• Current News
• Africa
• Alabama
• Alaska
• Antarctic
• Archaeology
• Arctic
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• Asia
• Astronomy
• Atlantic
• Australia and Pacific
• California
• Canada
• Caves and Karst
• Central America & Mexico
• Coastal Geology
• Colorado
• Contamination
• Delaware
• Diamonds
• Dinosaurs
• Earthquakes
• Energy
• Engineering Geology
• Environment
• Europe
• Floods
• Florida
• Fossils
• Gemstones
• Geologist Career
• Geology for Kids
• Georgia
• Geothermal
• Glaciers
• Global Warming
• Gold
• GPS and GIS
• Great Websites
• Ground Water
• Hawaii
• Historical Geology
• Hurricanes and Cyclones
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Interesting
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Landslides
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maps
• Mars
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Metals
• Meteorology
• Meteors and Meteorites
• Michigan
• Minerals
• Mining
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Natural Hazards
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Oceanography
• Ohio
• Oil and Gas
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Plate Tectonics
• Satellite Images
• South America
• South Dakota
• Space
• Subsidence
• Teaching Science
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Tornadoes
• Tsunami
• United States
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Volcanoes
• Washington
• Water
• West Virginia
• Wildfire
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Geology News
Metals Current Events

An increase in the number of mines is facing some resistance in the western United States. Lots of new people have been attracted to these states, primarily motivated by the environment. After they arrive they are not happy when a new mine is proposed.

China is investing a lot more in South America. Aluminum Corporation of China is spending $2.15 billion on the Toromocho Copper Project. This site has an estimated 1.526 millon tons in copper reserves and will host a new smelter to yield 250,000 tons per year.

It’s a Great Time to Be a Geologist! Starting salaries for geologists in the petroleum and mineral sectors are over $80,000 and there are far more positions than qualified people to fill them.

An interesting article from the Wall Street Journal about a geologist searching for copper in the Peruvian Andes. The goal is to capture reserves quickly.

A collection of photos that trace some of the activities of geologist, Torsten Danne, who searches for copper in Peru for the Rio Tinto Group.

Don’t get an MBA to make the big bucks. Instead get a degree in geology with an emphasis on minerals and fossil fuels. New geology grads who go to work in exploration and extraction are fetching record salaries.

Gold is at a record high of $1000 and a new “Gold Rush” is underway. The new rush is people who have unwanted jewelry and other gold articles taking them to the pawnshops to convert them into cash.

The world produces about 100 tons of germanium per year. The high demand for high tech gadgets and defense technology pushed the price of germanium to an all time high of about $1300/kilogram. Prospectors are searching northern Mexico to find new sources for this rare metal.

Gold briefly exceeded $900 per ounce today. This price level was triggered slightly by demand for the metal but the most important factor was uncertainty about the United States economy. This is the first time the price of gold has ever been over $900.

ResourceCommittee.gov Image

The value of placer gold production is up in the Yukon. Production efforts now, ahead of stiffer environmental regulations might account for some of the recent rise. Lots of the small mines are being purchased by larger operators.

Stained glass and colored glass are produced by mixing small amounts of metal oxides, sulfides and other metal compounds into the glass melt. Metal compounds of cobalt, gold, nickel and copper impart specific colors to the glass. Other metal compounds such as manganese dioxide and sodium nitrate act as decoloring agents and neutralize the color effects of impurities.

Gold closed at $808.50 in New York on Friday after hitting an intraday high of $810.70. These are the highest price levels seen since 1980. Speculation of a weak dollar and uncertainties in the financial system are given for the recent surge in gold prices. The all time high for gold is $875 in 1980.

Related: The Many Uses of Gold.

GEOTIMES has a news note about the results of the Bre-X gold scam trial. This was a case about a geologist who was accused of salting core samples with gold to make them look higher in grade. The trial ended in an acquittal.

INL.gov Image

Early miners often used mercury to recover gold from stream sediments. They would pour it into their sluice boxes and lots of that mercury was spill, leaked or discarded. Today a lot of that mercury is still in the streams. Read here how the Washington Department of Ecology and some of today’s miners are helping to clean it up. Their recent efforts recovered 127 pounds!

Haiti Map

Gold and copper prospecting companies are working in Haiti, some returning to prospects that they started a decade ago. Political violence and social problems still discourage exploration but reports of promising properties are rekindling interest.