Newmont-Goldcorp $10B merger to close this week

Aurizon Mines (TSE:ARZ) jumped more than 10% on Wednesday despite the absence of fresh news. The cash-rich Quebec miner earlier this month announced a record year for gold production and strong growth prospects and 2012 is expected to be a busy year for gold M&A activity.

Manson Creek Resources announced Tuesday it has entered into an option with Panarc Resources to acquire a 100% interest in the Up Town Gold project located adjacent to the historic Giant mine in the Northwest Territories. Shares in the tiny TSX-V listed explorer shot up 15% on the news with almost ten times the usual number of shares changing hands.

SilverCrest Mines (CVE:SVL), a gold and silver miner operating in Mexico, announced today that the inferred resources at its La Joya property increased by 424% from 24.0 million to 126.0 million silver equivalent ounces.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Jan. 23, 2012) - Peregrine Diamonds Ltd. ("Peregrine" or "the Company") (TSX:PGD) has completed its analysis to determine the most efficient way to advance the 8,580 square kilometre Chidliak project ("Chidliak" or "the Project"), located 120 km from Iqaluit, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada. This review was prompted by the Company's opportunity to increase its interest in the Project to 100% by acquiring BHP Billiton's 51% interest, as announced on December 20, 2011.

A vulcanologist at the University of British Columbia may have cracked the riddle on how kimberlite magma, and the valuable diamonds it sometimes carries, pushes its way up from deep underground.

Peter Kent, Canada's environment minister on Friday referred Teck Resources's newly acquired Frontier Oil Sands project in northern Alberta to an independent review panel because of the propose mine's "potential for significant adverse effects on the environment. "

Northern Gold Mining Inc. (TSX VENTURE:NGM) and the Wahgoshig First Nation jointly announced on Friday that a strong cooperation and working relationship has developed since Northern Gold first began working on the Garrison Gold property two years ago.

As attractive deposits become harder and harder to find in traditional markets miners are pushing the limits of the political risk they are willing to take on. But things can go spectacularly wrong.

IDEX News reports BHP Billiton's Ekati diamond mine produced 481,000 carats in the last quarter of 2011, a 29% decline compared to a year ago. 80%-owner BHP Billiton wants to sell the mine, but Ekati could fetch only $300 million to $500 million a new report shows.