On the surface

Maintenance: is there a secret to success? NAM wanted to know, and opened up the floor to three companies from the core sectors of surface mining infrastructure – trucks and conveyors – to try to get the answers. By Donna Schmidt It seems like the ever-elusive answer to a key question: how can surface mining be more efficient? There are…

Read More

An alarming trend

In the very hours I write this column, the American mining community is marking Stand Down to Save Lives, an annual initiative called by federal regulators to bring attention to the need for eliminating safety and health hazards and mine sites. In its May 13 announcement of the May 22 effort MSHA noted that, at that time, 12 fewer miners…

Read More

Keys of attraction

Check out this (magnetic) conversation suspended magnets with Eriez Director of Minerals and Materials Processing Jose Martin. It will stick with you. Edited by Donna Schmidt Thanks for talking to North American Mining magazine exclusively about this topic, Jose. Can you explain, for those not in the know: What are the different types of suspended magnets? What are the uses,…

Read More

Lithium is having a day

As mining news headlines go, just as in life, you should always look for the positive. Markets will wane, production numbers will drop, but a higher tide is always around the bend in this uber-cyclical industry. Right now, amid an issue that highlights critical minerals, there is a trend of encouraging news for lithium projects. In early April, Surge Battery…

Read More

Unearthing potential

The West Virginia Training and Conference Center sees thousands (24,000 in 2023) through its doors each year, each with the desire to elevate their skills with cutting-edge education and facility features. North American Mining magazine took a tour of this Appalachian coal country education gateway. By Donna Schmidt A group of miners are in the center of a mine emergency,…

Read More

Allegheny Metallurgical’s High Carbon Prep

As progress was made in the development of Allegheny Metallurgical’s Longview longwall mine in central West Virginia, crews at its coal preparation plant were also working hard to bring it online. NAM takes an exclusive look at the High Carbon Processing Plant. By Donna Schmidt Hard work and dedication are well-rewarded, and that has certainly been the case with the…

Read More

Mining with … Styrofoam?

Traditional construction materials in mines are officially old-school. Florida-based company Vero Building Systems said there is an alternative: customizable, shotcrete-coated polystyrene,or Styrofoam. By Donna Schmidt Saving money and upping the score in a mine’s eco-friendliness are always welcome changes. How about a technology that can be used at surface or underground, is modular and easy to transport, and can withstand…

Read More

Sustainability critical for Resolution Copper

Edited by Donna Schmidt The ore deposit at Resolution Copper in Superior, about 60 miles east of Phoenix, Ariz., lies nearly 7,000 feet below the earth’s surface and represents one of the most significant untapped copper deposits today. Once fully operational, the mine will have the potential to supply nearly 25% of U.S. copper demand. Edgar Cossio is a senior…

Read More

Mining getting backed by – the U.S. government?

Having the government’s help with anything involving mining has been difficult if not impossible for, well, much of recent memory. In fact, there have arguably been more attempts to squash the industry than to help it. From the files of “news we did not think we’d hear today” comes a recent announcement that the U.S. Department of Energy will be…

Read More

America’s newest longwall:  Allegheny Metallurgical’s Longview

The biggest surprises come when you least expect it, and that’s part of the glean of the newest underground longwall mine in the U.S. After years of planning and development, 
Longview is ready for her close-up. NAM recently got an exclusive tour. By Donna Schmidt Deceivingly close to the paved roads and traffic of small-town Bridgeport, W.Va., just south of…

Read More