Geomechanics.io

Brightstar Resources has released a 22 per cent increase in mineral resource estimate for its Menzies gold project, sharpening plans to develop the site as a standalone mining hub in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields. The updated resource focuses on near-surface, open-pittable ounces across key deposits such as Yunndaga and Lady Shenton, supporting a potential central processing facility rather than trucking ore to Brightstar’s Laverton plant. For mine planners and geotechs, the shift towards shallow oxide and transitional material points to conventional drill‑and‑blast with relatively straightforward pit geotechnical design.

Final designs have been approved for the Isaac Resources Excellence Precinct in Moranbah, a $47 million hub to support coal, critical minerals and METS innovation in Queensland’s Bowen Basin. The precinct, led by the Resource Centre of Excellence and Isaac Regional Council, will include a 3000m² innovation centre, underground mining simulation facilities and training workshops targeting automation, decarbonisation and mine rehabilitation technologies. For engineers and METS suppliers, the project signals new testbed capacity close to large open-cut and underground coal operations.

ACG Metals has walked away from a potential takeover of Anglo Asian Mining after a “thorough review” of Anglo Asian’s Azerbaijani gold-copper-silver assets, including the Gilar, Demirli and Gedabek operations, concluded a deal would not create value. Anglo Asian, which commissioned Gilar and Demirli on time and on budget this year and is targeting a mid-tier copper-focused profile, recently reported record November copper output at Gedabek following flotation plant upgrades. Market reaction was immediate, with Anglo Asian shares down 6.5% to 215p and ACG up 2.9% to 1,080p in London.

Chile’s 14 December presidential runoff will decide how Jeannette Jara’s plan for a 10% increase in mining output, expanded state role in lithium and higher renewable penetration competes with José Antonio Kast’s $6 billion public spending cuts and lean-state agenda. Codelco, carrying more than $20 billion in debt after output fell to a 25‑year low in 2022 and still required to remit 70% of profits plus 10% of sales to the state, faces constrained reinvestment. Any policy misstep risks undermining Chile’s $105 billion mining investment pipeline to 2034 and global copper and lithium supply.

Mining productivity has halved since 1997 and has risen only about 1% per year since 2018, even as OECD data show manufacturing output per worker more than doubling and agriculture, forestry and fishing increasing 1.5 times. McKinsey’s “Performing under pressure” report links the slump to deeper pits, longer haul distances, declining grades and remote conditions that push operations below historic performance curves. The firm points to AI, robotics, advanced chemistry, always‑on connectivity and electrification as levers to unlock bottlenecks in loading, hauling, comminution and processing, provided miners build tight feedback loops between strategy and execution.

Rare earth elements have moved to the centre of trade negotiations as governments respond to China’s control of almost 90% of refined supply and most high-performance magnet output, Wood Mackenzie’s 2025 mega-trends report shows. Washington has led with a G7 action plan, an April 2024 critical minerals memorandum with Norway, an Oct. 27 mining and processing framework with Japan, and parallel rare earth agreements with Malaysia and Australia. Project-level responses include Arafura’s Nolans project targeting about 4% of global supply, Serra Verde’s US$465 million US development loan, and SRC–ReAlloys and Cyclic–Solvay offtakes linking new and recycled oxides into Western magnet supply chains.

Deep-sea mining tests in the Clarion–Clipperton Zone at 4,280 metres depth, commissioned by Nauru Ocean Resources (a The Metals Company subsidiary), cut macrofaunal density by 37% and species richness by 32% along machine tracks over two years, based on disturbance of 3,000 tonnes of polymetallic nodules. European researchers from the Natural History Museum, University of Gothenburg and the National Oceanography Centre collected 4,350 sediment macrofaunal animals and identified 788 species, mainly polychaete worms, crustaceans and molluscs. The trial used machines only about half the size of planned commercial systems, raising concern that full-scale operations could cause larger, possibly irreversible, benthic impacts.

Antofagasta CEO Iván Arriagada has been re-appointed chair of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) for a two-year term, succeeding Newmont chief Tom Palmer, who is retiring as CEO at year-end. Arriagada, who previously chaired ICMM from 2022–2024, helped establish the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management and backed the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI) on common ESG benchmarks. His return signals continuity in ICMM’s 26-member CEO council as it executes its 2025+ strategy on tailings governance and responsible project development.

Copper surged to a new all‑time high on the LME, with three‑month futures jumping 2.1% intraday to $11,800.50/t, surpassing Monday’s record as macro sentiment turned sharply more positive. The US Federal Reserve lifted its 2026 growth forecast to 2.3% from 1.8% and delivered a widely expected rate cut while signalling inflation easing to 2.4%, boosting demand expectations for industrial metals, while China’s commitment to a “proactive” fiscal stance and ongoing supply concerns have driven a year‑to‑date copper gain of nearly 35%.

Singapore’s Land Transport Authority has begun strengthening works on two operational Circle Line bored tunnels after identifying progressive ground deformation, described as tunnel squatting, along a localised section. The targeted programme will install additional structural support within the tunnel lining and improve ground stabilisation around the affected zone, while maintaining train operations with speed restrictions and off-peak work windows. For geotechnical engineers, the case illustrates long-term deformation management in soft ground MRT tunnels and the need for ongoing convergence monitoring and remedial design decades after construction.

Volvo Autonomous Solutions has begun series assembly of its Volvo FH Autonomous mining trucks at Volvo Buses’ Säffle plant in Sweden, marking the shift from pilot builds to industrial production. The facility, long used for high-volume bus manufacturing, has been retooled to integrate V.A.S. autonomous hardware and software stacks directly into the FH platform on the main line. For mine operators, this signals impending availability of OEM-built autonomous haul trucks with factory-integrated perception, control and redundancy systems rather than retrofit kits.

Bent Flyvbjerg, co-author of “How Big Things Get Done” and a leading academic on megaproject cost and schedule risk, will deliver a keynote at the World Mining Congress 2026 in Lima, Peru, from 24–26 June. His work on cost overruns, reference class forecasting and front-end planning is widely used on multi-billion-dollar infrastructure and mining developments. Attendance will interest owners and EPCM teams grappling with budget blowouts and delays on large open-pit expansions, underground block caves and associated rail, port and tailings facilities.

Metso has agreed to divest its Häggblom-branded loading and hauling business in Finland and Sweden to Miilux Oy, a Finnish manufacturer of wear-resistant steels and personal protection solutions using its own proprietary brands and alloys. The deal, which follows a strategic review launched in August 2025, shifts Häggblom’s truck body and bucket operations to an owner focused on abrasion-resistant plate and liner systems. For mine operators, the move signals closer integration between mobile equipment attachments and high-hardness wear materials, potentially affecting lifecycle cost and maintenance strategies for truck fleets and loaders.

REMA TIP TOP has launched MCube CAM, a smartphone-based system that uses AI-supported video analysis to inspect conveyor belt top covers, automating a task traditionally done by manual visual checks. The tool records belt surface condition in real time and feeds data into the company’s MCube monitoring ecosystem, enabling faster detection of damage, wear and splice issues. For mine operators, this points to more consistent inspection intervals, reduced downtime from unexpected belt failures, and better documentation of belt condition for maintenance planning.

Sydney Metro West’s Westmead station has installed the largest cavern formwork system in the Southern Hemisphere to cast the permanent lining of its new underground station cavern. The tallest cavern on the Sydney Metro network at Westmead, standing about 26 metres from invert to crown, has already been fully concrete lined using this modular steel formwork. For geotechnical and structural teams, the scale of the formwork enables continuous, large-area wall pours, tighter control of shotcrete and cast-in-place interfaces, and reduced time working at height in a deep excavation.

LiuGong Australia is expanding its footprint in road construction and maintenance, with councils nationwide adopting its graders, loaders and rollers for local road networks. Flagship models include the 4230D motor grader, powered by a turbocharged 9-litre Cummins engine, aimed at heavy formation trimming and shoulder maintenance. A growing dealership network across major capital cities is reducing downtime for regional contractors by improving access to parts, service support and machine trials on live roadworks.

A design and environmental assessment contract for the Picton Bypass in New South Wales has been awarded to MRB Technical Services, advancing plans for a new heavy-vehicle route. The bypass will link Thirlmere and Tahmoor to the Hume Motorway via Picton Road, diverting freight and commuter traffic away from Picton’s existing town centre network. Geometric design, geotechnical investigation and environmental approvals will now define corridor alignment, earthworks volumes and interchange layouts critical for future construction staging.

Geoscience Australia has drilled a 3023‑metre stratigraphic hole in the South Nicholson Basin, pushing national pre‑competitive geoscience to new depths in the hunt for salt and critical minerals. Core and downhole geophysics from the ultra‑deep bore will refine basin architecture, fluid pathways and evaporite distribution models that guide potash, lithium brine and sediment‑hosted base metal exploration. For miners and consultants, the dataset should tighten depth predictions, reduce drilling risk and sharpen targeting in underexplored central Australian basins.

Ramelius Resources has approved an on-market share buyback of up to $250 million to fund an “organic growth strategy” rather than pursue large-scale mergers or acquisitions. The Perth-based gold producer, which operates the Mt Magnet and Edna May operations in Western Australia, is signalling a focus on extending mine life and optimising existing assets through brownfields drilling and incremental plant upgrades. For mining engineers and planners, this points to continued capital allocation towards resource conversion, pit cutbacks and mill debottlenecking rather than step-change expansion projects.

Fenix Resources has set a FY28 target to lift its flagship Mid West iron ore operation to 6Mtpa, underpinned by completing two new mines to feed its existing 1.5Mtpa Iron Ridge hub. The plan centres on staged expansions using road haulage to the Geraldton port, leveraging current crushing and screening infrastructure rather than building a greenfield processing plant. For mine planners and geotechs, the strategy signals sustained pit development, additional waste dump and haul road construction, and longer-term geotechnical monitoring across multiple satellite deposits.

Pipe Tek has unveiled a dedicated inspection trailer for mining slurry and tailings pipelines, integrating in-line inspection tools, data acquisition systems and on-site reporting to reduce downtime on remote assets. The mobile unit is configured to support magnetic flux leakage and calliper tools, with power, lifting gear and climate-controlled workspace packaged on a single road-legal trailer for rapid deployment between sites. For operators managing long-distance HDPE and steel pipelines, the setup enables more frequent condition assessment, faster defect verification and better planning of targeted repairs.

Firebird Metals has reported manganese-iron phosphate (MFP) battery material results that exceed current Chinese industry purity standards, strengthening its case for high-spec cathode precursor supply. The high-purity MFP is targeted at lithium-ion battery applications, positioning Firebird’s planned production as a potential alternative to conventional manganese sulphate routes. For process engineers and metallurgists, the data point to viable upstream integration of manganese ore into value-added MFP with tighter impurity control than typical Chinese benchmark products.

Net Zero Teesside’s £4bn gas-fired power and carbon capture project is expected to award a 10,000‑tonne, £30m structural steelwork package to a Chinese fabricator, prompting a procurement challenge from the British Constructional Steelwork Association. BCSA argues UK plants have immediate capacity to deliver the work, which it says would support about 600 fabrication jobs for a year and avoid roughly 4,000 tonnes of CO₂ from shipping ready-fabricated steel from China. The contract decision sits with Technip Energies, EPC partner with GE Vernova and Balfour Beatty.

More than 30 construction workers have been suspended from Johnson Matthey’s £80m, government-backed hydrogen gigafactory site in Hertfordshire after refusing to work under what Unite describes as worsening dangerous conditions. Alleged breaches include no running water or heating, lack of cold-weather PPE, and inadequate ventilation while grinding paint containing carcinogens, with the site already shut for two weeks over health and safety concerns and Unite linking the situation to two suicides. Johnson Matthey, and contractors BGEN and Bilfinger, reject the claims, while Unite is pressing for immediate HSE intervention and site access.