Morton Salt, Fairport Harbor, Ohio. Morton Salt has laid off 77 employees, 69 hourly and eight salaried, after ceasing mining at its Fairport Harbor salt mine under Lake Erie following a significant water inflow discovered on October 22. All workers were evacuated safely with no injuries, surface activity is severely limited, the company has called the event force majeure, and a WARN notice filed October 26 lists October 28 as the layoff date, with 60 days of pay in lieu of notice.
Resolute Mining, West Africa. Resolute poured 44,398 ounces of gold in the September quarter at an all in sustaining cost of 2,506 dollars an ounce, with Syama in Mali producing 31,777 ounces at 2,596 dollars after contractor, explosives supply and plant problems, and Mako in Senegal producing 12,621 ounces at 1,516 dollars. The company held revised 2026 guidance of 205,000 to 225,000 ounces, which requires a stronger fourth quarter, while Doropo in Côte d’Ivoire has about 315 million dollars, or 61 percent, of its 516 million dollar capital budget committed.
Implats, South Africa. Impala Platinum chief executive Nico Muller said annual contractual negotiations with core customers had reaffirmed increased demand for all of the group’s precious and base metal products in 2027, and that the PGM basket price remains robust despite higher volatility. Group 6E production dipped 3 percent in the September quarter to 854,000 ounces, while third party receipts rose 8 percent to 56,000 ounces.
Southern Palladium, South Africa. Southern Palladium said cash and term deposits of 20.06 million Australian dollars fund the Bengwenyama PGM chrome project through its definitive feasibility study and into early mine development preparations. The board has approved early box cut and decline work targeted for the first quarter of 2027, conditional on outstanding waste management and water use permits, following the updated prefeasibility study that put post tax net present value at 1.96 billion dollars.
Nigeria, illegal mining enforcement. Nigeria’s National Park Service said operations with the army shut two illegal mining sites in Gashaka Gumti National Park, across Taraba and Adamawa states, dislodging more than 4,000 miners, and that about 17 miners had been arrested in Rivers State. Conservator General Ibrahim Goni warned the country is losing close to 300 hectares of forest reserve a day and said enforcement needs alternative livelihoods to hold.
Uganda, licensing freeze. Uganda’s government has extended its mineral licensing freeze as it pushes local processing, allAfrica reported, following the original one month moratorium announced on August 28 to tighten oversight and curb speculative claims. By June 30 the ministry had granted 212 prospecting licences and 497 exploration licences, which is the backlog the review is meant to sort. This item is single sourced in this window and should be treated as reported, not confirmed.
EY, deposit quality. Mining.com carried EY analysis that critical minerals are getting harder to mine as deposits age, with declining grades and deeper, more complex orebodies raising capital intensity. The point is analytical rather than a single event, but it is the common thread behind this week’s cost stories at Island Gold, Mount Milligan and Syama.
Johannesburg, illegal gold. The Guardian reported on sinkholes, scarred land and scapegoating around illegal gold mining in Johannesburg, a reminder that South Africa’s artisanal mining problem is now an urban safety issue as well as a rural enforcement one. No new company exposure was identified in the reporting.