Faces of Mining
time consulting practice. I joined forces with Bob Trent and my son Kraig Hughes to form H2T Mine Engineering Services, LLP in 2007. This was to undertake a sig- nificant consulting effort for BP Ex - ploration on the North Slope to de- termine the feasibility of mining soft formation underground oil-bearing rocks. This was a fun project but failed to confirm feasibility of the concept. H2T undertook a feasibility of the PacRim Coal’s project in Cook Inlet. This was an intense investigation of the project’s viability. The recent de- pression in coal prices spelled demise for the project. As H2T we have undertaken a number of consulting projects, one of the most notable was to return to Valdez Creek in 2013 to provide con- sulting services to Valdez Creek Min- ing Company (VCM), not the original, but a New Jersey based company. VCM acquired claims on White Creek a left-limit tributary of Valdez Creek about 6 miles above the latter’s con-
fluence with the Susitna River. The company was intent on mining the very deep gold-bearing gravels in this drainage. The owner of VCM also created a company called World Class Mining Company to do hard rock ex- ploration in the Valdez Creek drain- age. VCM still placer mines, but the emphasis has shifted to successful- ly defining hard rock sources of the placer gold. I have undertaken a number of other consulting assignments and am currently involved with placer gold mining in the Brooks Range, with Nixon Fork tailings remediation and with a brief return to providing ad- vice for the Ryan Lode project. What lessons have you learned that you want to share with new miners? Hard work is gratifying and actu- ally becomes fun as it reaps rewards in the form of accomplishment and recognition for performance. Do not hesitate to reach out and do a job
FACES, CONTINUED from PAGE 16
was to define the resource and do a feasibility study of the project. We successfully demonstrated feasibility but ran out of money and discontin- ued the project. I returned to consulting until 2002 then joined Tricon Mining to run the Nolan Creek underground mining and milling operation. This was not a successful project. It was based on the unverified premise that the “old timers” had not mined the under- ground resource in a section of the creek. This was wrong. They were very thorough in their underground mining effort. I joined the State of Alaska as De- velopment Specialist in the Office of Economic Development in 2004. I worked there for six years and en- joyed the contacts, the travel to en- tice mining/exploration companies to Alaska and otherwise promote the mining industry here. I retired from the State in 2010 to return to a part-
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Advancing responsible mineral projects in the Arctic. Zinc (Zn) and Germanium (Ge) were recently added to the USGS Critical Minerals List. Both of these minerals are responsibly produced in the NANA region. Red Dog produces 80% of the nation’s zinc and 5% of the global demand. Supporting Livelihoods Clean Energy Technology
nana.com |
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The Alaska Miner
Spring 2023
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