Copper mining in Michigan

Copper mining in Michigan became an important industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its rise marked the start of copper mining as a major industry in the United States.
Geology.
Within the state of Michigan, copper is found almost exclusively in the western portion of the Upper Peninsula, in an area known as the Copper Country. The Copper Country is highly unusual among copper-mining districts, because copper is predominantly found in the form of pure copper metal ("native copper") rather than the copper oxides or copper sulfides that form the copper ore at almost every other copper-mining district. The copper deposits occur in rocks of Precambrian age, in a thick sequence of northwest-dipping sandstones, conglomerates, ash beds, and flood basalts associated with the Keweenawan Rift.
The native copper deposits originate in fissures, steeply dipping veins or in the amygdaloid top portion of the Portage Lake Lava Series lava tops and conglomerate beds. This series of lava "is at least 15,000 feet thick in the Michigan copper district" and consists of "several hundred flood basalt flows." The district rocks are Precambrian in age and belong to the Keweenawan Series. The first six years of mining exploited the fissure deposits, then gave way to the amygdaloidal deposits.
Although native copper was the dominant ore mineral, chalcocite (copper sulfide) was sometimes present, and, especially in the Mohawk mine, copper arsenide minerals such as mohawkite and domeykite. Gangue minerals included calcite, quartz, epidote, chlorite, and various zeolites. A number of copper mines also contained a notable amount of silver, both in native form and naturally alloyed with the copper. "Halfbreed" is the term for an ore sample that contains the pure copper and pure silver in the same piece of rock; it is only found in the native copper deposits of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Native American mining.
Native Americans were the first to mine and work the copper of Lake Superior and the Keweenaw Peninsula of northern Michigan between 5000 BCE and 1200 BCE. The natives used this copper to produce tools. Archaeological expeditions in the Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale revealed the existence of copper producing pits and hammering stones which were used to work the copper. Some authors have suggested that as much as 1.5 billion pounds of copper was extracted during this period, but some archaeologists consider such high figures as "ill-constructed estimates" and that the actual figure is unknown. Archaeologist Susan Martin wrote that "“The competent excavation of many prehistoric archaeological sites in the Lake Superior basin reveals the continuous use of copper throughout the prehistoric time range, in association with all of the other items of material culture (projectile points, pottery and the like) that are without a doubt the products of native technologies. Many of these sites have been dated reliably by radiocarbon means... Clearly, copper-working continues up until the years of aboriginal contact with seventeenth-century Europeans. The speculators could at least acknowledge these facts rather than pretend that the association of copper with indigenous people doesn’t exist.”
By the time the first European explorers arrived, the area was the home of the Chippewa people, who did not mine copper. According to Chippewa traditions, they had much earlier supplanted the original miners. The first written account of copper in Michigan was given by French missionary Claude Allouez in 1667. He noted that Indians of the Lake Superior region prized copper nuggets that they found there. Indians guided missionary Claude Dablon to the Ontonagon Boulder, a 1.5-ton piece of native copper along the Ontonagon River. When American prospectors arrived in the 1840s, pieces of copper were found in streams or on the ground.
Douglass Houghton's 1841 copper report, followed by the Treaty of La Pointe in 1843, the publicity of the Ontonagon Boulder back east, and a federal mineral land office at Copper Harbor kicked off the mine rush.
The copper pits abandoned by Native Americans led early miners to most of the first successful mines. "All the principal ore deposits were thus known before 1900, and each was discovered in exposures at or close to grass roots."
Modern mining industry.
The Michigan State Geologist Douglass Houghton (later to become mayor of Detroit) reported on the copper deposits in 1841, which quickly began a rush of prospectors.
Mining took place along a belt that stretched about 100 miles southwest to northeast through Ontonagon, Houghton, and Keweenaw counties. Isle Royale, on the north side of Lake Superior, was extensively explored, and a smelter built, but no mining of any importance took place there. Some copper mineralization was found in Keweenawan rocks farther southwest in Douglas County, Wisconsin, but no successful mines were developed there.
Copper mining in the Upper Peninsula boomed, and from 1845 until 1887 (when it was exceeded by Butte, Montana) the Michigan Copper Country was the nation's leading producer of copper. In most years from 1850 through 1881, Michigan produced more than three-quarters of the nation's copper, and in 1869 produced more than 95% of the country's copper.
Fissure veins.
Commercial production began in 1844 at the Phoenix mine. Most early miners began with little knowledge or planning, and few mines ever saw production, much less profit. The first successful copper mine, the Cliff mine, began operations in 1845, and many others quickly followed. These first mines worked copper-filled fissure veins that cut across stratigraphic layers.
Although the copper-mining region stretched about 100 miles from northeast to southwest, the most productive early mines, working fissure veins, were those at the north end in Keweenaw County (such as the Central, Cliff, and Phoenix mines), or at the south end in Ontonagon County (such as the Minesota Mine).
In Keweenaw County, the fissure lodes were nearly vertical mineralized zones with strike nearly perpendicular to that of the enclosing basalts and conglomerates. In Ontonagon County, by contrast, the fissures had strikes nearly parallel to, and dips slightly steeper than, the surrounding beds.
The miners sometimes found masses of native copper up to hundreds of tons. To extract a single mass of copper, miners could spend months chiseling it into pieces small enough to hoist out of the mine. Although they were pure copper, removing the masses took a great deal of effort, and was sometimes not even profitable. The majority of the copper recovered was "barrel copper" (pieces broken from the rock and hand sorted in the "rock house," and shipped to the smelter in barrels), and finer copper broken loose from the rock in stamp mills and separated by gravity in "buddles" or "jigs."
Stratiform deposits.
In the 1850s, mining began on stratiform native copper deposits in felsite-pebble conglomerates and in the upper zones of basalt lava flows (locally called "amygdaloids"). Although amygdaloid and conglomerate deposits tended to be lower-grade than the fissure deposits, they were much larger, and could be mined much more efficiently, with the ore blasted out, hoisted to the surface, and sent to stamp mills located at a different site. Amygdaloid and conglomerate mining turned out to be much more productive and profitable than fissure mining, and the majority of highly successful mines were on amygdaloid or conglomerate lodes. The first mine to successfully mine a stratiform ore body was the Quincy Mine in 1856.
The most productive deposit, the Calumet conglomerate, was opened by the Calumet and Hecla mining company in 1865. "Large scale production ceased in 1939."
While the most successful fissure mines had been at the north and south ends of the district, the conglomerate and amygdaloid mines, which produced the great majority of Michigan copper, were concentrated in the center of the district, almost all in Houghton County. The most productive conglomerate and amygdaloid mines were located along a strip about wide and long, from the Champion mine on the southwest to the Ahmeek mine on the northeast, passing through the towns of Houghton, Hancock, and Calumet.
In the early 20th century, copper companies began to consolidate. With very few exceptions, such as the Quincy Mine at Hancock, the mines in the Copper Country came under the control of two companies: the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company north of Portage Lake, and Copper Range Company south of Portage Lake.
Annual production peaked in 1916 at of copper. Most mines closed during the great depression as a result of depressed copper prices. Many mines reopened during World War II, when wartime demand pushed copper prices higher. The end of the war brought an end to high prices, and nearly all companies closed, leaving only the Calumet and Hecla, Quincy, and Copper Range mining companies. Both Calumet and Hecla and Quincy survived largely by reprocessing the stamp sand left from older mining operations, leaching out copper left by more primitive processing techniques.
By 1968 the formerly great Calumet and Hecla was purchased by Universal Oil and became the company's Calumet division. By this time the Calumet and Hecla's original conglomerate workings had been abandoned and stamp sand reclamation had ended. The mines did not even produce enough copper to supply the company's internal demand. The company opened several new shafts and dewatered several old ones in hopes of finding additional wealth, but none were successful. Later that year, Calumet and Hecla's mine workers went out on strike, and the new owners closed the mines for good. Only the Copper Range company's White Pine mine remained open, and its ore was mostly copper sulfides, rather than native copper. Michigan's native copper industry was essentially dead, after producing of copper.
Several companies attempted to reopen copper mines during the next two decades, including attempts by the Homestake Mining Company. None of these attempts lasted more than a couple of years or proved profitable.
Economic and environmental impact.
The copper industry was, for over 100 years, the life blood of the Copper Country. The town of Red Jacket (now Calumet) used a portion of its budget surplus to build The Calumet Theatre, an opulent opera house which hosted famous plays and acts from across the world. Many wealthy mine managers built mansions which still line the streets of former mining towns. Some towns which existed primarily due to copper mining include Calumet, Houghton, Hancock, and Ontonagon. As the mines began to close, the Copper Country lost its major economic base. The population declined sharply as miners, shop owners, and others supported by the industry left the area, leaving many small ghost towns along the mineral range.
Tourism, education, and logging are now the major industries. The copper industry left many abandoned mines and buildings across the Copper Country. Some of these are now part of the Keweenaw National Historical Park. Some mines, such as the Adventure mine, Quincy Mine, and the Delaware mine, are open as tourist attractions. Many other mining lands are simply left abandoned.
Copper mining also took a significant impact on the environment. Mine rock processing operations left many fields of stamp sand, some of which grew so large as to become hazards to navigation in the Keweenaw Waterway. Most of these sterile sands are now superfund sites which are slowly being rehabilitated. Mines also required a great deal of wood, for supports in mine tunnels, housing, and steam generation. Virtually every part of the Copper Country was cleared of timber, to the extent that only a few small areas of old-growth forest like (the Estivant Pines) are left. Formerly cleared lands have been left to regrow, to the extent that many parcels of land are now being harvested on a limited basis by timber and paper companies.
White Pine mine.
The copper-bearing Nonesuch Shale at the south end of the Copper Country in Ontonagon County had been known since the 1800s. But the ore grades were too low, the ore mineral particles too small, and the copper was largely in sulfides instead of native copper. All these conditions made the shale deposits uneconomical, although repeated attempts were made to mine the shale at the Nonesuch Mine.
In 1955 the Copper Range Company began large-scale mining at the White Pine mine, near the old Nonesuch mine. The deposit is a stratiform deposit in the lower 15 m of the Proterozoic Nonesuch Shale and the upper 2 m of the underlying Copper Harbor Conglomerate. The principal ore mineral was chalcocite, although native copper predominated in the lower part of the beds. The mine was very successful, producing more than of copper during its life. The White Pine mine, the last major copper mine in Michigan, shut down in 1995.
The company applied to government agencies to continue mining by in-situ leaching, using sulfuric acid to recover an additional of copper by SX-EW. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality approved the permit in May 1996, and White Pine installed a pilot in-situ leaching project. Native Americans of the Bad River Indian Reservation in northern Wisconsin blockaded rail shipments of sulfuric acid to the mine (see "Bad River Train Blockade"); the mine began receiving acid shipments by truck. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which had previously held that it had no role in the permitting, reversed itself, and stated that White Pine would have to apply for a federal permit. White Pine, which had already started to recover copper from the pilot project, suspended solution mining in October 1996, and applied for to the EPA for the permit. In May 1997 the company withdrew the EPA permit application, saying that further permitting delays had made the project uneconomical, and announced plans to begin reclamation of the mine site.
The tailings impoundment at the White Pine Mine is presently the site of significant environmental degradation. The University of Montana undertook extensive efforts to restore and revegetate the barren landscape from 1997-1999, but it is unclear whether this has been successful. The university has published a detailed report of its project. Satellite images are available at ().
In 2012, SubTerra used the mine for pharmaceutical research.
Eagle Mine.
In addition to sedimentary copper ores that dominate the Upper Peninsula, Eagle Mine is a high-grade magmatic nickel-copper (Ni-Cu) sulfide-bearing deposit discovered by Rio Tinto in 2002 and later sold to Lundin Mining (2013). Eagle Mine is located on the Yellow Dog Plains, about 25 miles northwest of Marquette, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Construction work started in 2010, with commercial production commencing 2014 and anticipated to last up to nine years. After mining is finished the site will be reclaimed. The mine is expected to produce 360 million pounds of nickel, 295 million pounds of copper and small amounts of other metals over its nine-year mine life (2014 to Q4 2023). Other base metals include platinum, palladium, and cobalt. Ores will be processed at the Humboldt Mill in Michigamme Township. The concentrate is loaded into covered train cars and shipped to smelters in either Canada or Europe.
Eagle Mine was the first operation to be permitted under Michigan's Non-Ferrous Metallic Mining Law, better known as Part 632.
Copperwood Mine.
On March 13, 2013, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued Orvana Corporation, of Toronto, Ont. final permits to begin mining north of Wakefield, in Gogebic County.
Orvana estimates that approximately one billion pounds of copper are present at their site, along with smaller quantities of silver. Studies indicate that of copper can be extracted, as well as 3,456,000 ounces of silver. Production would last 13 years, based on those reserves. The project was then bought by Highland Copper Company, a Montreal based exploration company in 2014 and an updated feasibility report is underway and permits for the project are forthcoming by the end of 2018.


Pinto Valley mine

The Pinto Valley Mine is a large copper mine located in Arizona, in the southwestern part of the United States. Pinto Valley represents one of the largest copper reserves in the United States and in the world, having estimated reserves of 446 million tonnes of ore grading 0.25% copper. It is located in Gila County, near the town of Miami.
The mine owns the San Manuel Arizona Railroad.


South Maitland coalfields

The South Maitland coalfields was the most extensive coalfield in New South Wales until the great coal mining slump of the 1960s. It was discovered by Lieutenant-Colonel Paterson's party when they were engaged in an exploratory visit to the Hunter River Valley during July 1801.
Mention has been made that coal was being mined in the area during the 1840s, and about 1850 an outcrop in the vicinity of Mount Vincent was reported to the authorities. Several years later, Mr. Bourn Russell also known as Captain Russell commenced operations in a small way at Stoney Creek, Homeville (New South Wales), near Farley. The potential wealth of the coalfields was brought forward in 1886 by Professor Tannatt William Edgeworth David who located an outcrop of first grade coal at Deep Creek, near the present township of Abermain. This gentleman was instrumental in having the whole coal-bearing area, estimated at 20,000 acres (81 km²), reserved for mining purposes.
The coalfields were subsequently served by the South Maitland Railway which left the New South Wales Government's "Great Northern Railway" above Maitland at the East Greta Junction, 20 miles 65 chains (33.49 km) north of Newcastle. This 'railway' was in fact a considerable number of lines which all, at some point, merged, but had different original ownerships. On 22 November 1918 the first meeting took place of the South Maitland Railways Proprietary Limited, a company incorporated with a capital of £500,000 in £1 shares, and this company eventually acquired the entire coalfields railway network. The line remains open serving the last remaining Colliery at Pelton.
The coalfields roughly commenced at the village of East Greta, about west of Maitland, and stretched all the way to the village of Paxton, south-west of Cessnock, covering innumerable villages and towns, and employing tens of thousands of people in over 30 collieries. The two companies which came to dominate the district were Caledonian Collieries Limited, and J & A Brown & Abermain-Seaham Collieries Limited (a merger of three formerly separate companies). These 2 companies merged in 1960 forming Coal & Allied Industries Limited, who bought Hebburn Co in July 1967.


Craig Rhiwarth

Craig Rhiwarth is a mountain in the Berwyn range, in Powys (formerly Montgomeryshire), Wales, overlooking the village of Llangynog to the south. On the summit is an Iron Age hillfort, and there are remains of slate quarrying on the southern slopes.
Prehistoric remains.
The altitude of Craig Rhiwarth is ; the hillfort is one of the highest in Wales. The size of the enclosure is about east to west by . The site has precipitous slopes on all sides except the north: on this side there is a ruinous stone wall above a scarp. There is a simple entrance near the centre of the wall and a slanting entrance at the west end.
Within this area are the foundations of about 170 circular stone structures, of diameter . It is thought that the settlement may have begun in the late Bronze Age and continued into the Iron Age, and that its function probably ceased by the time of the Roman conquest in the 1st century A.D. There are also a few rectangular "hafodydd", probably of medieval date, relating to seasonal settlement.
Slate quarries.
On the southern slopes of Craig Rhiwarth are the remains of slate quarries. A, quarry is known to have been there by 1705. There was much activity in the early 19th century, but this declined later in the century; there was revival in the early 20th century, when the Tanat Valley Light Railway opened. Final closure was in 1940–41.


Nelson Pit

Nelson Pit was a coal mine operating on the Manchester Coalfield from the 1830s or 1840s in Shakerley, Tyldesley, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England.
Originally named Shakerley Colliery, the pit was sunk on land leased from Ellis Fletcher and worked by Nathan Eckersley in 1851. In 1861 the colliery passed to William Ramsden who owned Messhing Trees Colliery half a mile to the south. A shaft was sunk to 840 feet and the pit produced house coal from the Trencherbone mine. The colliery was renamed after 1880. The shaft was deepened to the Arley mine at 1486 feet. Nelson Pit closed in 1938. Shakerley Colliery and Messhing Trees were owned by William Ramsden's Shakerley Collieries.
The colliery was isolated from the main roads and railway and access to it was via a toll road, Shakerley Lane, connecting it to the Bolton to Leigh turnpike which continued to charge tolls until 1948. After the opening of the Tyldesley Loopline in 1864, William Ramsden built a mineral railway to link his collieries to the main line east of the Tyldesley Coal Company's sidings.
The colliery was the scene of a disaster on 2 October 1883; six men died when the cage rope broke.
The colliery was sold to Manchester Collieries in 1935 and abandoned in October 1938.


Alex McDonald (prospector)

Alexander "Big Alex" McDonald (1859–1909) was a Canadian gold prospector who made (and lost) a fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush, earning himself the title "King of the Klondike".
The son of Scottish immigrants, McDonald was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He was an unsuccessful prospector, having tried his luck in the Colorado gold fields, before heading to the gold rush in Juneau, Alaska, in the late 1880s. In 1895 or 1896, he was in the Yukon, employed by the Alaska Commercial Company at Forty-Mile to buy mining properties. Gold was discovered in the region in 1897.
He was nicknamed the "Big Moose from Antigonish", "Big Alex" and "Big Mac". He was described by a contemporary as:
... a large brawny, swarthy man, canny and close of mouth, with a curious habit of slowly rubbing his chin whenever a new proposition is presented to him. He makes it a rule to first say "No" to every proposal, however alluring, thus gaining time to think it over.
One of the early arrivals in the Klondike, he purchased either half or all of Claim 30 on Eldorado Creek from a Russian named Zarnosky or Zarnowsky for a sack of flour and a side of bacon. That claim proved to be one of the richest of the Klondike, yielding $5000 a day. McDonald's slowness of speech hid a shrewdness and business acumen that enabled him to amass a tremendous fortune, somewhere between seven and twenty-seven million dollars. Rather than just work that single piece of land, he leased it to two other miners, who did the actual work for half of the proceeds. In the first 45 days, that amounted to $30,000. He then proceeded to buy up other claims and by the end of the year he had acquired 28. By 1898, he had interests in 75 mines, making him the largest landowner and employer in the area.
That year, when the local Catholic church burned down, he donated $30,000, more than enough to pay for its rebuilding. When Father William Judge started building St. Mary's Hospital, McDonald once again made a large donation. In the winter of 1898–1899, he toured Europe, finding time to marry, in London, Margaret Chisholm, the twenty-year-old daughter of the superintendent of the Thames Water Police, and to be received by Pope Leo XIII, who made him a Knight of the Order of St. Gregory in appreciation of his generosity.
However, though the gold rush eventually died down, McDonald continued to buy land claims, now mostly worthless, squandering his money. Living alone in a cabin on Clearwater Creek, he died of a heart attack in 1909. His remaining assets of $30,000 did not cover his debts. His widow benefited from a life insurance policy urged upon him by another Klondike tycoon, Belinda Mulrooney.
McDonald's legend was retold in an anonymous poem called "King of the Klondike" ("ca." 1910).
His resting place is in the cemetery in Dawson City.
References.
Further reading
McGill University Library, Rare Books and Special Collections, McDonald Bonanza (Klondike) Ltd. 1898 [RBSC MSG 789] : Includes reports, correspondence, prospectus, and maps of the Alexander McDonald claim in the Klondike.


Toyozhnoye mine

The Toyozhnoye mine is a large iron mine located in eastern Russia in the Sakha Republic. Toyozhnoye represents one of the largest iron ore reserves in Russia and in the world having estimated reserves of 1.2 billion tonnes of ore grading 39.8% iron metal.


Sakaraha

Sakaraha is a town and municipality in Atsimo-Andrefana Region, south-western Madagascar.
Geography.
Sakaraha is situated along route nationale No. 7 (Tuléar-Fianarantsoa) at 134 km from Tuléar, 64 km from Andranovory and 84 km from Ilakaka.
Economy.
Mining: there are sapphires found in the town of Sakaraha.
Natural gas was discovered near Sakaraha by Madagascar Southern Petroleum Company (MSCP) in 2011.. There are also some oil deposits near Sakaraha but there is no commercial exploration.
On 31 January 2007, Saudi terrorist Mohammed Jamal Khalifa was murdered by 25 to 30 armed men while visiting a gemstone mine he owned in Sakamilko, near the town of Sakaraha. He had recently called in local police to evict people who had been working the gem mine in his absence. Though all his belongings had been stolen there is some conjecture that the death was politically motivated. Khalifa's family came to believe that he was assassinated by operators from the Joint Special Operations Command.


Searles Valley Minerals

Searles Valley Minerals Inc. is a raw materials mining and production company based in Overland Park, Kansas. It is owned by the Indian company Nirma. It has major operations in the Searles Valley and in Trona, California where it is the town's largest employer. The company produces borax, boric acid, soda ash, salt cake, and salt. It also owns the Trona Railway.
The Trona facility extracts and ships 1.75 million tons of chemicals per year.
History.
The mining, production, and assets of the present day Searles Valley Minerals Inc. have a long and varied history.
When John Wemple Searles arrived in the area in the 1860s, he was looking for gold and silver to mine. Instead he found a white crystalline powder, borax, in the dry Searles Lake bed. In 1873, he went into production as the San Bernardino Borax Mining Company to mine borax. Long mule teams were used to haul borax in wagons to San Pedro, until the much closer settlement of Mojave was used after the Southern Pacific Railroad reached it in 1876.
In 1895 The San Bernardino Borax Mining Company was sold by Searles to the Pacific Coast Borax Company, owned by Francis "Borax King" Smith. He shut down production at the company's section of Searles Lake the next year.
American Trona Company.
The American Trona Company was founded in 1913 by the British-owned Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa company. In 1914 the company completed the Trona Railway line from Searles Station south to a junction with the Southern Pacific Railroad. Also in 1914, the American Trona Corporation established the company-owned town of Trona, named for crystals of soda ash formed by the evaporation of chemical-rich water commonly found in the lake bed. The production of potash began in 1915.
In 1917, construction was completed on the American Trona Corporation Building in San Pedro, to process and store salt potash. In 1926, after becoming the American Potash & Chemical Corporation, it began producing borax, soda ash, and sodium sulfate. Productions of these chemicals continued to expand until the 1980s.
Post-WW II.
After World War II, American Potash had labor relations problems due to allegations that Latino workers were paid lower wages than White workers. Later, Latino workers were promoted to managerial positions also. In 1962 the company received nationwide recognition and an award for its innovative solvent extraction process to recover boric acid and potassium sulfate from weak brines.
In 1974 American Potash and Chemical was acquired by Kerr-McGee. However they didn’t want to own the company town and sold it. They cut production in half in 1982 and instituted massive layoffs.
Kerr-McGee sold the Searles Valley production facilities in 1990, to capital investors D. George Harris and Associates, which formed the North American Chemical Company. Ownership changed again in 1998 when IMC Global corporation acquired North American Chemical Company.
21st century.
In 2004 when Sun Capital, LLC purchased IMC Global corporation, the North American Chemical Company facilities at Trona and Westend were renamed Searles Valley Minerals, Inc.
In November 2007, Karnavati Holdings, a subsidiary of the Indian corporation Nirma Limited based in Ahmedabad (India), purchased Searles Valley Minerals corporation from Sun Capital Partners.
Searles Valley Minerals Inc. is part of Climate VISION (Voluntary Innovative Sector Initiatives: Opportunities Now), a public/private partnership which is seeking to reduce US industry greenhouse gas emissions by 18 percent between 2002 and 2012. As it operates on government owned land, Searles Valley Minerals Inc. pays royalties of millions of dollars each year to both the federal and state governments. Much of those royalties cover the expenses of local school districts.
Argus Cogeneration Plant.
The Argus Cogeneration Plant is a coal-fired power station located adjacent to the mineral processing plant in Trona, California. The power station has nameplate capacity of 63 MW and produced 296 GWh of electricity in 2018. It is the last coal-fired power station still operating in California.
Unit 1 was commissioned in 1978 and has a nameplate capacity of 63 MW. Unit 2 was commissioned in January 1991 and had a nameplate capacity of 103 MW before being decommissioned on October 2, 2014.
The power station is located at the coordinates .
Environmental Problems.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife found that migrating birds stopping at the Trona plant brine ponds have died from salt toxicosis, salt encrustation, and oiling. In 2005, Searles agreed on a mitigation plan which "allows for the continuing take of birds (not to exceed an average of 241 birds/year) in exchange for continued bird protection and rescue efforts and a contribution of up to $550,000 (plus $10K/year for maintenance for 40 years) for a 100+ acre wetlands creation project at the south end of Owens Lake," about 55 miles north.
There are allegations of arsenic poisoning of plant workers. SVM argued to the State Water Resources Control Board, that concentration of total dissolved solids, chlorides, sodium and other minerals are higher in natural ephemeral pools than in the company's depleted brine ponds.
The Searles Lake brine is rich in arsenic, and a unique anaerobic, extremely haloalkaliphilic bacterium which uses arsenic for respiration has been isolated from the mud.


Aninoasa coal mine

Aninoasa Coal Mine is an underground mining exploitation, one of the largest in Romania located in Aninoasa in the south-western part of the country in Hunedoara County. The legal entity managing the Aninoasa mine is the National Hard Coal Company which was set up in 1998. The mine has reserves of 70.7 million tonnes of coal and annual production amounts to 0.4 million tonnes.


Dorney Road Landfill

Dorney Road Landfill is a 27-acre municipal and industrial landfill in Upper Macungie Township and Longswamp Township, Pennsylvania that was polluted with toxic waste from 1952 to 1978. The site is surrounded by rural residences and farmland. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1984. The site was remediated and removed from the National Priorities List in 2018.
History.
The landfill began in 1952 in an old iron-ore pit by R. Emory Mabry. It was expanded to 27-acres by Harold Oswald who operated the landfill from 1966 to 1979. The state inspected the landfill in 1972 and found that industrial sludge, batteries and barrels of petroleum product had been dumped on site. Contamination was detected in nearby water wells in 1982 and the landfill was the immediate suspect. Groundwater and soil analyses showed the presence of carcinogenic and other contaminants such as polcyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, lead, chromium, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, vinyl chloride, benzene and arsenic above the EPA acceptable levels. The site was added to the National Priorities List in 1984.
Clean-up.
In 1986, the EPA conducted a removal action which included regrading the landfill to prevent runoff and erosion of landfill material.
In 1988, the EPA selected a remediation plan for the site which included off-site disposal of 700,000 gallons of on-site pond water; construction of a dike and diversion ditch system; installation of a multi-layer cap and gas collection system; groundwater monitoring and restrictions on access to the site and construction near the site.
In 1991, the EPA issued a second remediation plan which included continuation of groundwater monitoring and installation of wellhead treatment units in nearby residences.
In 2007, the EPA issued a revision to their original Record of Decision which deemed that controls be put in place to protect the cap over the landfill and that no groundwater wells be installed on the site.
Groundwater testing from 2013 to 2017 showed that the metals manganese, mercury and thallium were all present in excess of the federal maximum contaminant levels.
In 2018, the EPA removed the site from the National Priorities List and determined that all performance standards had been achieved and that no additional Superfund response actions, other than operation and maintenance and Five-Year Reviews, were necessary to protect human health and the environment.
Current status.
The EPA continues to monitor groundwater and physically inspect the landfill cap on a quarterly basis. A five-year review report conducted in 2018 determined that the remedies in place are protective of human health and the environment. The next five-year review is scheduled to be released in 2023.


Ralph D. Parker

Ralph D. Parker (1898–1983) worked in the Canadian mining industry. In 1921, he obtained a B. Sc. degree from the University of California.
Parker became a superintendent of mines at Inco beginning in 1931. He rose through the company and became senior vice-president. In 1963, he retired and was awarded, as the first recipient, the Chairman's Citation. Scientists under his direction developed the aerial magnetometer, a device used by the military to locate submarines.
He was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame and R. D. Parker Collegiate a high school in Thompson, Manitoba is named in his honour.


Fortescue Dave Forrest Airport

Fortescue Dave Forrest Airport is located about northeast of Fortescue Metals Group's Cloud Break mine in Western Australia.
The airport is only served by charter flights from airlines across Western Australia. The airport has the ability to operate with one Airbus A320 or Boeing 737, and has full baggage handling services. The open-air terminal buildings are around and do not have any security services in the terminal.


Osisko Gold Royalties

Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd is a Canadian company that holds royalties in gold, silver and diamond mines, principally in the form of net smelter returns and streams. The company also invests in mineral exploration companies in the form of purchases of shares. Like its predecessor company, Osisko Mining, it is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, with shares listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange.
Business model.
Like Franco-Nevada, Wheaton Precious Metals and Sandstorm Gold, Osisko Gold Royalties makes investments in the mining industry and transfers profits to shareholders through regular dividend payments. Its profits principally come from royalties, net smelter returns and precious metals streaming contracts with producing mines. These contracts are made with companies involved in mineral exploration or mine development; as an alternative to debt financing or issuing additional shares, the mining company seeking capital funding may agree to a contract with the royalty company to pay a percentage of its future income or products from the mine. Osisko Gold Royalties also buys, holds and sells ownership shares in mining companies and may otherwise purchase 100% ownership of mining companies.
Corporate history.
Osisko Gold Royalties is a spin-off company that was incorporated on April 29, 2014. Its creation was part of a deal between Osisko Mining, Yamana Gold and Agnico Eagle Mines in which white knights Yamana and Agnico purchased Osisko Mining, thwarting Goldcorp's hostile takeover bid. While Yamana and Agnico each retained 50% ownership of Osisko Mining's Malartic mine, Osisko Gold Royalties was spun-off with a 5% net smelter return on the mine, a 2% net smelter return on several Agnico and Yamana mines in the Kirkland Lake area of Ontario, plus CAN$157 million cash for building the company up by making acquisitions, and with Osisko Mining CEO Sean Roosen continuing as Osisko Gold Royalties' CEO. The company made its first moves later in 2014 by purchasing a 20% stake in mineral exploration company NioGold Mining and by merging with Virginia Mines Inc. The merger gave Virginia Mines shareholders a 39% stake in the combined company in exchange for its net smelter return contract on the Goldcorp Éléonore mine. Virginia Mines would become a subsidiary and renamed Osisko Exploration James Bay Inc.
In 2015 and 2017, they acquired equity interests in several companies and royalty contracts in their producing mines or development projects, including Taseko Mines' Gibraltar copper mine, Nottaway Resources' Vezza gold mine, Arizona Mining's lead-zinc Hermosa project, the Highland Copper Company's White Pine-Copperwood silver-copper project, IDM Mining's Red Mountain gold project, and several third party contracts that were held by Teck Resources. Most significantly, in June 2017 in exchange for 20% stake in the company plus $675 million, Osisko Gold Royalties doubled the number of royalties and streams they owned from 57 to 131 from the American private equity company Orion Mine Finance Group. The deal included royalties or streams in several active mines such as the Renard diamond mine in Quebec, Mantos Blancos mine in Chile, and the Brucejack gold and silver mine in British Columbia. They also provided $20 million financing for a merger of five small mining companies that would re-unite the executive management of the old Osisko Mining, including Roosen, with the new company renaming itself "Osisko Mining". In 2019, Osisko Gold Royalties acquired the bankrupt Stornoway Diamond Corp for the remainder of the Renard diamond mine and then acquired Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd for its developing Cariboo gold project in British Columbia.


Trpeza mine

The Trpeza mine is one of the only gold mines in Kosovo. The mine is located in Mališevo in the District of Prizren. The mine has reserves amounting to 120 million tonnes of ore grading 1.18gr/t gold thus resulting 142 tonnes of gold.


Belokitatskoye mine

The Belokitatskoye mine is a large iron mine located in eastern Russia in the Sakha Republic. Belokitatskoye represents one of the largest iron ore reserves in Russia and in the world having estimated reserves of 200 million tonnes of ore grading 88.6% iron metal.


Waterloo mine

The Waterloo mine is a large silver mine located in California. Waterloo has reserves estimated at .


Freeminer

Freeminer is an ancient title given to coal or iron miners in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, who have earned the right to mine personal plots, known as "gales".
History of Freemining.
For hundreds of years, mining of the Forest of Dean Coalfield and iron reserves has been regulated through a system of Freemining, with the Free Miner's Mine Law Court sitting at the Speech House from 1682. The earliest known existing copy of "Dean Miners’ Laws and Privileges", known locally as the "Book of Dennis", dates from 1610 but the copy itself contains references to much earlier origins. It also claims that Freemining rights were granted to Foresters by Edward I who, in so doing, also confirmed that such 'customes and franchises' had existed since 'tyme out of mynde'. Freeminers had been instrumental in recapturing Berwick-upon-Tweed several times (1296, 1305 and 1315) and it is thought that these privileges were granted as a reward for their endeavours.
A plaque bearing the engraved coat of arms of the Freeminers is on the Greyndour tomb in the Clearwell Chapel in Newland church, and other important medieval and modern mining emblems are in the Freeminers Guild church of St. Michael in Abenhall.
Towards the end of the 18th century, as the industrial revolution began to take hold, increasing demand for coal and iron led to conflicting mining interests and the Mine Law Court became bogged down with disputes. Deep coal and iron reserves could not be mined without substantial investment and the Crown became determined to introduce the free market into the Forest. In 1777 Mine Law Court documents mysteriously disappeared from the Speech House where they were stored and the Court fell into disarray. Most of the Court documents were later found to have been in the possession of local Crown officials (Deputy Gavellers), and they were produced as evidence at an Inquiry some 50 years later.
A Royal Commission was appointed in 1831 to inquire into the nature of the mineral interests and freemining customs in the Forest of Dean, leading to the passing of the Dean Forest Mines Act 1838, which now forms the basis of Freemining law. It confirmed the Freeminers' exclusive right to the minerals of the Forest of Dean, but also allowed Freeminers to sell their gales to a non-Freeminers, weakening the Freeminer's control and opening up the Forest to outside industrialists.
The Coal Industry Nationalisation Act, of 1946, specifically exempted the Forest of Dean, due to its unique form of ownership and history, allowing Freemining privileges to continue intact. Some large colliery gales were subsequently compulsorily purchased by the National Coal Board (NCB), but these remained under the Freemining system, with a royalty paid to the Freeminers, by the NCB, as a share of the minerals extracted. The last of the NCB deep mines closed in 1965.
Eligibility.
"All male persons born or hereafter to be born and abiding within the said Hundred of St Briavels, of the age of twenty one years and upwards, who shall have worked a year and a day in a coal or iron mine within the said Hundred of St Briavels, shall be deemed and taken to be Free Miners." the Dean Forest (Mines) Act 1838.
This qualification has recently been challenged on the grounds of sex discrimination and although legal opinion advised that the 1838 Act was not subject to Equal Rights legislation, the Forestry Commissioners who act as Gaveller of the Forest of Dean made the decision to enter females onto the register for the first time in 2010. It is now understood that the qualification of "male", also incorporates "or female."
The ancient administrative district, known as the "Hundred of St Briavels", is generally considered to be the whole of the statutory Forest of Dean and each parish adjoining it. And, as of 2010, the gender requirement has been recognised as archaic and women are now allowed to become freeminers.
Present day.
The Dean Forest Mines Act is the basis for Free Mining today and Freemining is administered by the Deputy Gaveller; a post established in Medieval times, recently held by Chartered mining engineer John Harvey MBE (retired March 2011), and succeeded by Daniel Howell.
There are probably still around 150 Freeminers alive today, although only a handful of collieries are still operating, due to the demanding nature and relatively high costs of small-scale extraction; the closure of maternity hospital facilities at the Dilke Hospital - so that it has become unusual to be born within the "Hundred of St Briavels" - and attempts by the UK government to exact commercial coal mining licence charges under the 1994 Coal Act adds further difficulties.
Despite the modest level of activity, some Freemines do operate successfully, especially through diversification into non-traditional areas such as tourism and ochre mining. Freemining continues to be an important aspect of Forest of Dean culture and an important part of local identity.


Monte Cristo Gold Mine

The Monte Cristo Gold Mine (Spanish for Mountain of Christ Gold Mine) is a gold mine in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles, California, USA.
The Monte Cristo Gold Mine is part of the quest for mineral wealth in the San Gabriels. Many of the older tunnels and shafts are closed, and the 100-year-old machinery is no longer in operation. The mine has not been operated since 1942, but for over half a century it bustled with activity.
The Monte Cristo Gold Mine is on the chaparral-coated slopes of Roundtop Mountain, around Mill Creek and Ootsark Canyon.
The region in the Angeles National Forest of the San Gabriel Mountains has the Monte Cristo Campground and the Monte Cristo Ranger station operated by the United States Forest Service. Although the campground is open to the public, the Monte Cristo Gold Mine is private property and not open to the general public.
History.
Legend associates the Monte Cristo Gold Mine with the "Lost Padre" gold mine of mission days. Scholars question that such a mine existed, but the story has nevertheless persisted for over a century. The "Pasadena Union" on October 29, 1887 made reference to the Lost Padre gold mine and its wealth. It is said that the Indians who manned the mine revolted against the padres and removed all traces of the mine's existence.
The first record of the discovery of gold in Los Angeles county was in 1834. From 1834 to 1838 the San Francisquito Canyon, Placerita Caceta and Santa Feliciana placers were worked by priests from the San Fernando and San Buenaventura missions. The placers of San Gabriel canyon were worked by priests and native Californians until 1848 when gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill by James W. Marshall. Reports of work on gold quartz veins in the Mount Gleason area indicate that the Monte Cristo mine was probably discovered very early.
The Monte Cristo Gold Mine as it is known today first came to light during the Big Tujunga gold excitement of the late 1880s. Just who the prospectors were who located the gold-bearing veins and began the mine is not known. Delos Colby, owner of the Colby ranch on Coldwater Creek, reconstructed the story as he knew it:
When I first came to these mountains about 24 years ago (1891), the Monte Cristo was being worked by Spanish people. They carried the ore up to a crusher driven by a large water wheel. When they left, I tore the water wheel down and carried some of the timber to my ranch.
Colby's story of the large water wheel gains in interest when compared with an article that appeared in the Los Angeles "Semi-Weekly News" for January 4, 1867:
A new mining district north of the Tehungo (probably referring to Tujunga) and east of the Soledad district has been formed. Gold bearing quartz of great richness has been discovered. ... Four large arrastres will be in operation in a few days. A water wheel in diameter is being erected for the purpose of drawing a twenty-stamp mill.
According to some of the old timers, the paper was describing the beginnings of the Monte Cristo Gold Mine.
Baker era.
Around 1893, the property passed into the hands of a Colonel Baker. A company was organized and some $85,000 spent in building a rough wagon road from Acton up Aliso Canyon, over Mill Creek Summit, and down to the Monte Cristo Gold Mine. Heavy mining machinery was transported in and assembled, and buildings were erected.
The first account of any extensive work in the Monte Cristo Gold Mine appeared in 1895. Development at that time included several to adits, and three shafts, to deep. The rock was crushed in a four-stamp mill with 600-pound stamps, and a Huntington mill. Two of the above-mentioned mines were free milling and two produced sulfide ore. Five men were engaged on the property at the time, mainly on development work. The owner in 1895 was R.E. Hudson.
Fuller era.
A few years later, J. J. Haish, owner of a store in Acton, grubstaked Captain Elbridge Fuller who, with a succession of partners, ruled the Monte Cristo Gold Mine for some 20 years of stormy personal controversy and marginal mining success. It seems that Fuller could never get along with his partners, and one by one they either sold out, were driven away, or met with foul play.
Colby related an incident that appears typical of the Fuller era:
Fuller entered another partnership with two brothers, Hudson by name, but seems to have taken into his confidence another party named Hutchinson. The latter quarreled with the Hudson's who threatened him and drove him off. Fuller and Hutchinson then turned against the Hudson's. On a trip to Los Angeles and Pasadena, they plotted to kill or drive the Hudson's from Monte Cristo Gold Mine. After a drinking spree, they arrived at the mouth of the Arroyo Seco where, finding themselves in need of more liquor to bolster their courage, they stopped. Fuller returned to the city to replenish the liquor supply. Upon returning to the Arroyo, he found Hutchinson dead, his head blown off with a gun.
A short while later, the Hudson's withdrew from the partnership, leaving Fuller sole possessor of the Monte Cristo Gold Mine. In 1897, carefree as he was, he suddenly departed for the Yukon to join the Klondike Gold Rush. Upon his empty-handed return two years later, he induced a man by the name of Hauser to supply $1,500 in order to start work once again at the Monte Cristo Gold Mine. The property was then recorded in Hauser's name. When the money was expended, Fuller turned on his partner and went to Los Angeles to swear that the improvement work required by mining law had not been completed. Hauser therefore lost his lease, and the conniving Fuller once again "jumped" the claim to become sole owner.
Fuller's last years at the Monte Cristo Gold Mine were trying ones. Mining proved unprofitable, so he bought a string of mules and did hauling work for his mountain neighbors, Captain Loomis on Alder Creek and Delos Colby in Coldwater Canyon. Around 1915, Fuller finally left for good.
Carlisle era.
Fred W. Carlisle then "jumped" the claim, and remained in control of the Monte Cristo Gold Mine until his death in 1946. Carlisle had been assayer in the Randsburg Mining District, where he had reportedly suffered financial losses, and came to Mill Creek seeking to revive his expiring fortunes. Under Carlisle, the Monte Cristo Gold Mine reached the zenith of its activity, during the years from 1923 to 1928. Gold-bearing ore was recovered from two groups of quartz veins about a thousand feet apart. To tap these six tunnels were bored, two of them reaching back into the mountainside. New machinery, including a Blaker Crusher and a portable compressor, was laboriously hauled in. According to the California State Mine Bureau, a total yield of $70,000 was recovered from the Monte Cristo Gold Mine in 1927, its peak year. Old-timers, however, insist the figure was more like $200,000, and that the difference was stolen by "high graders."
In 1927 the Monte Cristo Gold Mine property consisted of ten claims, The development work consisted of two adits and a shaft deep. The upper adit was long. Four ore shoots, by , were found and stopped to the surface with a reported recovery of $70,000. At that time gold was selling around $20 an ounce. The values on the lower adit were reported to be $10.00 per ton or 1/2 ounce of gold per ton. The equipment used at that time was a by Blake crusher and a Huntington mill. In the late 1920s Mr. Carlisle installed a small roasting and cyanide plant to process the ore, but later the ore was shipped to Acton for processing. The Huntington mill was scrapped at this time.
In 1937 Carlisle divided the property into two parts and leased to separate parties. The eastern part, consisting of seventeen claims, was leased to W. W. Hartman. Of four parallel veins on the lease the only one developed was the Monte Cristo Gold Mine vein. The upper adit extended north . At from the portal a winze was sunk . A drift went north with a raise to the adit level. The lower adit extended north with a crosscut west at the face.
A portable compressor was in operation and five men were working. The west vein area, leased to W. W. Gilkey and Crouse L. Elgin, is situated west of the 17-Monte Cristo Gold Mine vein. The upper level on this vein consisted of an adit extending north . At a winze was sunk and a small underhand stope, by , produced ore valued from $18.00 to $40.00 per ton. Fifty feet below, a crosscut was driven to the vein, and a drift along the vein extended north . The last showed a vein to wide with of quartz and sulfides. In 1937 four men were employed in the lower tunnel.
After that, the Monte Cristo Gold Mine reverted to its familiar pattern of promise followed by frustration. Several promising "pay streaks" were hit, only to fizzle out just as they appeared to spell "bonanza." Carlisle, hard-pressed to make ends meet, was obliged to suspend operations for several years at a time. During the mid-1930s, he leased the east and west veins to different operators, the only time the Monte Cristo Gold Mine was not worked as a single unit. From 1935 to 1942, the mine was worked only intermittently, and in the latter year it ceased operations from the old mill site.
Kerstein era.
In the 1940s the Monte Cristo Gold Mine was sold to the family of the present owners, Bob and Susana Kerstein. The property was acquired by their family in the early 1940s. They own of private property in addition to the of contiguous mining claims which surround the famous mining property. All of the mining claims have been registered and kept current with the Bureau of Land Management and the County Recorder's office for almost 100 years. The Monte Cristo Gold Mine has a strict no trespassing policy. There are property managers on duty who maintain the structures and the mining claims, as well as warding off trespassers and possible claim jumpers. If and when gold reaches a high enough price, the famous mine could one day be up and operational again.
Mohler era.
In the fall of 2018, the Monte Cristo and its associated claims were acquired by Lars Mohler and Adria Mohler, husband and wife. Plans are under way to restore some of the historic features and artifacts to a state of arrested decay. Preservation of the mine site and conservation of the land and native species are the goals. Deer, bear, mountain lion, bobcat, fox, frog and rattlesnake make their home in the surrounding area. Although the Monte Cristo was once a gold producing mine, recent testing has shown it to be lacking in any retrievable riches. Assay shows <0.125 oz/ton. This means you would have to mine, crush and process 8 tons of rock to get one ounce of gold. The Monte Cristo Mine is private property. The gate on the road is a clear boundary line and the public is asked to respect the privacy of the owners and caretakers.


Ulug-Tanzekskoye mine

The Ulug-Tanzekskoye mine is a large mine located in the southern part of Russia in Tuva. Ulug-Tanzekskoye represents one of the largest tantalum reserves in Russia having estimated reserves of 50 million tonnes of ore grading 0.01% tantalum.


Griffith Quarry

Griffith Quarry, a registered California Historical Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was a former granite quarry near Penryn, California.
History.
The quarry was established by Griffith Griffith, a native of Wales, in 1864. The quarry produced high-quality granite used to construct many buildings in San Francisco and Sacramento, including parts of the California State Capitol. The that surround the 2-story building, made of granite blocks, are the remains of the quarry and its polishing mill. This mill was the first successful granite polishing mill in California.
The office of Penryn Granite Works, which ran the quarry, is now the Griffith Quarry Museum that contains history about the site as well as other local history. Some of the original furniture of the Griffith Quarry is intact.
Recreation.
Dirt walking trails can be found throughout the 23-acre park. These trails take visitors through the ruins of the polishing mill and some of the quarry holes from which granite was taken. Printed trail guides are available in the museum.


North Wales Coalfield

The North Wales Coalfield comprises the Flintshire Coalfield in the north and the Denbighshire Coalfield in the south. It extends from Point of Ayr in the north, through the Wrexham area to Oswestry in Shropshire in the south. A much smaller area on Anglesey where coal was formerly mined is not usually considered to form a part of the coalfield, although it is geographically in the North Wales region.
History.
In north Wales, the Flintshire manors of Ewloe, Hopedale, and Mostyn and the Denbighshire manor of Brymbo were recorded as making profits from trading coal during the 14th and 15th centuries. By 1593, coal was exported from ports on the Dee estuary. Trade developed swiftly and by 1616, the principal collieries were at Bagillt, Englefield, Leaderbrook, Mostyn, Uphfytton and Wepre. Most were horizontal adits or shallow bell pits, although a few were sufficiently large to have accumulations of water and ventilation problems.
In the Denbighshire Coalfield, the areas of Chirk, Ruabon and Wrexham became heavily industrialised and exploited large deposits of iron, coal and clay. The last pit here, the Bersham Colliery closed in 1986 when it became uneconomic.
Geography.
The North Wales Coalfield is divided into the Flintshire Coalfield to the north and the nearly contiguous Denbighshire Coalfield to the south. The Flintshire Coalfield extends from the Point of Ayr in the north, through Connah's Quay to Caergwrle in the south and under the Dee Estuary to the Neston area of the Wirral Peninsula. The Denbighshire Coalfield extends from near Caergwrle in the north, to Wrexham, Ruabon, Rhosllannerchrugog and Chirk in the south, a small part extending into Shropshire in the Oswestry area.


Zhireken mine

The Zhireken mine is one of the largest molybdenum mines in Russia. The mine is located near Zhireken in south-west Russia in Zabaykalsky Krai. The Zhireken mine has reserves amounting to 57.3 million tonnes of molybdenum ore grading 0.05% molybdenum thus resulting 28,700 tonnes of molybdenum.


Mahagama

Mahagama is a census town in the Mahagama CD block in the Goddda subdivision of the Godda district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.
Urja Nagar.
Urja Nagar is a major part of the town. It is a very organised and well planned township done by Eastern Coalfields Ltd., Dhankunda, a colony of more than 1,441 house blocks, a hospital, a shopping complex, Rajendra Stadium, and D.A.V Public School. The town premises consist of several fields and courts as playgrounds for children, parks, and three clubs for holding meetings, parties and occasional celebrations. As the whole area is quite spiritual, there are various temples of several deities.
Geography.
Location.
Mahagama is located at . The average elevation is above sea level. Mahagama is surrounded by hilly areas, with Kaleshari mountain on the east side of town. Laterite soil and red soil are the types of soil found in this block.
Mahagama and Mohanpur together form a twin town within Mahagama block and are therefore a major economic center of the district. The Mahagama township is full planned and all the amenities can be seen here. Mahagama is located 25.88 km from Godda, the main city in Godda district, and 278 km from the state capital Ranchi.
Mahagama has an area of .
Overview.
The map shows a hilly area with the Rajmahal hills running from the bank of the Ganges in the extreme north to the south, beyond the area covered by the map into Dumka district. ‘Farakka’ is marked on the map and that is where Farakka Barrage is, just inside West Bengal. Rajmahal coalfield is shown in the map. The entire area is overwhelmingly rural with only small pockets of urbanisation.
Climate.
Mahagama experiences a hot dry summer, a good rainy season and a cool winter. Thunderstorms accompanied with severe squalls occur in pre-monsoon months. Average daytime highs are in the mid 80s°F to low 90s°F (around 30–32 °C) throughout the state in July, with overnight lows in the mid 60s°F to low 70s°F (20–22 °C). Dust storms occur occasionally in April and May. Morning fogs are seen in winter season.
Demographics.
According to the 2011 Census of India, Mahagama had a total population of 10,969, of which 5,771 (53%) were males and 5,198 (47%) were females. Population in the age range 0–6 years was 1,834. The total number of literate persons in Mahagama was 7,268 (79.56% of the population over 6 years).
Infrastructure.
According to the "District Census Handbook 2011, Godda", Mahagama covered an area of 2.21 km2. Among the civic amenities, it had 15 km roads with both open and closed drains, the protected water supply involved hand pump, uncovered well, overhead tank. It had 1,451 domestic electric connections, 42 road light points. Among the educational facilities it had 2 primary schools, 2 middle schools, 2 secondary schools, 1 non-formal education centre (Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan). Among the social, cultural and recreational facilities, it had 1 auditorium/ community hall. It had the branch offices of 3 nationalised banks, 1 cooperative bank.
Civic administrtion.
Police station.
Mahagama police station serves Mahagama CD block.
CD block HQ.
Headquarters of Mahagama CD block is at Mahagama town.
Development.
The establishment of the Rajmahal Coal Mining Project in the 1980s triggered the development of Mahagama. Since then it has grown from a small village to a potential town. Basua Chowk and Shopping Complex are the main attraction for shoppers. Multiple hotels and complexes are opening due to growing demand. The town is also the home for the Shree Shyam Seva Trust Foundation, a charity organization that aims at helping poor and needy people of this territory. Land rates and inflation have risen significantly in past years.
Several development work (Social cause) have been taken up the Marwari community. Ishwar Das smriti Bhawan (Dhramshala) and Shyam seva Trust are example of such initiatives. These trusts provide services at minimal cost or no cost. Free eye camps and artificial limb distribution camps are frequently organized. The Shyam Mahotsav is also a centre of attraction which is an annual devotional event.
Education.
Around 103 primary schools, 20 middle schools, eight secondary schools, one senior secondary school and many private schools are functional in Mahagama block as per census 2001. Little flower school is very old school and very reputed school in Mahagama area situated in Basuwa Chowk since 1985. In the last few years, many privately run secondary and higher-secondary schools have opened. Recently, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) opened in the town area to provide elementary level education, with boarding facilities for girls belonging predominantly to the SC, ST, OBC and minorities in backward areas. D.A.V Public School is the most reputed school which is also the best amongst nearby districts. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya is situated in the outer periphery of Mahagama.
Government-run schools are affiliated to Jharkhand Academic Council, while most of the private schools are affiliated to CBSE boards. Some of them are recognized at the state level. One madrasa (Badrul Uloom) is also functional in Mahagama, where underprivileged Muslim children get education free of cost.
There are many Computer Institutes functional in Mahagama Block. IACT (Institute for Advance Computer Technology) is the most reputed computer Institute in Teacher's colony, Mahagama.
IT Zone website developing and Hosting centre deals in Website making of all school, college and other institute and company since last 4 years, situated in main road mahagama, near Kachwa Chowk, Static and dynamic both website are making here in low cost price.
Transport.
The town has frequent connections with Godda, Bhagalpur, Kahlgaon and Pirpanti. Public transport is provided by buses, auto rickshaws and local vans. Bus services are also available for Sahibganj, Dumka, Tata, Kolkata, Deoghar and Ranchi. The territory has no rail link and air link. Helipad can be seen in the Urjanagar township of Mahagama. The nearest railway station is Kahalgaon Railway station. Bhagalpur railway stations serve as the primary gateway for travel to other parts of country.
Sports and lifestyle.
Cricket is the most popular sport in Mahagama. People can be seen playing cricket on the streets. Football, Kabaddi, and badminton are some other popular sports played in this region. Rajendra Stadium is situated in the heart of Urjanagar town. Football Game is also most spiritual game in Urjanagar played by Santhals United Club, established in 2008. This stadium has been hosting many state level games and other sport events.
Durga Puja and Chhat Puja are two major Parvas celebrated in this region. People from distant places come to worship and enjoy puja season as well as fair organized in Mela Maidan. At the end of Durga Puja that is, during Dusshera, Ravan Dahan program celebrated in the campus of Rajendra Stadium Urjanagar. Many people from nearby villages and towns also enjoy this festive with citizen also.


Mineral Park mine

The Mineral Park mine is a large open pit copper mine located in the Cerbat Mountains 14 miles northwest of Kingman, Arizona, in the southwestern United States. A 2013 report said that Mineral Park represented one of the largest copper reserves in the United States and in the world, having estimated reserves of 389 million tonnes of ore grading 0.14% copper and 31 million oz of silver.
Large scale copper mining began in the old Mineral Park district in 1963 when Duval Corporation began the open pit operation. The mine changed hands owners several times and was acquired by Mercator Mineral Park Holdings of British Columbia in 2003. In December 2014 the mine closed as the company filed for bankruptcy. On January 20, 2015, it was reported that Origin Mining Company, a subsidiary of the Canadian company Waterton Global Resources who also own Elko Mining Group and Carlin Resources LLC in Nevada, had purchased the property.
Turquoise mining.
Turquoise mined at this location is known as "Kingman Turquoise."
This mine was worked for turquoise by Native Americans before European contact. Archaeological evidence includes "Hohokam hammers, dating back to 600 a.d." and the Navajo hammers. "In the late 1880s to the early 1900s, Mineral Park was mined by the Aztec Turquoise Co., the Los Angeles Gem Co., Arizona Turquoise Co., Southwest Turquoise Co. and Mineral Park Turquoise Co." Since the 1970s, turquoise has been mined by members of the Colbaugh family.
Mineral Park.
Mineral Park was a mining town, now a ghost town in the Mineral Park valley of the Cerbat Mountains in Mohave County, Arizona. Its ruins and cemetery are now located within the property of the mine.
Mining in the area began in 1871 and a camp was established soon after. The mines produced primarily silver, gold, copper, lead and zinc. The post office was opened December 23, 1872. It grew to be the largest town in the county and became the county seat in 1873. It had the county courthouse and jail, stores, hotels, saloons, shops, doctors, lawyers, assay offices and two stagecoach stations. The town published a newspaper, the "Mohave County Miner".
In 1887 it lost the county seat to the railroad town of Kingman in an election. Some of the population and the newspaper moved and mining began to slacken with the price of silver. The post office closed on April 30, 1893. It reopened in September 1894, but closed for the last time in 1912. Mining revived in the area since the 1960s, but the town never did.
, a cemetery, a few ruins and foundations remain within the property of the new mine.


Cardowan

Cardowan is a suburb situated in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, on the north-eastern outskirts of Glasgow.
Originally built around Cardowan Colliery, Garnkirk fire-clay works and clay mines in the immediate area, Cardowan's proximity to Glasgow has been key to its expansion over the years, which has seen the former colliery site being transformed into a large scale residential development.
In November 2019 the residents of Cardowan formed a committee of Cardowan Community Meadow to take ownership of Craigendmuir farmland, the last piece of accessible green space within the community to create a community area and stop housing companies from stealing the space to build more houses.
History.
The oldest documented reference to Cardowan comes from the Charters of David I of Scotland regarding the lands around Cardowan, Easter Cardowan, and Cardowan Muir. These areas of land currently include the Forestry Commission's Cardowan Moss and the village of Cardowan.
The oldest surviving buildings in the area are St. Joseph's RC Church, the original St. Joseph's School, Craigendmuir House, as well as older structures in adjacent Stepps.
Excluding Cardowan Drive and the northern end of Cardowan Road which are often regarded as being part of Stepps, the earliest housing in the area which is still existing was built in the late 1930s to early 40s and served to replace housing in the (now extinct) nearby villages of Garnkirk and Heathfield.
The streets of Cardowan Road, Clayhouse Road, and Frankfield Road were constructed first, with the easternmost end of the latter being renamed Ardtoe Crescent and Place and Dorlin Road a short time later.
Thereafter further housing was built in the 1950s creating the streets of Craigendmuir Road, Comedie Road and an extension to Clayhouse Road. Following this in the 1960s, Drimnin Road, and Mossview Road (including Resipol Road and Gaskin Path) were completed. Due to the shortages of building materials during the second World War the last five blocks on Frankfield Road were built with flat roofs which were only replaced in the 1980s.
The 1980s also brought the construction of Blaneview and further housing on Clayhouse Road, and in the 1990s Nicholson Court was built on the site of the original Stepps railway station and sidings.
Cardowan Colliery.
The mine at Cardowan was the site of several accidents including the explosion of 1927 in which on 1 August at 3:50pm 3 men were killed. (John Kilpatrick, Maurice M'Bride, George Jackson) A further explosion occurred in 1932 on 16 November in which 11 men were killed. (William Bradley, Michael Flynn, Peter Frati (formerly Jacobelli), William McAlister, John McNab, James McVey, Richard Maroney, George Mullen, James Reynolds, John Watt, John Whiteford) Then again in Jan 1982 there was another explosion at some 1700 feet underground and 2 miles from the pithead, resulting in 41 injuries. The mine finally closed at the end of 1983.
Transport.
The fastest method of public transport to Glasgow or Cumbernauld is by train from . A bus service operates from Cumbernauld Road which also connects the above destinations. By road, there is a choice of routes; to Glasgow or Edinburgh via the M80 and the M8. The M80 to Cumbernauld and Stirling also provides access to the M73, leading to the M74 southbound to Hamilton, Carlisle and onto the M6 to England.


Amer International Group

Amer International Group Ltd ("Chinese": 深圳正威 (集团) 有限公司) is a hi-tech industrial enterprise, mainly dealing in non-ferrous metals and non-metallic materials. The company was founded by Chinese business magnate Wang Wenyin. At the moment the company has four domestic headquarters located in Shenzhen (head office), Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing and three international headquarters in Singapore, Geneva and Los Angeles. Amer International Group has six major business sectors and investment fields: health care, energy, finance, manufacturing, resources and culture.
Amer International Group 18 industrial parks, 3 commodity exchange centers and one "technology and innovation center" are located across 13 different provinces.
The company was founded in 1995 in Shenzhen. During the last 5 years Amer has risen from 397th (2013) to 111th (2018) place at the Fortune Global 500 list with a turnover of $72.766 billion and net profit of $1.545 billion (2018). In 2018 Amer was ranked as 2nd largest private manufacturing enterprise and 3rd private enterprise within China.
In 2015, American molybdenum mineral development, exploration, and mining company General Moly announced a strategic partnership with Amer International Group. According to the terms of the partnership, Amer acquired 40 million of Moly's shares and procured a $700 million loan for the development of the Mt. Hope Project.
The company was also in talks to buy English football club Southampton for £246 million in March 2017.


Kiaka mine

The Kiaka mine is one of the largest gold mines in the Burkina Faso . The mine is located in the center of the country in Zoundwéogo Province. The mine has estimated reserves of 5 million oz of gold.


Malangas Coal Reservation

COC No. 41 - Malangas or the Malangas Coal Reservation is a Coal Reservation in Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines exploited by the Philippine National Oil Company - Exploration Corporation (PNOC-EC).
PNOC EC operates Coal Operating Contract (COC) 41 within the Malangas Coal Reservation in Zamboanga Sibugay, straddling portions of the municipalities of Malangas, Diplahan, and Imelda. PNOC EC operates a large-scale coal mine known as the Integrated Little Baguio (ILB) colliery, which is currently the largest semi-mechanized underground coal mine in the country. As holder of the COC, the company also supervises the mining operations of various small-scale coal miners.
For 2008, total coal production in COC 41 amounted to . The decrease in coal production from the 2007 output can be attributed to the major repair and rehabilitation activities that were undertaken at the ILB colliery.
Also in 2008, the Phase 1 exploration drilling contract was awarded and a Certificate of Non Coverage was obtained for the Lumbog area. Equipment mobilization, site preparation, drilling and core logging, as well as sampling and laboratory analysis were also completed. Studies on mine feasibility and detailed engineering and design were also started during the year.
PNOC EC also conducted geological investigation, drilling and reserve evaluation in the Shaft 3 area. For the Malongon area, the Company completed reconnaissance mapping, map preparation and preliminary assessment. Data on geology and coal resources were updated, and preliminary exploration activities were started.


Alex Menzies

Alex "Big Ming" Menzies was a Scottish professional footballer, who played for Cowdenbeath and Stirling Albion amongst others.
A former coal-miner, (Ferguson 2006) Menzies joined Cowdenbeath, his hometown club, in 1948. Menzies, a tough-tackling wing half was a member of the side that took Rangers to the brink of defeat over a two-legged Scottish League Cup tie in September 1949. The late Harry Ewing said that "If you cut Ming in half, like a stick of Blackpool Rock he would have Cowdenbeath printed around his waist.". After his death in 1990, Ewing recommended Cowdenbeath's new stand be named "The Alex Menzies Stand", a suggestion that was adopted by the board.
Everyone in Cowdenbeath knew Big Ming. He belonged to the Desperate Dan school of Scottish footballing manhood - Ron Ferguson


Dalmellington

Dalmellington (, ) is a market town and civil parish in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In 2001 the village had a population of 1,407. The town owes its origins to the fault line separating the Southern Uplands of Scotland from the Central Lowlands. Dalmellington sits at the issue of a river from the uplands into Dalmellington Moss plain.
The town has a history as a rest area, market town, weaving centre and mining village. The Chalmerston open cast coal mine to the north of the village covered some 742 hectares, but the operations have now ceased and the first phase of the site restoration has been completed. The town used to have a working museum to record the history of the area, but it was closed in January 2017.
There are many Sites of Special Scientific Interest around Dalmellington, the most notable being the nearby Loch Doon.
Selection of local views The Scottish Dark Sky Observatory is located near Dalmellington and is within the northern edge of the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park.
The village has two schools within the ‘Doon Campus’ - Dalmellington Primary School & Doon Academy.
Dalmellington Craigengillan Curling Club is the oldest constituted club in Dalmellington; it was formed on 3 December 1841 in the Black Bull Hotel and has continued unbroken since. In 2004 the members reinstated the outside curling pond at Craigengillan, this is the only self leveling curling pond in Scotland.
History.
Dalmellington is an ancient settlement of indeterminate origin. It is probable that the area was first occupied some 6,000 years ago, when humans moved inland from the West Coast along the rivers. It was certainly occupied by the Neolithic Period, as cairns and a few scraps of tools from this period have been found. In recent years traces of early human activity have been found around Loch Doon. There may have been crannogs at Bogton Loch and Loch Doon. In the medieval period Dalmellington was part of Kyle Stewart and under the rule of a series of Norman lords, invited to Scotland by the king to assist in subduing the country. On behalf of the king they collected taxes and administered justice. It was during this period that "The Dalmellington Motte" was constructed.
Events from the past have underlined Dalmellington's geographical importance, it is believed that the Doon Valley was a Roman thoroughfare and even possibly a Roman military station. During the time of the Covenanters, 900 soldiers were stationed in the vicinity. There were two castles in the area, Loch Doon and Laight Alpin.
Eighteenth-century Dalmellington was a small rural village with some 500 inhabitants, but the modern way of life was already taking shape. Good quality coal was being produced from surface workings and sent down the turnpike road to Galloway. The town grew after James Watt's steam engine had made deeper mine workings feasible, and the completion of the railway in 1858.
Apart from the coal mining, there were 8,000 sheep and 800 black cattle on the hills, and plans were afoot for the spinning and weaving of wool. These plans resulted in two woollen mills which flourished for a time in the following century. The two mills employed about 30 people between them. The yarn from the largest was disposed of wholly to the Kilmarnock carpet manufacturers until the proprietor of the mill added a carpet manufactory with eight looms constantly at work. The yarn spun in the second mill was also manufactured on the spot, into blankets, into plaid, packing cloth, etc.
There were also about 40 weavers working from home. Although by the 20th Century mining was the dominant industry, workers had to travel to outlying areas. Eight pits producing around 124,000 tons a year were operating in the 1940s. With the decline of the labour-intensive deep mining, the area is now dependent on its replacement – opencast (capital intensive) mining.
During the First World War an ultimately unsuccessful attempt was made to establish a gunnery school at Loch Doon. Although it was in breach of the Geneva Convention, large numbers of German prisoners were involved in its construction.
Dalmellington Band.
Dalmellington Band is based in the village of Dalmellington and it is one of Scotland's oldest Brass Bands and has been in the forefront of the movement since its formation in 1864. The band have had notable success in contests and have their name inscribed on every major competition trophy in Scotland, including three Scottish Championship wins. The band regularly provide music for: concerts, gala days, weddings, church services, opening days, parades, background music and Christmas events. In 2014, the band celebrated its 150th year.
The band is headed by Band President and Musical Director Archie Hutchison.


Relief Mine Company