Geomechanics.io

AbraSilver Resource has reported its best intercept to date at the Teck-funded La Coipita copper-gold porphyry in San Juan, with hole DDH-LC26-010 cutting 747.5 m at 0.69% Cu, 0.06 g/t Au and 142 ppm Mo from 396 m, including 108 m at 1.06% Cu. A second mineralised centre at Yaretas Sur, 1.9 km south, returned 42 m at 1.03% Cu, 0.63 g/t Au and 41 g/t Ag from 264 m, supported by a new magnetotelluric survey suggesting southern extensions. Teck has now drilled 11,270 m in 19 holes and spent about US$23 million, exceeding the US$20 million earn-in threshold toward an 80–20 JV.

Surge Copper’s prefeasibility study for the Berg open pit in central British Columbia lifts post-tax NPV (8% discount) to C$4.6 billion and IRR to 24%, while doubling initial capex to C$4.7 billion compared with the 2023 PEA. The 28-year mine plan now targets 4.9 billion lb copper, 602 million lb molybdenum and 89 million oz silver, underpinned by 1.2 billion tonnes of proven and probable reserves grading 0.22% Cu, 0.026% Mo and 4.1 g/t Ag. Surge is advancing an Indigenous-led assessment with the Office of the Wet’suwet’en alongside permitting and design work.

Ucore Rare Metals has signed a framework agreement with Sumitomo Corp. to secure rare earth feedstock and offtake for Ucore’s Louisiana strategic metals complex (SMC) at England Airpark, Alexandria, which broke ground in May 2025 and will produce high-purity rare earth oxides from multiple global concentrate sources. The deal pairs Ucore’s RapidSX separation technology with Sumitomo’s sourcing, logistics and Japanese market access, with Sumitomo acting as distribution partner for selected middle and heavy rare earths for high-performance magnet and advanced materials users. Ucore also plans to integrate its 100%-controlled Bokan-Dotson Ridge heavy rare earth project in Alaska into this supply chain over the longer term.

Barminco has ordered a 23-unit Sandvik underground fleet for the Bellevue Gold project in Western Australia, comprising seven Toro TH663i trucks, six Toro LH517i loaders, five Sandvik DL432i longhole drills and five additional units yet to be specified. The order, booked in Sandvik’s June quarter 2026 intake, standardises production equipment around the i-series platform, simplifying parts, telemetry and control system integration. For mine planners and maintenance teams, the package signals a high-capacity truck–loader–drill combination geared to rapid ramp-up in a relatively deep, narrow-vein underground gold operation.

China Baowu and Rio Tinto have completed industrial-scale pelletisation and hydrogen-based shaft furnace trials at Baoshan Iron & Steel’s Zhanjiang operations using Rio Tinto’s Pilbara Blend fines. The campaign tested direct reduction-grade pellets in a shaft furnace charged with hydrogen-rich gas, aiming to validate lower-carbon ironmaking routes compatible with existing Baowu infrastructure. Results will inform process design for future DR-grade pellet plants and potential retrofits of blast furnace–basic oxygen furnace lines in China’s coastal steel hubs.

Ora Banda Mining has signed an EPC contract with GR Engineering Services to expand the Davyhurst processing plant in Western Australia to 3 Mt/y capacity under the Davyhurst Mill Expansion Project. GR Engineering, named preferred contractor in May 2026, will deliver detailed engineering, procurement and construction for the upgraded gold circuit, building on the existing Davyhurst mill footprint. The project signals further debottlenecking and throughput upgrades in the Eastern Goldfields, with design choices likely to focus on higher SAG/ball mill power draw and improved classification to sustain 3 Mt/y.

CSIRO has completed a world-first large-scale trial of high-efficiency catalytic ventilation air methane (VAM) abatement at South32’s GM3 Appin underground coal mine in southern New South Wales, using its CataVAM™ catalytic oxidation technology under full production conditions. The system targets the very low methane concentrations typical of mine ventilation exhaust, which are below the flammability limit and difficult to treat with conventional thermal oxidisers. Successful scale-up would allow integration with existing main fans to cut fugitive methane emissions from underground coal operations without major changes to mine layout.

Forsee Power is partnering with Wabtec to integrate its advanced battery systems into Wabtec’s battery-electric locomotive platforms, extending the technology first proven in Wabtec’s 2021 debut of the world’s first battery-electric freight loco. The collaboration targets heavy-haul freight applications, where high-energy, modular battery packs must withstand repeated deep cycling, vibration and thermal loads typical of long consists and harsh climates. For mine operators, this signals accelerating availability of battery-electric mainline and in-pit rail haulage options with zero local diesel emissions and lower ventilation demand.

Mining3 has partnered with project controls specialist InEight to deploy its integrated planning, cost management and risk tools across the CATCH4 (Catalytic Oxidation of Methane) Program, a multi-partner initiative targeting large-scale abatement of fugitive coal mine methane. The cloud-based InEight platform will be used to standardise scope, schedule and cost control across global pilot sites, improving governance of complex R&D, field trials and scale-up works. For engineers, this signals more rigorous stage-gate management, clearer CAPEX/OPEX tracking and better risk quantification on methane capture and oxidation projects.

Tungsten’s recent price spike, driven partly by defence-sector demand, is sharply increasing input costs for tungsten carbide drill bits that control development and production metres in both surface and underground mines. Sandvik, a major supplier of cemented carbide tools and top hammer and down-the-hole drilling systems, is being leaned on by miners to secure stable carbide supply and manage volatility in raw tungsten feedstock. The situation is likely to influence bit selection, drilling economics, and mine planning where high penetration rates and bit life are critical.

Sweden’s Land and Environmental Court has granted LKAB an environmental permit for continued and expanded iron ore mining at Malmberget in Gällivare, securing the regulatory basis for the 135‑year‑old underground operation. The decision enables LKAB to progress its long‑term transformation plans in the Gällivare industrial area, including higher production volumes and associated processing capacity linked to its transition towards fossil‑free iron ore products. Geotechnical and mine planners can now proceed with updated life‑of‑mine designs and ground control strategies under the new permit conditions.

Blockages in rigid 90° pipework carrying sulphuric-acid-treated mica slurry at Cornish Lithium’s Trelavour hard-rock lithium demonstration plant near St Austell have been resolved by replacing them with flexible Corroline+ hoses from Aflex Hose, part of Watson-Marlow. The PTFE-lined, corrosion-resistant hoses allow smoother routing and reduced sharp bends, cutting slurry build-up and unplanned downtime in the hydrometallurgical circuit. For process and plant engineers, the change points to simpler layouts, fewer fittings and easier maintenance in abrasive, acid leach slurry handling.

A National Precast Concrete Association Australia initiative has created an Australian-first, precast-specific Certificate III pathway for manufacturing workers, with South Australia the first state to adopt it. The qualification targets skills such as mould preparation, reinforcement fixing, concrete mix control and dimensional tolerances for factory-cast elements like bridge beams, culverts and wall panels. By formalising these competencies, producers gain a clearer framework for QA, safer lifting and handling practices, and more consistent compliance with AS 3850 and related precast installation standards.

Bitumen and fuel supply disruptions are prompting the Australian Flexible Pavement Association (AfPA) to coordinate public and private stakeholders to keep road construction and maintenance programmes operating. Australia’s historically narrow, locally tailored bitumen specifications are under review, with AfPA exploring broader performance‑based grades and alternative supply chains to reduce vulnerability to refinery closures and import constraints. Any shift in binder specifications will have direct implications for mix design, pavement performance modelling and quality control on both state highway and local council networks.

VEGA’s radar level and point level instruments are being used by Dutch floor screed manufacturer Quartzline in Dordrecht to continuously monitor raw material stocks in silos and storage vessels. Non-contact radar sensors and point level switches provide real-time data on resin, sand and filler levels, allowing tighter batching control and reducing manual silo checks and over-ordering. For materials and plant engineers, the case shows how robust level measurement in abrasive, dusty bulk environments can stabilise mix quality and cut inventory and production downtime.

Kalamazoo Resources’ initial assays from 16 holes in its 14,000m Mt Olympus resource definition drilling programme at the Ashburton gold project in Western Australia report multiple high‑grade intersections, including several over 10g/t Au, confirming continuity of the existing resource envelope. The results support Kalamazoo’s target of growing Ashburton beyond one million ounces, with mineralisation now traced both down‑dip and along strike from the current Mt Olympus pit shell. For mine planning and geotechnical teams, the data tighten grade distribution models and justify further step‑out drilling to test deeper, potentially underground‑amenable zones.

Rio Tinto and China Baowu have completed industrial-scale hydrogen-based direct reduction trials using Pilbara Blend iron ore in a shaft furnace, showing that the mid-grade (~62% Fe) Western Australian ore can achieve metallisation levels suitable for low-carbon DRI. Tests at Baowu’s Zhanjiang base used hydrogen-rich gas in place of coke-based reductants, validating pellet quality, sticking behaviour and gas utilisation under commercial conditions. The work signals that existing Pilbara ore supply chains could be adapted for hydrogen DRI routes, reducing dependence on high-grade (>67% Fe) ores.

Fortescue has signed new agreements with the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) Traditional Owners to expand co-management and Indigenous participation across its iron ore operations in the Pilbara, Western Australia. The PKKP people hold native title over a large portion of Fortescue’s mining and infrastructure footprint, including key pits, haul roads and associated rail and power corridors. The move signals tighter integration of cultural heritage governance into mine planning, approvals and day-to-day operational decision-making on PKKP country.

Western Australia is positioning itself as a gallium processing hub through a Curtin University–Nimy Resources research programme backed by $550,000 from the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia and co-funding from Nimy and Curtin’s Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Trailblazer. The work targets extraction of gallium as a by-product from existing orebodies, aiming to develop flowsheets that can be retrofitted to current concentrators rather than relying on greenfield plants. For miners and process engineers, the project signals future value-add options for low-concentration gallium streams within established base metal operations.

Mining3 has partnered with project controls software provider InEight to deliver its CATCH4 Program, a multi-year initiative targeting reduced methane and greenhouse gas emissions from underground coal mines. The collaboration will deploy InEight’s integrated planning, cost and risk tools across CATCH4 work packages to manage complex R&D, field trials and technology deployment, giving real-time visibility of schedule, budget and performance. For mine operators and METS partners, tighter digital controls over methane abatement projects should improve execution certainty, data quality and scalability of emissions-reduction technologies.

GMI Construction Group has broken ground on a 282,000 sq ft logistics and manufacturing facility expanding Cummins’ Darlington power systems campus onto a 5.38-hectare site at Ingenium Parc. The building will connect to existing engine manufacturing, assembly and testing operations and includes internal automated storage, ancillary office space and a large service yard with HGV circulation, dock levellers, dedicated lorry parking and more than 230 staff car spaces. Designed to operate either as an integrated extension or standalone unit, the scheme uses multi-facing brickwork, aluminium curtain wall glazing and composite cladding, with new access from Salters Lane and a landscaped biodiversity enhancement zone.

Approval has been granted for 236 new homes at Crescent Salford, designed by Buttress Architects for ECF, the partnership of Homes England, Legal & General and Muse. The residential phase forms part of the wider Crescent Salford regeneration being delivered with Salford City Council and the University of Salford, backed by Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Good Growth Fund. For civil and geotechnical teams, the scheme signals continued medium‑density urban housing demand on brownfield river‑adjacent land, with associated ground remediation, drainage and utilities coordination requirements.

Work has started on a £13.1m WB Property Group and Citizen scheme to deliver 47 affordable homes on a long-vacant brownfield site on Hagley Road, Edgbaston, comprising 37 flats and 10 rent-to-buy houses. Five flats will be for social rent, supported by the £40m West Midlands Social Housing Accelerator Fund launched by mayor Richard Parker in autumn 2023. The design incorporates living roofs on the apartment blocks, solar panels on townhouses, new tree planting and dedicated pedestrian routes, signalling higher environmental performance expectations for urban infill housing.

Murphy has built a carbon negative car park at its One Murphy Hub in Golborne using a new asphalt mix containing ACLA, a pyrolysed waste-biomass material supplied by Huyton Asphalt in collaboration with Tarmac and Low Carbon Materials. ACLA uses timber offcuts and surplus forestry products treated through pyrolysis to lock in carbon, with each tonne of ACLA permanently removing about 800kg CO₂e; since its March 2024 launch it has already accounted for roughly 820,000kg CO₂e removed. For civil and highways schemes, the project shows carbon-negative surfacing is now deployable at depot and car park scale using existing asphalt supply chains.