Coffey Mining is observing a strong recovery in the South American market with many new mining projects under way. Chinese mining companies are driving unprecedented levels of investment in global mining markets such as Brazil. The development of mineral exploration in that nation, however, still faces some challenges.

Coffey Mining representatives discussed these challenges and offered solutions for the Brazilian mineral exploration market at the Brazilian Symposium of Mineral Exploration (SIMEXMIN), in May in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Midway Gold reported in late March that Barrick Gold has begun its 2010 drilling program at Midway’s Spring Valley project in Pershing County, Nevada, where Barrick is working under an earn-in agreement and option to joint venture signed in March 2009. Barrick has budgeted $5 million for its 2010 exploration program at Spring Valley. The program includes both reverse circulation and core drilling and is expected to last through the summer. The focus for this year’s program is continued expansion of the gold resource.

Meridian Minerals reports that re-examination of historic drill results at the Palijippa prospect on its Lennard Shelf project in the Kimberly region of Western Australia has identified a large inferred mineral resource of 2.62 million mt grading 5.4% zinc, 1.2% lead, and 33.6 g/mt silver above a combined 3% zinc-plus-lead cutoff.

Rubicon Minerals has outlined plans for a $60-million Phase II expansion of exploration programs at its Phoenix gold project in the Red Lake gold district of Ontario.