Ivanhoe Mines’ Kipushi Mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is arguably the world’s most spectacular, textbook example of an ultra-high-grade, zinc-dominant, pipe-like carbonate-hosted deposit.
It features an unprecedented average grade of over 35% Zinc over its initial production phases, anchored by the famous “Big Zinc” orebody.
For more on Deposit types, see the Toolkit:
Alluvial mining (or placer mining) is the extraction of valuable minerals, such as gold, diamonds, or tin, from sand, gravel, or silt deposits in riverbeds, floodplains, and beaches.
It uses water and gravity to separate heavy, weathered precious metals from lighter sediment, often making it more accessible and less capital-intensive than hard-rock mining.
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Underground mining is a method of extracting valuable ores and minerals from deep beneath the Earth’s surface by creating tunnels, shafts, and declines to access deposits, typically when they are too deep for open-cut methods.
This technique utilises specialised machinery to drill, blast, and transport ore to the surface while ensuring structural stability through supports.
There is some truth to this question. However, the reality is more complex. Brazil is indeed the largest producer of niobium, with about 90% of the total, with only a handful of producers; Canada follows well behind. Geology has blessed Brazil with the right geology to identify this metal and privately owned companies have been dominating the space for years.
Looking at mine supply, Brazil’s predominance is evident.
But that’s not the full story. There’s substantial growth ahead. Global niobium demand is rising, driven by its critical role in high-strength steel (52% consumption), aerospace superalloys, and emerging electric vehicle (EV) battery technologies. In 2024, the global market reached 13,379 tons and estimates see the market growing at a ~4-7% CAGR (2026–2035), potentially more than double to 29,267 tons by 2035. Key demand drivers include increased infrastructure spending, weight reduction in vehicles, and superior fast-charging capabilities in batteries.
On the price outlook, the niobium oxide market shows strong upward momentum. By 2035, high-purity Nb₂O₅ is forecast to reach USD 90–100 per kg, reflecting premium demand in batteries, optics, and semiconductors. Standard-grade Nb₂O₅ is projected in the USD 45–60 per kg range, supported by alloy and metallurgy applications.
Some key regions are shown in this map, for both supply and demand.
These conditions have opened the door to new entrants and are fueling interest in listed equities focused on niobium. Part of this renewed interest comes from niobium’s relationship with rare earths, as these elements are often occur together in various deposit types/mineralisation.
Among listed peers, we can mention:
Sources: WA1 Resources, SFA research, Globe Metals.
Please note these answers provide guidance, are educational in nature, and are not a recommendation to buy any specific securities. See the disclaimer below for more important information.
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A scoping study in mining is the initial, high-level evaluation of a project’s potential economic, technical, and environmental viability, determining if it warrants further investment.
It assesses the feasibility of extracting mineral resources, often using “back-of-the-napkin” calculations, conceptual models, and early-stage data to estimate project scale, costs, and risks.
These studies are typically conducted before a PEA.
VMS are vital sources of copper, zinc, lead, gold, and silver. They form on or near the sea floor by hydrothermal activity in submarine volcanic environments. These often high-grade, polymetallic deposits form as layers or lenses of sulphide minerals, frequently associated with modern or ancient “black smokers”.
In terms of minerals, these deposits are primarily composed of iron sulphides (pyrite, pyrrhotite) along with chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and galena.
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A SEDEX deposit (Sedimentary Exhalative) is a major type of ore deposit, primarily zinc, lead, and silver, formed by mineral-rich, hot water (hydrothermal fluids) emerging from deep within sedimentary basins onto the seafloor, precipitating metals as layered sulfides with sediments.
Iron Oxide Copper-Gold (IOCG) deposits are major, diverse mineral deposits rich in copper (Cu), gold (Au), and often uranium (U), characterized by abundant iron oxides (magnetite/hematite). They are a globally significant source for these metals plus other critical elements like REEs and Cobalt.
Gold + silver deposits formed 5-10km below the surface, with moderate to high grades. A type of hydrothermal deposit. also called orogenic, greenstone-hosted and shear-zone hosted.
More than 75% of the gold recovered by humans through history belongs to this class of deposits.
Maiden drilling seeks to assess the presence of mineralisation in greenfield areas, most often a new project.
Thus, risk is higher in this type of drilling as the goal is to further understand a relatively unknown region or project that has not seen any previous drilling or only contains limited historical indications.
Infill drilling involves drilling new wells in between existing ones to increase the density of wells in an oil field or mining project.
This practice is used in resource extraction to improve the accuracy and confidence of resource modelling and estimates, and is especially useful during economic studies.
In O&G, also used to increase production, or accelerate it by enhancing the connectivity between injection and production wells.
Rare earths are a group of 17 metallic elements in the periodic table: the 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium. Although they are called “rare,” they are not particularly rare in terms of abundance; the name comes from the difficulty of extracting them in high enough concentrations to be commercially viable.
These elements have unique magnetic, optical, and catalytic properties that make them essential for many modern technologies, such as electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and advanced medical equipment.
An open pit is a large-scale excavation used in open-pit mining, a surface mining method for extracting rock or minerals located near the surface.
This technique involves creating a large open hole, often with a series of horizontal benches, to remove deposits by digging and hauling away large quantities of earth, or “overburden,” to expose the desired ore. It’s the most common method for extracting materials like metallic ores (copper, iron) and nonmetallic resources (coal, uranium) that are close to the surface.
Refers to the secondary enrichment of mineral deposits, where naturally occurring geological processes concentrate valuable metals and elements closer to the Earth’s surface.
For more, check this Toolkit section:
Porphyry copper deposits are ore bodies formed from hydrothermal fluids that originate from a voluminous magma chamber several kilometres below the deposit itself. They are the main source of copper globally.
For more, check this Toolkit section:
The deposition of minerals, often of economically valuable metals, into rocks, forming ore bodies or lodes.
For instance, hydrothermal deposition, where minerals are carried by hot fluids and deposited in fractures, or through replacement processes, creating a gold deposit. The outcome of this process is an accumulation of concentrated minerals that may have commercial value, precisely due to this concentration.
Pegmatites are extreme igneous rocks that form during the final stage of a magma’s crystallisation.
To be called a “pegmatite,” a rock should be composed almost entirely of crystals that are at least one centimetre in diameter. The name “pegmatite” has nothing to do with the mineral composition of the rock.
Pegmatites are economically important because they can host a wide range of minerals, serving as primary commercial sources for lithium, beryllium, tantalum, niobium, feldspar, mica, and various gemstones.
A PEA study can be defined as a Preliminary Economic Assessment, a high-level initial study in the mining and resource sector to determine if a project is potentially viable.
Purpose: To assess a mineral resource project’s potential economic viability by providing an initial technical and economic snapshot.
Nature: It is preliminary and based on initial data, which includes Inferred Mineral Resources that are too speculative to have economic considerations applied to them to be converted to Mineral Reserves.
Outcome: A PEA helps determine if a project warrants further, more detailed studies, such as Pre-Feasibility Studies and Feasibility Studies.
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A cut-off grade is the minimum grade of mineralisation required for a material to be considered economically viable to mine and process in a mining operation
Material above this threshold is classified as “ore,” while material below it is considered “waste” or “gangue”. This critical economic concept determines which parts of a mineral deposit are included in resource estimates, influencing profitability, operational costs, market prices, and resource recovery rates.
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In mining, tonnage refers to the mass or weight of ore (or other mined material) that is extracted and processed.
It’s a crucial metric for assessing the size and potential value of a mineral deposit, and for planning and managing mining operations. Tonnage is often reported alongside the grade (concentration of the valuable metal or mineral) and cut-off grade (minimum grade for profitable extraction).
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