Armed criminal groups tear down precious rainforest to capitalise on record gold prices, report finds. An illegal gold rush has cleared 140,000 hectares of rainforest in the Peruvian Amazon and is accelerating as foreign, armed groups move into the region to profit from record gold prices, according to a report. About 540 square miles of land have been cleared for mining in the South American country since 1984, and the environmental destruction is spreading rapidly across the country, Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP) and its Peruvian partner organisation, Conservación Amazónica, found. The gold rush is also poisoning its…
Author: TJ Markle
RESTON, Va. — The U.S. Geological Survey has awarded nearly $3 million in cooperative agreements to state geological surveys to study critical minerals in the materials left over from mining at active and legacy sites. “The USGS is mapping the critical minerals needed for the U.S. economy and national security across the country. Mine waste from former and active mines is an accessible, aboveground source of those minerals, and these agreements allow the states to collaborate with us on work that’s important for the nation – with potential to offset the cost of cleanup, and grow the mineral economy in…
A new material might contribute to a reduction of the fossil fuels consumed by aircraft engines and gas turbines in the future. A research team from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has developed a refractory metal-based alloy with properties unparalleled to date. The novel combination of chromium, molybdenum, and silicon is ductile at ambient temperature. With its melting temperature of about 2,000°C, it remains stable even at high temperatures and is at the same time oxidation resistant. These results are published in Nature. High-temperature-resistant metallic materials are required for aircraft engines, gas turbines, X-ray units, and many other technical applications.…
In the 1984 science fiction film Dune, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen uttered the famous quote that can aptly be used to describe rare earth metals: “He who controls the spice, controls the universe.” The spice was central to the Dune universe, allowing trade to flourish and planets to prosper. In the same way, rare earth metals seem to be the spice today. These metals are used in almost every electronic device, from smartphones and cars, to ballistic missiles. In a sweeping move Thursday, China has tightened export rules on these critical materials, asserting dominance over the global tech supply chain. The…
DAKAR, Oct 8 (Reuters) – Mining companies operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo underreported $16.8 billion in revenue between 2018 and 2023, a state audit found, potentially reducing funds for the government and local communities. Under Congo’s 2018 mining code, firms must contribute 0.3% of annual revenue to community development funds that typically support schools, clinics and water systems. A June financial audit by the country’s Court of Auditors, seen by Reuters on October 5 and previously unreported, found that companies declared $81.4 billion to the development funds, but reported $98.2 billion to tax authorities. DEVELOPMENT FUNDS LOST OUT…
Hydrogels become high-performance metals and ceramics in EPFL’s game-changing 3D printing breakthrough. Vat photopolymerization is a type of 3D printing that involves pouring a light-reactive liquid resin into a container and then solidifying specific areas with a laser or ultraviolet light to create a shape. However, because this method only works with light-sensitive polymers, its practical uses are limited. Some researchers have developed techniques to turn these printed polymers into stronger materials like metals and ceramics, but Daryl Yee, who leads the Laboratory for the Chemistry of Materials and Manufacturing at EPFL’s School of Engineering, says these approaches have major…
Regardless, local officials approved the project in 2024. Despite promises of bringing cash and clean energy to a long-struggling region in the California desert, a new lithium mining project is already under scrutiny for allegedly ignoring the severe impacts it could have on the people who actually live there, a recent report says. In 2024, Imperial County officials approved the Hell’s Kitchen Lithium and Power Project, a multistage mining operation located by a deposit of geothermal brine deep beneath the edge of California’s largest lake: the beleaguered Salton Sea. But after analyzing the project proposal, environmental advocacy groups announced that it poses “serious…
As wildfire mitigation and prescribed burns are delayed amid the government shutdown, the U.S. Forest Service gave final approval to Hecla Mining Company for the Libby Exploration Project. The approval enables Hecla to begin surveys for silver and copper ore in an old mine shaft 20 miles south of Libby, Montana. The proposed mining operation has been in development for decades, and faces opposition from environmental groups who worry about the impacts of water pollution, mining activity, and human disturbances to wildlife. The project received an expedited review after the Trump administration added it to the “FAST-41” infrastructure permitting dashboard. “This is not an ‘exploration project,’” said Ben Catton of the…
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has issued a fresh and urgent appeal to the government, pressing for “decisive and transparent action” against the destructive scourge of illegal mining, locally known as, Galamsey. In a statement delivered after a high-level engagement with President John Dramani Mahama and Civil Society Organisations, recently, the Bishops described the situation as nothing less than “a public health and human rights emergency.” Health and human rights emergency They cited findings from the recent Mercury and Heavy Metals Impact Assessment conducted by Pure Earth and the Environmental Protection Agency, together with the testimony of the UN Special…
China needs to have better technology and a bigger say in the international maritime order if it is to win the global deep-sea mining race for critical minerals, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Natural Resources. In an article published on Friday in Study Times – a newspaper run by the Communist Party’s Central Party School – Wu Changbin, director of the ministry’s China Deep Ocean Affairs Administration, said China could increase its voice and competitiveness in the field by playing a more active role in global ocean governance and developing its own advanced equipment. “During this critical window…