March 27, 2021

Graphite One: America’s climate plan comes down to building domestic critical mineral supply

The common denominator for each countries climate action plan is electric vehicles; that’s easy to identify. But whether economies can acquire sufficient raw materials to reach “full electrification” is another story — it's a problem that has yet to be solved.

For years, the US has been heavily reliant on foreign supply of minerals required for key areas such as national defense, electronics and medical equipment, and its EV sector is no different.

Under Trump’s executive order (September 2020), graphite was identified as one of four minerals considered essential to the nation’s “national security, foreign policy and economy.”
March 25, 2021

Max’s success at CESAR points to rich copper-silver district in Colombia

Max Resource Corp (TSXV:MXR, OTC:MXROF, Frankfurt: M1D2) continues to make good progress at its CESAR copper-silver project in Colombia, this week announcing high-grade results from the CONEJO discovery at CESAR North

Highlight assays greater than 9% copper and 50 grams per tonne (g/t) silver included 12.5% copper + 83.5 g/t silver over 5X5 meters; 10.4% copper + 95 g/t silver over 5 meters by 5 meters; 10.5% copper + 50.1 g/t silver over 3X2 meters; and 9.5% copper + 120 g/t silver over 1 meter by 1 meter.
March 25, 2021

ZincX Resources: Critical state of zinc mineral supply places Akie project in spotlight

Unsurprisingly, many of the base metals, which are invaluable to many sectors of the global economy, are found within Canada’s critical minerals list. Among them is zinc, an essential ingredient used to build our roads, bridges, buildings, and cars.

The Akie property is an advanced exploration project with drill indicated resources owned by Vancouver’s ZincX Resources Corp. (TSXV: ZNX).
March 23, 2021

Competition for energy and battery metals intensifying

Goldman Sachs says that the next structural bull market for commodities will be driven by spending on green energy.

The fossil-fueled based transportation system needs to be electrified, and the switch must be made from oil, gas, and coal-powered power plants to those which run on solar, wind and thorium-produced nuclear energy. If we have any hope of cleaning up the planet, before the point of no return, a massive decarbonization needs to take place.

In a recent report, commodities consultancy Wood Mackenzie said an investment of over $1 trillion will be required in key energy transition metals over the next 15 years, just to meet the growing needs of decarbonization.
March 21, 2021

Arctic mines face thawing permafrost disaster

The thawing of permafrost is yet another manifestation of climate change, that populations living near it will have to deal with in the coming decades as global warming accelerates, particularly in the polar regions

Mining is often deemed complicit in the rise of greenhouse gas emissions, given its use of heavy machinery and ground disturbance, but in this case, in areas where the ground is permanently frozen but starting to thaw, operations can be negatively impacted, and big miners are having to shell out millions. We have seen the implications of thawing permafrost at Teck’s Red Dog Mine in Alaska, and at Norilsk Nickel’s Oktyabrsky and Taimyrsky mines in Siberia.

The problem is not going away; in fact, there is every indication it will get worse.
March 19, 2021

Tinka adds Nexa Resources to share register; Ayawilca showing high-grade zinc promise

Peru-focused Tinka Resources (TSXV:TK, OTCP:TKRFF) has the backing of a major player in the Peruvian zinc and silver market, adding significant heft to its flagship Ayawilca zinc-silver play.

Nexa Resources (TSX:NEXA), one of the world’s largest zinc producers, and owner of the only zinc smelter in Peru, purchased 28.895 million common shares from an arms-length shareholder, giving the Luxembourg-based firm an 8.8% stake in Tinka.

The transaction means Tinka Resources now has two major miners as shareholders — the other being Buenaventura SA (NYSE:BVN) — along with JP Morgan UK.
March 16, 2021

Call for domestic mining of critical minerals is finally being answered

North America relies heavily on foreign supplies of critical minerals — the raw materials it needs to become a leader in high technology, transportation, energy, and defense. Materials like lithium, graphite, and tin.

For years, the United States and Canada did not bother to explore for these minerals and build mines. Globalization brought with it the mentality that all countries are free traders, and friends. Dirty mining and processing? NIMBY. Let China do it, let the DRC do it, let whoever do it.

China recognized opportunity knocking and answered the door
March 12, 2021

Renforth excites market with high-grade gold intercept

Renforth Resources (CSE:RFR, OTC:RFHRF, WKN:A2H9TN) continues to make good progress on its Parbec gold project in Quebec, releasing a cache of drill results to the market on Tuesday, March 9.

The highlight from was 21.45 meters grading 5.57 grams per tonne (g/t) gold, between 254.8m and 276.2m meters in hole PAR-20-112. Two higher-grade sub intervals returned 6.27 g/t Au over 16.7m and 37.3 g/t Au over 1m.
March 12, 2021

Copper shortage narrative goes mainstream

Mainstream media and the large mining companies are finally catching on to what we at AOTH have been saying for the past two years: the copper market is heading for a severe supply shortage due to a perfect storm of under-exploration/ lack of discovery of new deposits, clashing with a huge increase in demand due to electrification and decarbonization.

Copper is trading over $4.00 a pound this year on rapidly tightening physical markets, rebounding economic growth especially in China, the top metals consumer, and the expectation that the era of low inflation in key economies may soon be over.
March 9, 2021

Cashed-up Victory Resources ready to go to work at Loner, Mal-Wen properties

Flush from a recent financing, and with a drill permit in hand, Victory Resources Corp. (CSE:VR, FWB: VR61, OTC:VRCFF) is preparing to drill its two flagship properties, Loner in Nevada and Mal-Wen in south-central British Columbia.

Consistently ranked among the best regions in the world for gold exploration, the western state of Nevada offers a low-risk, high-reward opportunity for gold juniors.

March 6, 2021

Lithium prices take off, graphite demand to surge 9X on EV battery growth

Currently, only 1% of the world’s vehicles are electric, but by 2030 they are expected to represent about 11% of new car sales, according to commodities consultant Wood Mackenzie.

Like lithium, graphite is indispensable to the global shift towards electric vehicles; it is the second-largest component in lithium-ion batteries by weight, with each EV containing between 40 and 60 kg of material.
March 6, 2021

Biden’s massive infrastructure plan might be expensive but well worth it

Is America’s infrastructure spending worth it? So far, the answer would lean towards a yes.

A report published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) this week has validated the nation’s recent success in improving its infrastructure, while justifying the need for additional government spending.
March 5, 2021

Max Resource’s district-scale CESAR project offers significant exposure to critical metals

The exploration success accumulated by Max Resource Corp. (TSX.V: MXR; OTC: MXROF; Frankfurt: M1D2) over the past year has not gone unrecognized.

Recently, the company was named one of the top 10 performing mining stocks in the 2021 TSX Venture 50, having seen its value increase more than three-fold over the past year. The TSX Venture 50 ranks the top 50 stocks from over 1,600 companies listed on the TSX Venture Exchange.

Last year’s winners included well-recognized names such as K92 Mining Inc., Great Bear Resources Ltd. and Discovery Metals Corp. Some of these have gone on to become billion-dollar market cap companies.
February 26, 2021

Graphite One Secures C$10 Million in Financings to Advance Graphite Supply Chain Project

2021.02.26 Looking to advance what would be an integral part of the US […]
February 23, 2021

Commodities and soon Juniors in vogue

2021.02.23 Gold and copper are up, the dollar is down, and bond yields […]
February 10, 2021

Nickel, graphite to benefit from explosive growth in battery storage market

2021.02.10 The challenges most countries are facing right now are daunting. Not only […]
November 14, 2020

US stands to gain from Chile’s lithium restrictions

2020.11.14 Everybody in the lithium game knows about the lithium triangle. Straddling three […]
October 10, 2020
Graphene molecular nano

America’s graphite vulnerability

2020.10.10 At Ahead of the Herd we’re invested in metals necessary for the […]
July 25, 2020

Why copper supply is the biggest roadblock to a clean energy future

2020.07.25 Nothing glitters like gold but it’s copper that literally makes the world […]
July 17, 2020

As palladium market sizzles, PDM ready to drill LK project

2020.07.17 Palladium prices have slipped back a bit since the pre-pandemic record high […]
July 9, 2020

Asset investing in Freegold and Cypress

2020.07.09 Are you a speculator or an investor?  A lot of people new […]
June 9, 2020

America’s much needed lithium mine

2020.06.09 Things are looking up in the lithium market and producers of the […]
May 16, 2020

Cypress Development Corp. (TSX.V:CYP) Clayton Valley Lithium Project versus Chinese LCE/ EV battery supply

2020.05.16 The pause in industrial activity brought about by the covid-19 crisis has […]
February 12, 2020

The DRC just turned the screws on cobalt supply

2020.02.12 The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is finally doing something about cobalt […]
February 5, 2020

Coronavirus and the vulnerability of critical mineral supply chains

2020.02.05 Just in time (JIT) is an inventory system designed to efficiently match […]
January 28, 2020

EV predictions show strained metals supply

2020.01.28 One of the most prevalent current trends concerning mined commodities is the […]
December 14, 2019

Demand for battery metals strong despite weak EV sales

2019.12.14 For all the hype over electric vehicles and their relentlessly optimistic growth […]
November 13, 2019

Over-supplied lithium unlikely to happen to nickel

2019.11.13 An irrefutable truth right now is the global shift towards the electrification […]
November 6, 2019

Australian lithium mines not viable at current prices

2019.11.06 Australia’s Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) said last week it is pausing operations at its […]
October 17, 2019

Building America’s mine to battery to EV supply chain

2019.10.17 In 2010 the US Department of Energy’s Critical Materials Strategy included lithium as one […]
September 28, 2019

Why America’s critical minerals strategy is doomed to fail

2019.09.28 Donald Trump started a trade war with China thinking, obviously, that his […]
May 22, 2019

Trade war will hasten bull market for rare earths

2019.05.22 When the Canadian prime minister or US president visits an auto plant, […]
May 11, 2019

Trade impasse threatens US lithium, rare earth imports

2019.05.11 On Friday the United States made good on its threat to ratchet […]
April 17, 2019

EVs get a boost from Big Auto

2019.04.17 Is the age of the gas-powered automobile coming to an end? Doubtful. […]
March 30, 2019

EV and lithium battery markets to experience significant growth

2019.03.30 In North America, electric vehicles are still a niche market, with most […]
February 23, 2019

Called for lithium tsunami cancelled

2019.02.23 The prevailing theme for the lithium market over the past several months […]
February 16, 2019

Chilean water fight casts doubt on ‘Saudi Arabia of lithium’

2019.02.16 Everybody in the lithium game knows about the lithium triangle. Straddling three […]
February 14, 2019

Where will the US get its lithium from?

2019.02.14 The lithium bears took another bullet to the backside on Tuesday with […]
February 6, 2019

We have a problem, spodumene

2019.02.06 Over the next four years, lithium from Western Australia is expected to […]
January 29, 2019

Top down bottom up on lithium

2019.01.29 Remember playing that game to see how fast your muscle car could […]
January 15, 2019

Volkswagen to drag Tesla, making EVs in Tennessee

2019.01.15 Watch out Elon Musk, Herbert Diess is pulling up beside you at […]
January 11, 2019

Lithium-ion batteries to become cheapest form of energy storage by 2030

2019.01.11 Lithium-ion batteries find their most common applications in small electric devices, power […]
January 8, 2019

Rare earths deja vu: Chinese crackdown = higher prices

2019.01.08 In a scene awfully familiar to those who follow the rare earths […]
January 8, 2019

Rare earths deja vu: Chinese crackdown = higher prices

2019.01.08 In a scene awfully familiar to those who follow the rare earths […]
November 27, 2018

Cypress Development PEA shows rare earth recovery potential

2018.11.27 The devil, or should we say the dollars, are in the details. […]
November 24, 2018

Copper fundamentals still solid

2018.11.24 As an investment commodity, we’ve been writing about copper for a long […]
November 3, 2018

A Beautiful Mine

2018.11.03 At the Beijing Auto Show this year, 7 out of 10 “new […]
November 3, 2018

Building the most critical metals mine in America

2018.11.03 In the movie Avatar, humans have depleted their natural resources to the point […]
November 3, 2018

The US needs Cypress’s lithium

2018.11.03 On June 11 Cypress Development Corp (TSXV:CYP) published its resource estimate for its […]
November 2, 2018

China will become more copper-hungry

2018.11.02 China is already the world’s biggest copper buyer, representing half of global […]
November 1, 2018

Why the lithium bears are wrong

2018.11.01 Economics has been called “the dismal science” for its conclusions which often […]
October 19, 2018

Building the most critical metals mine in America

2018.10.19 In the movie Avatar, humans have depleted their natural resources to the point […]
October 13, 2018

Rare earths in the cross-hairs of new high-tech arms race

2018.10.13 A decision by the Chinese government to slash production of rare earth […]
August 9, 2018

Cypress closing in on billion-ton resource in Nevada’s Clayton Valley

2018.08.09 As interest in battery metals continues (it was a major theme at […]
January 12, 2018

How China is locking up critical resources in the US’s own backyard

2018.01.12 In the 1800’s the United States under President James Monroe invoked the […]
January 12, 2018

Lithium Supercycle

2018.01.12 The truth, in regards to the world’s mineral resources, is that we […]
October 23, 2017

Vanadium: The Metal We Can’t Do Without And Don’t Produce

2017.10.23 From swords to jet engines  One of the world’s least known metals […]
October 16, 2017

Lithium Supercycle

2017.10.16 The truth, in regards to the world’s mineral resources, is that we […]
September 17, 2017

Lithium ABC’s

2017-09-17 The Puna plateau sits at an elevation of 4,000m, stretches for 1800 […]
April 8, 2017

From Mine To Battery

2017.04.08 Four minerals – chromium, cobalt, manganese and the platinum group metals (PGM) […]
January 1, 1970

Chilean water fight casts doubt on ‘Saudi Arabia of lithium’

As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man […]
January 1, 1970

Exploding Demand for Lithium-ion EV Batteries Puts Cypress Development Corp. In The Driver’s Seat

2018.11.10   In the last 25 years, Lithium-ion batteries have become essential to […]
January 1, 1970

How the US lost the plot on rare earths

On Wednesday morning, a rocket blasted off from Blue Origin’s West Texas facility […]
January 1, 1970

Pentagon missile-making plan is perplexing

Barely a month after threatening to withdraw from the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty […]
January 1, 1970

Permanent magnets primer

Anyone with a passing interest in renewable energy, consumer electronics or electric vehicles […]
January 1, 1970

Cobalt

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is finally doing something about cobalt mining, […]
January 1, 1970

The Most Beautiful Metal

2017.02.23 Vanadium is a soft, silvery gray, ductile transition metal and is the […]