Economic geology
Science concerned with earth materials of economic value
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We include updates on Diamond, Coal, Banded iron formation, Iron ore, Gold mining, Hydrothermal vent, Ore, Gravity anomaly, Sudbury Basin, Kimberlite, Taconite, Ammolite, Platinum group, Phosphorite, Flin Flon, Placer mining ... and more.
| 2023 | Annual gold demand was 4,448 tonnes, which was 5% lower than the previous year. The total gold demand peaked at 4,899 tonnes, the highest recorded. |
| 2023 |
Iron ore
Brazil further increased its iron ore production volume.
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| 2023 |
Iron ore
India increased its iron ore production to 285,000,000 metric tonnes, becoming the fourth-largest producer of iron ore in the world.
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| 2022 | World gold production reached 3,612 tonnes, with China emerging as the largest gold producer by mining 368.3 tonnes. |
| 2022 |
Iron ore
Brazil continued to increase its iron ore production volume.
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| 2021 |
Iron ore
U.S. Geological Survey published a report detailing Ukraine's iron ore production status for the year 2020.
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| 2021 |
Iron ore
Fitch Solutions forecasted Brazil's future iron ore production growth, predicting an annual production increase up to 2030.
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| 2021 |
Iron ore
Brazil began steadily increasing its iron ore production after years of reduced output following the dam disasters.
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| 2021 |
Iron ore
Iron ore represents 93% of metals mined worldwide, with steel (of which iron is a key ingredient) representing almost 95% of all metal used per year.
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| 2020 |
Iron ore
Ukraine was ranked as the seventh largest global producer of iron ore, with significant production from companies like Ferrexpo, Metinvest, and ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih.
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| 2020 |
Iron ore
India ranked as the seventh-largest global center of iron ore production according to the U.S. Geological Survey's 2021 Report, producing a significant amount of iron ore.
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| 2019 |
Iron ore
Brumadinho dam disaster happened, which stopped iron ore production at another Brazilian mine and further disrupted the country's mining operations.
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| 2017 |
Iron ore
Canadian iron ore mines produced concentrate pellets and 13.6 million tons of crude steel, with 46% of the iron ore coming from the Iron Ore Company of Canada mine in Labrador City, Newfoundland, and secondary sources from the Mary River Mine in Nunavut.
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| 2017 |
Iron ore
Canadian iron ore mines produced significant quantities of iron ore concentrate pellets and crude steel, with 38.5% of exported iron ore being pellets and 61.5% being concentrates, totaling $4.6 billion in export value.
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| 2016 |
Iron ore
One of the two operational iron ore mines in Michigan was shut down, reducing the state's iron ore mining capacity.
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| 2015 | Gold production reaches 3,100 tonnes, marking the highest production point. |
| 2015 | End of a decade-long period of extensive rainforest loss, with gold mining causing nearly 11,670 km2 of deforestation, highlighting the severe environmental impact of mining activities in tropical regions. |
| 2015 | Human Rights Watch produced a comprehensive report outlining global challenges in gold mining, highlighting significant human rights and environmental concerns in the industry. |
| 2015 |
Iron ore
Mariana dam disaster occurred, which halted iron ore production at one of Brazil's mines and impacted the country's iron ore production volume.
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| 2014 |
Iron ore
United States iron ore mines produced significant output with an estimated value of $5.1 billion, accounting for 2% of the world's iron ore output. Twelve iron ore mines were operational, including nine open pit mines and three reclamation operations.
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| 2014 |
Iron ore
The last iron ore mine in Utah shut down, marking the end of iron ore mining operations in the state.
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| September 2014 | Charles Jeannes, Goldcorp CEO, predicts Peak Gold will be reached in 2014 or 2015, suggesting gold production will not reach these levels again. |
| July 2012 | Natural Resource Holdings CEO Roy Sebag predicts gold production will peak between 2022 and 2025 due to lower grade and remote undeveloped deposits. |
| 2011 | Started achieving record new gold production highs, continuing through 2015. |
| 2011 |
Iron ore
Financial Times quoted Christopher LaFemina from Barclays Capital, stating that iron ore is 'more integral to the global economy than any other commodity, except perhaps oil'.
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| February 14 2011 | Fairtrade and Fairmined dual certification for gold was launched across the United Kingdom, a joint initiative between The Fairtrade Foundation and The Association for Responsible Mining to ensure fair and responsible gold extraction. |
| 2010 |
Iron ore
Geoscience Australia and researchers Gavin Mudd and Jonathon Law made estimates about Australia's iron ore reserves, projecting the Pilbara region's resources would be depleted within 30-50 years and 56 years respectively.
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| January 2010 |
Iron ore
Vale, Rio Tinto, and BHP switch to index-based quarterly pricing, breaking the 40-year tradition of benchmark annual pricing in the iron ore market.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Iron ore & Gold mining, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.