Terahertz Spectroscopy and AI Enable Coal-Rock Interface Detection
Researchers have merged Terahertz Time‑Domain Spectroscopy (THz‑TDS) with machine‑learning algorithms to create a real‑time coal‑rock interface detector that achieves 96% accuracy. Using the TAS7500SP system, they captured spectral data across 0.7‑1.3 THz, applied PCA, and trained four models, with Random Forest performing best. The method excels for rock‑dominated mixtures (up to 30% coal) and can be embedded in autonomous shearer arms. This non‑ionizing approach promises safer, more efficient mining operations while reducing equipment wear and regulatory burdens.
Transformer Network Enhances Underground Mining Image Resolution
Researchers introduced BDL, a transformer‑based super‑resolution network that restores degraded underground coal‑mine images. The architecture combines a Bidirectional Adaptive Interaction Module, Dual‑Group Feedforward Network, and Local Convolution Block to fuse local and global features. In tests, BDL achieved 32.07 dB PSNR...
Photocatalytic Filtration Enables Sustainable Mining Water Recycling
Researchers have created a photocatalytic‑biological membrane that eliminates 96.66% of organic pollutants from mining wastewater, enabling its reuse for underground backfilling. The modified PVDF filter, coated with TiO₂ and Fe(OH)₃, achieves a water flux of 551.65 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹ and extends cleaning intervals...
Apatite Interaction Enables Rapid Phosphate Removal in Estuaries
A massive 800 million‑liter discharge of phosphate‑laden stack water from the Piney Point gypstack entered Tampa Bay in 2021. Researchers tracking the plume found that pre‑existing apatite in estuarine sediments adsorbed and precipitated most of the dissolved phosphate within the first...
New Framework Could Turn Mining Waste Into Low Carbon Building Material
Researchers at Heriot‑Watt University have unveiled a mineral‑based framework that systematically classifies mine tailings for reuse in cement and other construction materials. The method draws on a meta‑analysis of more than 5,000 studies, using each material’s mineral fingerprint to predict...
Circular Water Recovery Transforms Mining Waste Streams
A new study of Poland’s hard‑coal sector reveals that roughly 200 million m³ of mine water—carrying about 1.5 million Mg of dissolved salts—are discharged each year, creating severe ecological pressure. By applying circular‑economy principles, researchers show that desalination and mineral crystallization can turn this...
Seifertite Elasticity Explains Deep Mantle Seismic Anomalies
Researchers used density‑functional theory to calculate seifertite’s elastic constants at core‑mantle‑boundary pressures, revealing compressional and shear wave speeds that surpass those of bridgmanite and post‑perovskite. The mineral’s strong anisotropy and a CaCl₂‑type to seifertite transition that reduces shear velocity by...
Benue Valley Clay Supports Sustainable Ceramic Production
A study published in Scientific Reports confirms that clay deposits in Benue Valley, northern Cameroon, possess mineralogical and chemical properties suitable for high‑quality ceramic brick production. Laboratory tests showed that firing at 1000‑1100 °C increases bulk density to 2.07 g cm⁻³ and compressive...
YOLOv11 Model Detects Unsafe Coal Mining Behaviors
Researchers have enhanced the YOLOv11 object‑detection framework with attention and anchor‑optimization modules to identify unsafe miner behaviors in underground coal mines. The dual‑model system, combining YOLOv11 and YOLOv11‑Pose, achieved 95.7% mean average precision, 95.3% accuracy and 95.1% recall on a...
RCRM Technology Enhances Stability in Deep Mining Operations
Researchers published a Scientific Reports study showing that Roof Cutting and Retaining by Mining (RCRM) technology stabilizes roadways in deep, fault‑crossing mines. By using caved gangue as an automatic fill, RCRM redistributes stress and reduces deformation around geological faults. Field...
Solid Spikes Lead to Mine Water Treatment Failure
A new review in *Separations* highlights that treating mine water with high suspended solids (HSS) demands system stability more than peak separation efficiency. The authors analyze two decades of research on hydrocyclone‑filtration integration, showing typical cyclone efficiencies of 85‑95% but...
Ultrasonic Wind Sensor Shows Strong Promise for Deep Mine Ventilation
A portable ultrasonic wind sensor with a reflective transducer layout was tested in a Chinese coal mine, showing dramatically higher accuracy than traditional mechanical anemometers. Laboratory wind‑tunnel trials (0.5‑5 m/s) and field validation at Gaojialiang Mine reduced average measurement error by...
Case Study: Directional Drilling Explains Methane Drainage Shifts in Polish Deep Coal Mine
A case study at Poland’s Staszic‑Wujek deep coal mine shows that combining directional drilling with geomechanical and ventilation modeling markedly improves early‑stage methane drainage. Long‑reach directional boreholes contributed 70‑100% of captured methane initially, but their share fell to about 30%...
Airborne Laser Technology Reveals Untapped Critical Resources in Abandoned Mines
Researchers at the University of Malaga unveiled REMINLASER, a drone‑mounted laser system that delivers high‑density geochemical maps of mining waste. The technology captures elemental spectra from laser pulses, enabling rapid, contact‑free identification of critical raw materials across complex terrains. Field...
Advance Metals Expands Gold Footprint at Happy Valley with Strong Maiden Drilling Results
Advance Metals Limited announced that its maiden regional drilling at the Happy Valley Project in Victoria has identified new gold mineralization zones beyond the core deposit, expanding the known 13‑km trend. The Queen of the Hills prospect returned up to...
Pantera Completes First Modern Exploration Program at Historic US Silver–Antimony District
Pantera Minerals announced the completion of its first modern exploration program at the 100%‑owned Gillham Project in southwest Arkansas. Rock‑chip assays returned up to 3.92% antimony alongside strong silver, lead, gold and base‑metal grades, while soil sampling identified anomalies as...
Native Litter Inoculation Enhances Microbial Recovery in Waste Rock Soils
Researchers at the Ranger Uranium Mine applied native Eucalyptus‑derived litter to waste‑rock based soils during the wet season, spreading it 5 cm deep across 20 m × 20 m plots. After 15 weeks the inoculated soils showed higher microbial diversity, a shift toward decomposer taxa, and...
Gravel Mining Alters Natural Physical Structure of Rivers
A new study in Cell Reports Sustainability examines gravel mining in Bangladesh’s Lubha River, revealing extensive geomorphological alteration and socio‑economic disruption. Between 2012 and 2021, 4.94 million tonnes of gravel were extracted, with active‑channel mining accounting for 82% of the total....
Titan Minerals Grows Dynasty Gold Project Resource to 3.9 Moz Gold and 26.1 Moz Silver
Titan Minerals announced a 25% increase in gold and 19% increase in silver resources at its 100%-owned Dynasty Gold Project in southern Ecuador. The updated Mineral Resource Estimate now totals 3.9 million ounces of gold and 26.1 million ounces of...
High-Priority Drill Targets Identified at Star Range Silver-Antimony Project in Utah
Diablo Resources has identified high‑priority drill targets at its 100 % owned Star Range Silver‑Antimony Project in Utah after completing a 9‑km induced‑polarisation (IP) survey at the North Star prospect. The survey revealed chargeability and conductivity anomalies that line up with...
Moab to Acquire Additional Uranium Tenements at Manyoni Project in Tanzania
Moab Minerals Limited has secured four additional uranium tenements adjacent to its Manyoni Project in Tanzania, transferred from AuKing Limited to its subsidiary Katika Resources. The acquisition expands Moab’s exploration area by more than 480 km² within a palaeochannel system already...
Mining Waste Could Be Repurposed as Sustainable Construction Materials
A new review in *Sustainability* evaluates how the 100 billion‑ton global mining waste stream can be transformed into construction inputs such as asphalt fillers, road bases, and concrete additives. Researchers found that mine tailings can replace up to 50 % of natural...
Researchers Assess Bioaccessibility of Toxic Elements in Mining Waste
Researchers conducted a meta‑analysis of 23 studies covering 228 mining‑related samples to assess the bioaccessibility of lead and arsenic. They found that total metal concentrations and pH are the strongest predictors of how much of these contaminants become soluble in...
Montero Completes Exploration Programs at Potrero Gold Project and Advances Data-Driven Targeting Strategy
Montero Mining announced the completion of a comprehensive data compilation and exploration program at its Potrero gold project in Chile's Maricunga Belt. The effort integrated historic magnetic data, new IP/resistivity surveys, high‑resolution geochemical sampling, and AI‑assisted modelling to refine the...
Titan Minerals Strengthens Dynasty Project Scale with New Porphyry Mineralization
Titan Minerals announced that its 2025 drilling at the Kaliman target of the Dynasty Gold Project in southern Ecuador intersected extensive gold‑silver‑copper porphyry zones, including a 159.9 m intercept at 0.7 g/t AuEq. The mineralized body spans roughly 500 m of strike, 350 m...
New Modeling Insights Could Improve Safety in Multi-Coal Seam Mining
Researchers used FLAC3D to simulate stress redistribution in multi‑coal seam mining, comparing thin (20 m) and large (600 m) models based on the Kailuan area. They found that model size mainly influences stress magnitude, while the choice of goaf constitutive model—particularly the...
Montero Completes Exploration Programs at Elvira Gold Project and Advances Data-Driven Targeting Strategy
Montero Mining completed a comprehensive data compilation and detailed exploration program at its Elvira gold project in Chile’s Maricunga Belt. The work integrated high‑resolution geological mapping, 205 km of ground magnetic surveys, 19.2 km of IP/resistivity lines, and AI‑assisted modeling to refine...
How Mining-Induced Stress Redistribution Activates Geological Faults
A recent Scientific Reports study examined how mining‑induced stress redistribution activates a 70° normal fault in China’s Ordos Basin during thick coal seam extraction. Field data and similar‑material simulations showed peak floor stress rising to 19.95 MPa and roof stresses increasing...
Critical One Energy Receives Exploration Permit for Howells Lake Antimony-Gold Project
Critical One Energy has received Ontario Ministry of Energy and Mines Exploration Permit PR‑24‑000227 for its Howells Lake antimony‑gold project in the Thunder Bay Mining District. The project, located 120 km west of the Ring of Fire, contains a historic resource...
WCS Supports Amazonian Communities in Fight Against Mercury Pollution From Illegal and Small-Scale Gold Mining
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is tackling a surge of illegal and artisanal gold mining that is poisoning Amazon rivers with mercury, a neurotoxic metal that bioaccumulates in fish and enters Indigenous diets. In Bolivia and Ecuador, WCS partnered with...
Diablo Resources Identifies Large Silver–Antimony Anomaly at Utah Project
Diablo Resources announced a kilometer‑scale silver‑antimony geochemical anomaly at its 100% owned Star Range Project in Utah. First‑pass soil sampling at the South Star Prospect confirmed the anomaly, which extends over 1 km and remains open to the northeast, and is...
China’s Green Mining Policies Cut Coal Emissions by 43.6 Million Tons Annually, Study Finds
China’s decade‑long green mining agenda has slashed carbon output from raw coal by an estimated 43.59 million tons each year across its 14 largest coal bases, which together produce 96.6% of national output. Policy intensity surged more than tenfold after 2011,...
Sustainable Oxalic Acid: A Game Changer for Rare Earth Recovery
Researchers engineered the yeast Issatchenkia orientalis to ferment renewable feedstocks into oxalic acid, achieving 39.53 g L⁻¹ in fed‑batch conditions. The bio‑based acid leached over 99% of neodymium, dysprosium and lanthanum from REE chloride solutions, matching traditional reagents while cutting emissions. Production...
Anson Resources to Commence Drilling at Yellow Cat Uranium-Vanadium Project, Utah USA
Anson Resources, through its Utah subsidiary UV1 Minerals, will begin a targeted drilling campaign at the Yellow Cat uranium‑vanadium project in early March 2026. The program will test roughly 2,500 metres of strike‑length mineralisation that has previously yielded surface assays of...
Resolution Minerals Expands Golden Gate Discovery with Broad Gold and Significant Tungsten Intercepts
Resolution Minerals announced that its 2025 drilling program at Idaho's Golden Gate prospects confirmed extensive near‑surface gold mineralization and identified a notable tungsten zone. Intercepts include more than 100 m of >0.35 g/t Au and a 21 m interval averaging 0.06% tungsten, expanding...
Reclaiming Coal Mine Wastelands: How Afforestation Is Rebuilding Soil From the Ground Up
A recent Scientific Reports study compared three afforestation approaches on hard‑coal post‑mining Technosols: succession on barren spoil, succession on reclaimed topsoil, and plantation on reclaimed topsoil. The research found that applying reclaimed topsoil markedly improved nutrient stocks, water‑holding capacity, and...
Kincora and AngloGold Ashanti Exploration Expands and Upgrades Nevertire with Drilling Recommenced
Kincora Copper and AngloGold Ashanti have completed Phase 1 drilling at the Nevertire and Nevertire‑South licences, confirming a large porphyry‑style copper‑gold system extending over more than 5.4 km. The results upgraded the immediate target zone, which remains open in all directions, and...
Pantera Completes First Modern Exploration Program at Historic US Silver–Antimony District
Pantera Minerals has finished the first modern rock‑and‑soil geochemical survey at its Gillham Silver‑Antimony Project, covering roughly 5,000 acres with 1,408 soil and 47 rock samples now in assay. The program marks the inaugural systematic exploration of a historic U.S....
Diablo Identifies Silver–Antimony Drill Targets in Utah as Copper Mineralization Confirmed at Phoenix Project
Diablo Resources has earmarked high‑grade silver‑antimony drill targets at its Star Range Project in Utah and confirmed shallow copper mineralisation at the Phoenix Copper Project. A ground‑based DDIP survey will map the STAR‑01 magnetic anomaly to guide maiden drilling, following...
Uranium Exposure in Children Near Johannesburg Mine Tailings Raises Public Health Concerns
Researchers measured uranium in soil and children’s hair near Johannesburg gold‑mine tailings, revealing markedly higher exposure than a non‑mining reference site in Durban. Median hair uranium was 17.07 µg/kg versus 8.12 µg/kg, while residential soil showed a 10% concentration increase. Girls and...