The InfoMine Blog, I THINK MINING, explores the role of passion, politics, law, and powerful men in opening new mines and stopping mine development in its tracks. First, we look at the way liberal and conservative judges (including Judge Proctor Hug) of the notoriously liberal, Californian-biased Ninth Circuit Court dealt with Coeur D'Alene's transgressions at the Kensington Mine in Alaska. One can only conclude that all the judges were very cross with the miners and so slapped them with another reversal for disobeying previous court findings that they had better not put tailings into a lake and kill the fish in so doing.
Then we take a look at Bob Gillam, the very rich Alaskan who owns a private hunting lodge 25 miles from the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska. Bob appears to be using all his clout and influence to stop the mine. He is opposed by another tough fellow, this time Robert Dickinson, the Chairman of Northern Dynasty, who says "opponents of North America's largest copper deposit and largest known gold accumulation will fail miserably in their efforts to stop development of Alaska's Pebble project." That will be a battle to watch.
Finally, we pay homage to those two brave Australians, Brian and Amelia Wesson, who have just paid $16 million for the closed Vatukoula mine in Fiji. They now face the uphill battle of wresting gold from the old waste dumps and tailings piles. In addition, they will have to keep out of the way of the military and others who have a keen eye for usual/unusual politics, Fiji-style.
And finally there is a new, provocative piece on how the mining industry can benefit from global warming: Jack writes that if global warming is inevitable, we should not despair, but rather seek opportunities.
These a but a few of the provocative and though-stimulating articles posted by Jack Caldwell on the blog which keeps getting more readers. Please comment, add your knowledge, insight and perspective so we can enjoy the flames of the intellectual exchange.
These a but a few of the provocative and though-stimulating articles posted by Jack Caldwell on the blog which keeps getting more readers. Please comment, add your knowledge, insight and perspective so we can enjoy the flames of the intellectual exchange.
Headgears & Headframes
I would rather go to see mine headgear than go to see the Queen's headgear-some fancy crown jewels. The mine headgear at least rises proudly in the landscape; the jewels are behind thick glass and approached in hushed tones along with other sweaty tourists.
The mine headgear is for me the most enduring of a mine's artifacts. It is the ultimate civil engineering structure. I note they are also called headframes although that is not the term I grew up with. more »
EduMine Site Enrollment for mining operations now includes secure online enrollment for mine personnel, and online management reporting of enrollment, usage and certification activity. All learning and certification requirements are completed entirely online, from the mine site, office, home or while traveling more »
This is the first of two courses by Isobel Clark and Bill Harper based on 28 years of teaching statistics and geostatistics to mining engineers, geologists, hydrologists and others. It covers the classical statistics groundwork for spatial statistics presented in the second course more »
The Tara mine is located near Navan, Meath County, Ireland, about 50 km from Dublin. Tara is the largest zinc mine in Europe and the fifth largest in the world, producing 200,000 tonnes of zinc concentrate and 40,000 tonnes of lead concentrate annually. The mine was discovered in 1970 and production began in 1977. It went on care-and-maintenance in 2001 due to low zinc prices but was able to restart in 2003. Boliden acquired Tara in 2005. The mine currently employs 700 people.Tara is an underground mine which employs trackless mining, state-of-the-art remote-control technology and computerised systems. Boliden has added its international resources and technological skills gained in mining operations all over the world. Boliden and Tara together ensure that the mining operation at Navan continues to improve in every respect. 
The Navan orebody lies between 50 and 900 metres below surface. The central section has been mined out. The mine has been enlarged with acquisitions to the northeast, the Nevinstown (formerly Bula) orebody, and to the southwest, the South West Extension (SWEX) orebody. All three sections of the orebody are currently being mined. The mine life extends past 2015.Tara supplies some of its zinc concentrate to Boliden's smelters in Kokkola, Finland and Odda, Norway, but most of Tara's production is sold to third parties in Europe. 
MineSite provides in depth information on over 50 mines, including reserves/resources, production, mining and processing methods, links and supplier information. You can also view the mine site pages of other mines by visiting the