The rewards in mining can be high, but so is the risk. Starting a new mining venture is a long and arduous journey, and there are many reasons why it could fail.
"It takes an average of 12 years between...
You may think of tin as a humble metal, and you aren’t alone. Tin is often overlooked, but the element is certainly not without value. Tin has an important place in yours and many other modern lives. Read on...
Outside of the aerospace and defense industries, mining is arguably the most capital-intensive business in the world.
You have to move a lot of earth to get at the mineral-bearing ore, and this requires complex structures, equipment, vehicles and heavy...
Battery metals is a fast-evolving sector in mining, with enormous potential for growth. An entire day was spent discussing the potential of the African battery metals market at February 2019’s Mining Indaba, in South Africa. But, despite growing interest...
1. Their flag has a gun on it
The flag of Mozambique has an image of an AK-47 on it, symbolising the country’s fight for independence, and was adopted in 1983. Other images on the flag include a star, a...
In a world of diminishing, non-renewable resources, we as consumers of those resources have responsibilities, too. Instead of following the traditional “take-make-dispose” approach to goods, we have the power to play an important role in enabling products to have...
Considering that the per carat value of coloured gemstones like emeralds and rubies is growing faster than diamond prices, it may finally be time to rewrite Marilyn Monroe’s 1950’s hit, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. The growing popularity...
For most people, “copper” calls to mind an important and increasingly rare commodity that’s found in a certain part of Zambia. Here, these mineral deposits were once so rich that the entire area was named Copperbelt Province. But copper...
You can see, and hear a mining operation from far away. Everything about them is monumental: from the vast tipper trucks and shovels of a surface mine, to the looming presence of a shaft head-gear that drops miners and...
Drilling is the process of creating a hole in a hard surface, specifically where the length of the hole is greater than its diameter. It’s an integral part of the mining process, albeit less dramatic than, say, blasting.
If you’re...