Heatherdale Resources announced that it has closed the previously announced non-brokered private placement of 11,314,255 units of its capital at a price of $0.83 per unit for gross cash proceeds of $9,390,831. Each unit consists of one common share and one warrant entitling the holder to purchase an additional common share at a price of $1.20 for a period of 18 months from the closing of the private placement. The common shares and warrants comprising the units are subject to a four month hold period from the closing date, which hold period expires on October 15, 2011.

Sulliden Gold announced positive results from feasibility-level metallurgical test work focused on the oxide-bearing gold and silver material at its 100%-owned Shahuindo Project located in Peru.

Utah News reports: industrial safety expert Thomas Hethmon has been chosen by the University of Utah to occupy the Western Mining Presidential Endowed Chair in Mine Safety, a new faculty position funded by Barrick Gold of North America and CONSOL Energy.

“The University of Utah is uniquely positioned to influence industrial safety and health management in the U.S. and abroad,” said Hethmon in a prepared statement. “The [U.] College of Mines has an international reputation for academic excellence, a long and positive relationship with the industry, and its administration is completely supportive of our plans for the chair,” says Hethman.

Unemployed people in Wilcannia, New South Wales, Australia, will be given the opportunity to train for certification in resource and infrastructure work preparation, ABC News reports. The goal is that employment in the region's new mining projects will follow.

"There's jobs there, and there's going to be lots of jobs in the near future, and fortunately we've got a lot of people interested in that industry. That was one of the main reasons why we picked this type of course to run out there."

To answer some of the community's questions about their Eagle Mine project, Kennecott Minerals has opened a new education center in downtown Marquette, Michigan.

Visitors will see models, videos and exhibits relating to the Eagle Mine operations. The goal of the center is to strengthen their relationship with the community and to provide a place where residents can learn about sustainable and responsible mining.

Sulliden Gold Corporation Ltd. (TSX:SUE)(OTCQX:SDDDF) has completed a new gold and silver mineral resource estimate for its 100%-owned Shahuindo Project in Peru. The updated estimate delivered a 121% increase of indicated gold ounces in the oxides and a 397% increase in inferred gold ounces from the sulphides relative to the 2009 year-end estimate. Sulliden continues to actively drill the Shahuindo property and new results will continue to be released throughout 2011. Image of the Shahuindo Project by Sulliden Resources

Arch Coal has completed its acquisition of International Coal Group through a merger, with ICG becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Arch. The aggregate value of the transaction totalled $3.4 billion. The acquisition adds nearly 13 Mt of low-cost Appalachian thermal coal production to Arch’s vast domestic thermal coal portfolio, solidifying the company’s number two position among US-based coal miners. With expected metallurgical coal sales of 11 Mt in 2011, Arch also becomes the second largest US metallurgical coal producer and a top ten global supplier to steelmakers. By capitalising on expansion opportunities, Arch expects to boost its metallurgical coal output to nearly 15 Mt by 2015.

Vaaldiam Mining net loss more than tripled in the first quarter to $7.6m after suspending operations at the Duas Barras diamond mine in Brazil. By close of trade on Wednesday shares in the company had fallen 21%, close to an all-time low leaving it with a market capitalization of a paltry $12m, a far cry from the $150m-plus valuation it commanded a decade ago. Vaaldiam said it will now focus on the development of the Brauna mine in Brazil after it paid $6.5m to increase its stake in the project to 51% in March. It has two other diamond mines in the country that are on care and maintenance.

World no.2 iron ore miner Rio Tinto is investing $676 million to speed up its iron ore expansion by six months to capture demand as rival plans to boost production are impeded. Rio said on Wednesday it expects to increase its capacity by 50 percent to 333 million tonnes a year by the first half of 2015.