Selected Readings in Mineral Economics

Selected Readings in Mineral Economics reviews the economic principles of mineral investment activities and mining decisions. Topics range from mineral reserves and exploration to the economics of mineral projects, taxation issues, and marketing and finance. This text is comprised of 27 chapters. After explaining the distinction between resources and reserves, this book proposes a concept of mineral reserves. The chapters that follow explore the conversion of resources into reserves through the exploration process, while focusing on the flow from resources to reserves and metal production based on the concept of the ""monitoring curve,"" along with the process of depletion and reserves replacement. The next section illustrates the range of issues associated with rational project evaluation in the minerals sector, considering the discounted cash flow techniques and option pricing as an approach to mine valuation. The effects of Canada's tax system on the mineral supply process are then examined, together with international mineral markets and finance. This text concludes with a chapter that analyzes financing methods for large-scale mining projects, including innovative methods of debt finance involving risk sharing. This book will be of interest to those working in the mining and metallurgical industries.