mining news stories on Newser

Sand Mining Craze Stirs Up Health Fears

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 19 May 2012 07:15:05 CDT

The upper Midwest is home to the latest craze in American mining: sand. Mining companies are knocking on doors in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and nearby states to dig up tons of the stuff so oil and gas producers can inject it into the ground in a process known as fracking. Sand...

Asteroid-Mining Company Flooded With Applicants

Kevin Spak — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:11:05 CDT

Looking for a career in asteroid mining ? Get in line. Celestial treasure-hunting firm Planetary Resources put out a call three weeks ago for applicants, and was soon so swamped with resumes that it had to stop accepting them. According to an update on the company's website , spotted by Space....

Good News for Haiti: Gold!

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 12 May 2012 14:40:00 CDT

What news for a nation blighted by poverty , disease , and a devastating earthquake : Haiti is home to lucrative gold mines. And copper and silver ones too. Potentially worth $20 billion, the precious metal finds are already creating hundreds of jobs and new roads, the AP reports. What's more, mining by...

Californian Busted for Lucrative Illegal Gold Mine

Rob Quinn — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:21:00 CST

California authorities aren't buying landowner Joseph Hardesty's excuse that he is merely running a gravel business from a Gold Rush-era mine in a gold-rich part of the state. Authorities in El Dorado County say he is running one of the most blatantly illegal gold-mining operations ever seen in the state,...

The Dirty Secret Inside Your Prius

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:00:05 CST

So, you bought a Prius or know someone who has. Beautiful. But look under the hood and you'll find some neodymium, one of the "rare earth" minerals that help run all kinds of green technology—and other high-tech stuff like smartphones and flat-screen TVs. So far so good, but rare-earth...

25 Dead in Ukraine Mining Accidents

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 06:22:15 CDT

Rescue workers have found five more bodies at two Ukrainian coal mines where accidents occurred, raising the death toll to 25. Twelve other miners remain missing. The accidents in the eastern region shocked the country and highlighted the dangers of the nation's mining industry. It is believed to be one...

Major Ocean Mineral Find Could Transform High-Tech

Mark Russell — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 07:57:15 CDT

Japanese scientists have discovered mammoth deposits of rare earth minerals—essential in the manufacture of many high-tech devices—at the depths of the Pacific Ocean, reports Reuters . The find could transform the international market for these vital materials. Discovered as deep as 20,000 feet at 78 locations, particularly around...

China Accidents Trap 40 Miners

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 06:20:15 CDT

A coal mine flood in southwestern China trapped 21 miners underground, while a cave-in at another mine today killed at least three workers and left 19 others sealed off, officials said. Rescuers scrambled to reach the miners at the Niupeng coal mine in the county of Pingtang in Guizhou province...

Underground Acid Lake Threatens Johannesburg

Kevin Spak — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:14:00 CDT

Johannesburg is frantically attempting to procure millions of dollars for a new pumping station, before a rising tide of toxic mine water seeps into the city’s streets. Abandoned mine shafts in and around the city have filled up with ground water, which oxidizes with the metals within the mines, the...