The end of the global diversified miner?

Mining contributed $50 billion to the country’s GDP in 2011, he said, and provides “well paying” jobs for more than 300,000 Canadians.

BHP's four largest projects – Olympic Dam, the Outer Harbour iron ore infrastructure project in Australia, expansion of its US shale gas operations and Jansen potash in Saskatchewan, Canada – require $120 billion in capex costs, but will only start to contribute to the bottom line by 2023.

Using the dismal science to make forecasts and taking risks with real money are two very different things. And the Brazilian giant is definitely putting its money where its mouth is.

More than one billion people watched the rescue of 33 Chilean miners from a collapsed mine in 2010. Today, one of them has decided to venture underground for the first time since the accident during a tour to a Saskatchewan potash mine.

Overall, only the stock indices of Spain and Portugal's top companies fared worse than Toronto's S&P/TSX-60. But in the group of resource-heavy exporting countries Canada's stock market came in stone last.

The $2.6 billion Qatari investment could provide Glencore CEO Ivan Glasenberg the necessary backing he needs to push through the deal which many Xstrata shareholders say sell them short.

The source of the surge in mining investment has been quite diverse, reflecting the widespread advance in prices. For 2012, gold leads the way with $3.6 billion of capital spending. But not far behind are copper-nickel-zinc mines at $3 billion, potash at $2.9 billion and iron ore at $2.7 billion as the Labrador Trough is developed.

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Recent potash contract placements by some of the world’s largest buyers have raised hopes of a resurgence in the fortunes of potash companies and their investors.