Geomechanics.io

Vizsla Silver has secured a 173 million peso (≈$10 million) five-year working capital facility from Mexican state-backed lender FIFOMI for its Panuco silver-gold project in Sinaloa, priced at the TIIE rate plus a 4.6681% margin. Panuco hosts over 102 million oz silver and 829,000 oz gold in reserves, with a feasibility study projecting 17.4 million oz silver-equivalent output per year over 9.4 years, an after-tax NPV5 of $1.8 billion, 111% IRR and a seven-month payback. Shares rose 2.6%, valuing Vizsla at C$1.78 billion.

A resource update at First Phosphate’s Bégin-Lamarche project in northeastern Quebec has lifted indicated resources more than fourfold to 198.5 million pit-constrained tonnes at 6% P2O5, added 6.2 million measured tonnes at 7.7% P2O5, and cut inferred resources to 89.5 million tonnes at 6.16% P2O5 from 68,345 metres of drilling in 276 holes. Metallurgical tests show a 40.4% apatite concentrate, supporting plans for a 10,000‑tonne‑per‑year iron phosphate plant and a proposed phosphoric acid facility near the deep-water Port of Saguenay, 70 km away.

The US and India have signed a bilateral critical minerals framework, building on February’s launch of the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE) in Washington, to secure mining and processing supply chains against single-source monopolies and coercive market practices. India, which officially designates 30 critical minerals and holds an estimated 13 million tonnes of monazite, currently produces only copper, graphite, phosphorous and titanium at scale, signalling substantial greenfield and processing opportunities. Parallel Quad and prospective Russia pacts position India as a multi-aligned hub for rare earths and battery-metal projects.

ArcelorMittal Exploitation Minière Canada has been fined C$100 million, the largest penalty ever under Canada’s Fisheries Act, after pleading guilty to 100 counts for discharging low‑pH effluents and waters with elevated zinc, nickel and suspended solids from its Mont‑Wright and Fire Lake iron ore operations between 2014 and 2022. Nearly C$250,000 in investigation costs must also be repaid, and a detailed effluent and mine drainage management plan for both complexes is due to federal enforcement officers by mid‑February 2027. The company says it has since invested over C$400 million in permanent water control and treatment infrastructure.

New South Wales has approved RZ Resources’ A$693 million Copi mineral sands mine, designed to produce up to 400,000 tonnes of critical mineral ore per year over an 18‑year life from a deposit 75 km northwest of Wentworth. The operation will supply titanium minerals (rutile, leucoxene, ilmenite), premium zircon and rare earths (monazite, xenotime), feeding RZ’s existing mineral separation plant on the Brisbane River, the only major facility of its type on Australia’s east coast. Backing from JX Advanced Metals, Marubeni and prospective US EXIM financing signals strong geopolitical interest in Copi’s role in Quad-aligned supply chains.

Arca Technologies has secured up to C$2 million from NRC IRAP’s Clean Tech initiative towards a C$7.4 million project to move its mineral activation and engineered carbonation processes from lab to field scale, targeting alkaline wastes such as mine tailings and steel slag. The company will design containerised, field‑deployable mineralisation units and prepare a first‑of‑kind industrial pilot, billed as the first field‑scale system to accelerate carbon mineralisation in mine waste. Commercial traction includes a 10‑year offtake with Microsoft for nearly 300,000 tonnes of CO₂ removal and an early pre‑purchase from Frontier.

Recent high-rise construction in South Florida is driving demand for deep foundations in karstic limestone, with Keller using large-diameter drilled shafts and augered cast-in-place piles to control settlement in weak, highly variable strata. The DFI Deep Foundations Magazine feature by Michael Meneses, Will Burgos, and James Hussin details case histories where groundwater levels near sea level, aggressive chloride environments, and strict lateral deflection limits governed design. For practitioners, the projects emphasise rigorous geotechnical characterisation, corrosion protection strategies, and construction QA/QC to manage risk in coastal high-rise work.

Keller North America has expanded its field engineer / project engineer development programme after a successful pilot, formalising a structured path from site-based roles into project management and technical leadership. The scheme combines intensive on-the-job training on ground improvement and deep foundation projects with rotations through estimating, design, and operations, exposing graduates to tools such as geotechnical instrumentation, grout mix design, and pile load testing. For contractors and clients, the move signals a pipeline of early-career engineers with stronger design–build integration skills and site-ready competence.

Rocscience has launched Support Designer in Slide2, allowing engineers to specify a target factor of safety for slope or excavation models and automatically compute required support parameters such as bolt length, spacing, and capacity. The tool works with limit equilibrium analyses, adjusting support patterns to meet user-defined FoS rather than relying on manual trial‑and‑error iterations. This shift to target‑driven design could tighten geotechnical optimisation workflows, particularly for complex reinforced slopes, retaining structures, and underground excavations.

Sandvik has launched AutoMine® Aura, a new underground mining automation platform described as the biggest upgrade to AutoMine® in over 20 years and engineered to provide full situational awareness across fleets. The system overhauls every layer of the existing AutoMine® stack, integrating data from multiple sensors and machines into a unified control environment to support autonomous loading, hauling and drilling. For mine operators, the platform signals a shift towards more tightly integrated, multi-equipment automation architectures that depend on robust underground communications and high-fidelity environmental modelling.

Metso is rolling out a next-generation single-pass process to convert spodumene concentrate directly into battery-grade lithium carbonate, targeting higher yield and lower operating costs than conventional multi-stage routes. The flowsheet is designed as a continuous, single-pass circuit rather than batch leaching and multiple crystallisation steps, cutting thermal and reagent demand and reducing waste streams. For lithium project developers, this offers a compact, integrated plant option that can simplify permitting, shrink footprint and potentially improve project economics for hard-rock spodumene deposits.

Mineral Resources has taken Final Investment Decision to expand the Mt Marion lithium operation at Karramindie, Western Australia, with joint venture partner Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium, adding a new flotation plant and transitioning to include underground mining. The project will shift the site from a solely open-pit, DMS-focused operation towards higher-recovery concentrator flowsheets more typical of hard-rock spodumene plants. For geotechnical and mining teams, underground development will require new ground control regimes, revised dewatering strategies and re-optimised ore scheduling around the expanded processing capacity.

Sandvik’s 2024 acquisition of Universal Field Robots is extending its AutoMine® automation platform beyond underground loaders and trucks to include UFR’s diesel and battery-electric robotic carriers for tasks such as explosives loading, scaling and secondary break. Integration work is targeting AutoMine-compatible control of UFR machines via Sandvik’s existing automation infrastructure, including shared navigation, collision avoidance and traffic management. For mine operators, this points to a single automation layer coordinating production fleets and specialised robotic carriers in high-risk areas like drawpoints, crusher chambers and brow headings.

Haultrax has doubled active site deployments of its mining fleet management system since unveiling a new commercial model, redesigned user interface and system enhancements at IMARC 2025, with further rollouts already scheduled. The updated FMS targets faster onboarding and lower upfront cost, aiming to displace spreadsheet- and radio-based dispatch with tablet-driven in-cab units and real-time haulage data. For mine operators, the rapid uptake signals growing appetite for lightweight FMS deployments that can be implemented without full OEM control system overhauls.

Epiroc has signed a global strategic partnership with SANY Group to jointly target mining and infrastructure projects by combining Epiroc’s hydraulic breakers and related rock excavation tools with SANY’s excavators and other heavy equipment. The agreement focuses on cross-brand product packages and coordinated sales in selected markets, positioning the pair to offer integrated fleets rather than standalone machines. For mine operators and contractors, this could simplify procurement, improve attachment–carrier compatibility, and support more standardised maintenance regimes across mixed equipment fleets.

Volvo Construction Equipment and Hitachi Energy have signed an MoU to jointly develop end-to-end electrified solutions for zero-emission quarrying and construction sites, combining battery-electric and hybrid machines with grid-connected and off-grid power systems. The partnership will integrate clean power supply, mobile charging infrastructure and site-level energy management to match high-load equipment cycles and variable grid capacity. For mine and quarry operators, this points to packaged designs where fleet electrification, substation design and microgrid control are engineered together rather than as separate procurements.

Tasmania’s Government has let a contract to dismantle and compact the early‑20th‑century Goods Shed at Macquarie Point to clear the site for a $1.13 billion multi‑purpose stadium in Hobart. The former rail and port freight hub will be packed down to formation level, providing a prepared platform for the stadium’s deep foundations, services corridors and future transport interfaces. Geotechnical teams will need to manage demolition spoil, variable fill and potential contamination typical of historic industrial waterfronts before main works can proceed.

The $164 million upgrade of the Jervis Bay Road–Princes Highway intersection on the NSW South Coast reaches a key milestone on 1 June, when a new flyover bridge opens to traffic. The grade-separated structure removes the existing at‑grade conflict at this main access point to Jervis Bay and nearby coastal communities, targeting current crash risks and peak‑holiday queuing. Remaining works will focus on final tie‑ins, local road adjustments and finishing drainage and pavement to fully integrate the new bridge into the highway network.

Arafura Rare Earths has secured $350 million in commitments via a two‑tranche institutional placement of about 1.3462 billion new fully paid ordinary shares, days after the final investment decision for its Nolans rare earths project in the Northern Territory. The raise lifts forecast cash to roughly $1.341 billion, strengthening funding for Nolans’ integrated rare earths mine and processing plant targeting neodymium‑praseodymium oxide. For mining contractors and process plant suppliers, the enlarged balance sheet signals imminent procurement and construction activity on a large greenfield rare earths operation.

Greatland Resources has secured both Western Australian and federal primary environmental approvals for its Havieron underground gold–copper project, clearing a key regulatory hurdle ahead of a planned final investment decision later in 2025. The permits cover mine development and associated surface infrastructure tied to the nearby Telfer processing hub, enabling Greatland to progress detailed engineering, financing and long-lead procurement. For geotechnical and mining teams, the decision signals that decline development, underground stoping design and integration with existing Telfer plant capacity can now move from concept to execution planning.

Completion of the $19.1 million East Kimberley Regional Airport runway extension in Kununurra increases freight capacity and improves access for FIFO workforces servicing nearby mining operations. Delivered through a funding partnership between the Federal Government, Western Australian Government and the Shire of Wyndham–East Kimberley, the longer runway can now accommodate larger jet aircraft and heavier payloads. For miners in the East Kimberley, this reduces logistics constraints on high-value, time‑sensitive cargo and offers more reliable all‑weather access to remote sites.

Laing O’Rourke has begun main construction of the Sussex Cancer Centre for University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust on a site adjacent to the existing Louisa Martindale Building, which the contractor delivered in 2013. Designed in close collaboration with NHS clinicians and current patients, the building layout is being tailored around treatment flows and staff workflows rather than retrofitting services into a generic hospital shell. The completed facility will consolidate modern cancer treatments, advanced imaging and radiotherapy technology, and contemporary clinical practice into a single specialist centre.

CIRIA has issued a Good practice guide for managing climate change and extreme weather in land development, the first UK guidance to directly link projected climate impacts with physical changes in geotechnical and geoenvironmental conditions across the full project life cycle. Trigger events cited include the 2022 heatwave, which generated 23,000 subsidence claims and an estimated £219m payout by ABI members, and Storm Babet’s 2023 bridge collapses. The two-part guide combines current climate–geo risk knowledge with a practical framework, diagrams, tools, and case studies to structure consistent assessment of shrink–swell, flooding, groundwater shifts, and landslides.

JCB will debut its largest X Series machine, the new 50‑tonne 520X crawler excavator, at Hillhead in June, alongside the 40‑tonne 420X, both aimed at mass excavation, aggregate extraction, demolition and crusher loading as an expansion of its Heavyline range. The stand will also feature the new VM138D single drum soil compactor and the 9T Dual Drive site dumper, which uses a rotatable seat and control console derived from JCB’s Dual Drive backhoe loader to maintain forward-facing operation. JCB will additionally preview the compact 715 articulated dump truck, offering a 12,750kg payload for off-road haul cycles.