No more easy gold discoveries

Canada-based Nautilus Minerals Inc. announced today that its common shares are now trading on the OTCQX International for greater access to the U.S. capital markets.

Ecuador needs at least 300 mining engineers and geologists in the near future to be able to deliver on its recent mining contracts, but only about 40 such professionals graduate annually from six universities that offer those programs, according to the agency that regulates Ecuador’s mining industry.

Lower ore grades at its flagship Red Lake Mine in Ontario did not prevent Goldcorp (TSX:G) from achieving a $479 million profit in the first quarter.

Patagonia Gold (LON:PGD) (TSX:PAT), an Argentina-focused gold and silver producer, said today it achieved rapid progress in 2011 and is on track towards its goal of producing 200,000 ounces of gold per year by 2015.

Canadian junior mineral exploration and development company Westridge Resources (TSX-V:WST) is living up to its ‘Midas’ touch’ reputation among market watchers, after the company announced today it has extended high grades in the El Padre Vein, at its Charay Project in Mexico.

Despite growth in investment demand, Haywood Securities' Chris Thompson says silver remains "very much an industrial metal."

World number one miner BHP Billiton on Monday bought five additional exploration plots near its giant Olympic Dam mine and expansion project, destined to become the world's largest open pit.

"The quality of this relationship with China's largest importer of copper concentrates provides further evidence that there is considerable interest in the high grade massive sulphides being found by the emerging seafloor resource production industry," said Nautilus CEO Stephen Rogers.

SilverCrest Mines jumped as much as 9% on Thursday on higher than usual trading volumes, after announcing silver production doubled and gold output tripled at its Santa Elena mine in Mexico.