in 2020.
Owners and management.
The production assets of Sibanthracite Group are owned by Sibanthracite PLC registered in Cyprus, of which its sole shareholder is ALLTECH. More than 86% of ALLTECH shares were controlled by Dmitry Bosov, Chairman of the Board of Directors, who died in the night of May 6,2020.
All companies of The Group are managed by Management Company “Sibantracite”.
The Chief Executive Officer of Sibanthracite Management Company is Sergey Melnikov.
Activity.
Sibanthracite Group’s facilities are located in the Novosibirsk and the Kemerovo regions. The companies specialize in open-pit coal mining. In 2019, the production volume of Sibanthracite Group amounted to 23.7 million tons, of which UHG anthracite - 14.1 million tons, T grade coal (PCI) - 9.6 million tons. 98% of anthracite and 70% of metallurgical coal are exported, mainly to the Asian-Pacific Region.
In the Novosibirsk region, Sibantracite Group mines anthracite from the deposits of the Gorlovsky coal basin. Siberian Anthracite and Open-Pit Mine Vostochny develop 3 open-cast mines: Kolyvansky, Gorlovsky, and Vostochny. The facilities include two washing plants, three loading terminals, and 40km of haul roads.
In the Kemerovo region, Open-Pit Mine Kiyzassky extracts both metallurgical and thermal coal. To transport coal, the company has built 30km haul roads, Uglepogruzochnaya railway station and a modern automated coal-loading terminal.
The Group’s coal start-ups are known for their fast commissioning of new enterprises.
The development of the Open-Pit Mine Vostochnyy in the Novosibirsk region started in 2015 and the anthracite mining started in 2016. At the end of 2018, the production volume amounted to 6.4 million tons.
The Open-Pit Mine Kiyzassky in the Kemerovo region began production in 2014—just two years after obtaining the license in April, 2012. In November 2018, the company produced 30 million ton of coal. At the end of 2019, the production volume reached 9.6 million tons.
Another region of the Group’s presence is the Amur Region. In 2020 coal mining started at the Sugodinsko-Ogodzhinskoye coalfield, of which resources are estimated at 1.5 billion tons. The design capacity is 20 million tons of coal per year.
In 2019, Sibanthracite Group started the implementation of the “Severomuisky Tunnel-2” construction project.
In 2019, according to the Forbes magazine, Sibanthracite Group ranked third place in the five most rapidly developing companies in Russia. In the RBC rating of the fastest growing companies, Sibanthracite is ranked 13th place. It is noteworthy that Sibanthracite was the only coal company in the magazine's rating.
Production.
Financial data.
Sibantracite Group’s consolidated performance indicators according to IFRS for 2019: revenue reached 125.5 billion rubles. The total amount of taxes pain amounted to 7.7 billion rubles, with a tax on profit of 5.1 billion rubles. The volume of investments counted 10.8 billion rubles.
The Group companies are among the leading taxpayers in the regions of operation.
According to the results of the first quarter of 2020, Siberian Anthracite and LLC Vostochny open pit were included in the list of the largest taxpayers of the Novosibirsk region.
Products.
Anthracite, mined at the Kolyvanskiy coal deposit in the Novosibirsk region possesses the best physical and chemical characteristics among all anthracites. It is classified as Ultra High Grade Anthracite (UHG). It has the highest carbon content for premium quality anthracites—over 92% and a low level of impurities, such as sulphur, phosphorus, nitrogen, etc. The main field of application is metallurgy.
Application sectors: 80% - metallurgy, 10% - power industry, and 10% -chemical industry.
Corporate social activities.
Corporate social responsibility is an important area in the activities of Sibanthracite Group. The companies of The Group, carry out social and charitable programs in the region. Sibantracite supports and helps the development of the hockey movement in Novosibirsk region.
The Group is one of the founders and a permanent partner of the Novosibirks Siberia hockey club.
Sibanthracite Group implements a comprehensive program to support education in the Novosibirsk Region.
With the support of the Government of the Novosibirsk Region, it is implementing a program for the training of personnel for the mining industry of the region, together with the Ministry of Education and five leading universities in the region.
Siberian Anthracite is a partner of the Regional Educational Center for the Identification and Development of Talented Children Altair - the Siberian branch of the educational center Sirius.
With the support of Sibanthracite in the Novosibirsk region, the federal educational project "Teacher for Russia" is being implemented since 2020.
The Group implements a long-term social project in Kuzbass — the support of the Shors, a small indigenous ethnic group.
With support of Kiyzassky Opencast LLC, a textbook of the Shor language for the first grade has been prepared, which will enter schools in the Kemerovo region by September 1, 2020.
Sibantracite Group pays considerable attention to the environmental issues. Group companies implement environmental programme, which includes eco-monitoring in the regions of presence.


Alfred Powis

Alfred Powis, OC (born September 16, 1930, in Montreal, died October 10, 2007, in Toronto) was a Canadian businessman. After graduating from Westmount High School, he earned a BComm degree from McGill University. At McGill University, Powis was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity's Tau Alpha Chapter. After graduation in 1950, Powis first went to work as an investment analyst at Sun Life Assurance. In 1950, he joined Noranda Mines where he eventually became its president and CEO in 1968 and chairman in 1977.
Alfred Powis was inducted into the Order of Canada in 1984, the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 1995, and the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame in 1997.


Verkhne-Munskoye diamond mine

The Verkhne-Munskoye mine is one of the largest diamond mines in Russia and in the world. The mine is located in the Sakha Republic. The mine has estimated reserves of 40 million carats of diamonds and an annual production capacity of 1.8 million carats.


Lysaght (Australian company)

Lysaght was founded in 1880 by John Lysaght as a subsidiary to the company John Lysaght and Co. The company pioneered modern steel coating technologies (galvanization). Its coated steel building products were sold under the 'ORB' brand and contributed to Australian architectural style.
History.
In 1857 John Lysaght and Co. was established in England at the St Vincent's Works in Bristol and commenced manufacturing corrugated iron. The firm exported to many countries including Australia and South America. By 1880 Lysaghts was exporting enough corrugated iron to Australia to establish a central selling agency in Melbourne. Utilizing this demand, John Lysaght set up "Victoria Galvanised Iron and Wire Company" in order to get around import restrictions.
In 1897 the company publication, the "Lysaght Referee", detailed the products Lysaghts sold. The original Lysaght brand of corrugated iron was "Orb", followed in 1897 by a cheaper version of "Redcliffe". Both brands were exported in large quantities to Australia. "Globe" was a brand produced for American and African markets but some quantities ended up in Australia. Lysaghts manufactured galvanised sheet and plate between 1880 and 1912 at the Eskbank steelworks in Lithgow. The brand was "Crown" and it appears these sheets were not corrugated for roofing.
In 1918 John Lysaght (Australia) Pty Ltd was incorporated with the head office transferred from Melbourne to Sydney. In 1921 a sheet rolling and galvanising works was established next to BHP in Newcastle. In 1936 the Australian Iron & Steel plant at Port Kembla was purchased. In 1939, in a joint venture with American Rolling Mills, the Commonwealth Rolling Mills was opened in Port Kembla. In 1947 Lysaght bought the American Rolling Mills share.
From 1942 to 1944, during World War II, Lysaght’s Works manufactured the Owen gun, producing 45,000 units for the Australian Army. The gun was designed by Evelyn Owen and introduced to Lysaght by his neighbour Vincent Wardell. The gun, which survived tough conditions, was highly popular with Australian soldiers, who gave it the affectionate nickname of "Digger's Darling".
In 1961 Lysaght became a public company with 20% of the shares sold to the public. In 1969 BHP purchased a 24% shareholding. In 1970, BHP and GKN took over the business each owing 50%. In 1971 Lysaght acquired the steel building products division of Brownbuilt and renamed it Lysaght Brownbuilt Industries. In 1979 it became a 100% subsidiary of BHP. Between 1987 and 1999 it was rebranded several times to Lysaght Building Industries, Lysaght Building Products, BHP Building Products, and BHP Steel Lysaght.
In 2002 BHP Steel was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, later being rebranded BlueScope. Lysaght was again rebranded as BlueScope Lysaght. In 2013 it resumed trading as Lysaght.


Copper mining in Mongolia

Copper mining in Mongolia is a major industry and source of income for the country. There are only two companies that produce copper concentrate, Erdenet Mining Corporation, a Mongolian-Russian joint venture, and the Oyu Tolgoi mine, a joint venture between Rio Tinto Group, Turquoise Hill Resources, and the Government of Mongolia. Until 2010 copper was Mongolia's largest export.
Reserves.
Mongolia is ranked 12th in the world for copper reserves. The south Gobi Desert alone has an estimated of 35 million tonnes of copper.
Operations.
Erdenet.
Erdenet has been operation since 1978 as a joint project between Mongolia and Russia. The mine produced copper concentrate with molybdenum. Over the years the output of grade copper decreased with increasing depth of the mine. This was proposed to be compensated by manufacturing copper cathode which was priced higher. The estimated ore reserve was 1.54 billion tons. The copper concentrate production rate of 130,000 tons was envisaged by Erdent.
 Erdenet was still Mongolia's sole producer of copper, and accounted for 14% of Mongolia's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2007. Copper from Erdenet was Mongolia's largest export until 2010 until it was bypassed by coal. While the mine has been exporting copper concentrate since production began, there are plans to create industry within the country to manufacture finished products (such as copper wire) from concentrate from the mine.
Oyu Tolgoi.
In 2001 Canadian-based Ivanhoe Mines (now known as Turquoise Hill Resources) discovered the gold-copper ore deposit of what would be developed into the Oyu Tolgoi mine. The deposit is in the Gobi Desert in an area known as "Oyu Tolgoi" (Mongolian for "Turquoise Hill"), where in the time of Genghis Khan outcropping rocks were smelted for copper. By 2003 there were 18 exploration drill rigs on the property employing approximately 200 people, and Oyu Tolgoi was the "biggest mining exploration project in the world." In January 2013 Oyu Tolgoi started producing concentrate from the mine. Its location in the South Gobi province, is from the border with China and is termed as a mega mine in Mongolia. Its mining operations are a joint venture of Rio Tinto (a UK-based mining transnational), Turquoise Hill and the Mongolian government. As of 2010, the estimated cost of bringing the Oyu Tolgoi mine into production was US$4.6 billion, making it (financially) the largest project in Mongolian history; however, by 2013 costs had increased to $10 billion. When in production Oyu Tolgoi will account for more than 30% of Mongolia's GDP. The copper production from this mine (the investment was reported to be of the order of US$5 billion) has been projected at 450,000 tonnes of copper for the next 50 years; the mining reserves are reported to extend up to beneath the Gobi Desert and is also estimated to yield of gold annually. In January 2013 Oyu Tolgoi started producing concentrate from the mine.


James Hendren

James Hendren (17 July 1885 – 17 June 1915) was a Scottish professional football centre forward who made over 120 appearances in the Scottish League for Hibernian. He also played for Nithsdale Wanderers, Kilmarnock and Cowdenbeath.
Personal life.
Hendren worked as a miner in Ayrshire and later emigrated to the USA. He returned to Scotland to resume his football career and he enlisted as a driver in the Army Service Corps after the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Hendren was allowed to delay his enlistment, as his wife had just given birth to their second child. Just over a month after his final appearance for Hibernian, Hendren died of acute pneumonia at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh on 17 June 1915. His great-nephew is former Hibernian and Celtic footballer Pat Stanton.


Aduunchuluun coal mine

The Aduunchuluun Coal Mine, also written as "Aduun Chuluun" coal mine (, "horses' rock") is a coal mine located next to Choibalsan city in Dornod aimag of eastern Mongolia. The mine has coal reserves amounting to of coking coal, one of the largest coal reserves in Asia and the world. The mine has an annual production capacity of 0.6 million tonnes of coal. Owner is the Mongolyn Alt Corporation (MAK).