The Rock Wrangler https://therockwrangler.com en The contractor recovery has a forward visibility problem, and the JV model is quietly rewriting how junior projects get built https://therockwrangler.com/article/the-contractor-recovery-has-a-forward-visibility-problem-and-the-jv-model-is-quietly-rewriting-how-junior-projects-get-built There are two stories inside Grant Thornton's latest mining contractors report, and the one getting most of the attention is... April 28, 2026 Jamie Wade Exploration still works, but getting to the first drill hole now takes longer, costs more, and tests patience before the rocks ever do https://therockwrangler.com/article/exploration-under-pressure-why-discovery-isnt-the-problem The mining industry is not running out of deposits. It is running into friction. That was the underlying message from the WA... March 30, 2026 Jamie Wade Reconciliation isn’t broken — you’re comparing the wrong rock: Why underground mines are solving the wrong problem https://therockwrangler.com/article/reconciliation-isnt-broken-youre-comparing-the-wrong-rock-why-underground-mines-are-solving-the-wrong-problem A recent industry webinar hosted ahead of the AusIMM International Mining Geology Conference 2026 brought together leading pr... March 24, 2026 Jamie Wade Underground leaching method reduces costs and rock movement, unlocking low-grade copper with in-place recovery and advanced blasting https://therockwrangler.com/article/underground-leaching-method-reduces-costs-and-rock-movement-unlocking-low-grade-copper-with-in-place-recovery-and-advanced-blasting The pursuit of critical minerals is pushing miners deeper underground, where innovation—not just excavation—is becoming the k... March 16, 2026 Jamie Wade Mining powers up for a battery-fuelled future as experts say success now depends on smart data, skilled people and the courage to rethink operations https://therockwrangler.com/article/mining-powers-up-for-a-battery-fuelled-future-as-experts-say-success-now-depends-on-smart-data-skilled-people-and-the-courage-to-rethink-operations There’s a moment in every technological revolution when optimism meets reality - when the glossy promise of transformation hi... March 15, 2026 Jamie Wade From star power to subsurface smarts, next-gen tech is helping explorers drill less, discover more, and finally see what’s really beneath their feet https://therockwrangler.com/article/from-star-power-to-subsurface-smarts-next-gen-tech-is-helping-explorers-drill-less-discover-more-and-finally-see-whats-really-beneath-their-feet As the global mining industry continues to adapt to shifting expectations around productivity, sustainability, and cost-effic... March 7, 2026 Jamie Wade Autonomy gets real at Daunia as Whitehaven lifts productivity, redefines safety and proves culture is the key to mining’s autonomous future https://therockwrangler.com/article/autonomy-gets-real-at-daunia-as-whitehaven-lifts-productivity-redefines-safety-and-proves-culture-is-the-key-to-minings-autonomous-future When Whitehaven Coal acquired BMA’s Daunia and Blackwater mines in Queensland’s Bowen Basin, it wasn’t just the company’s big... March 7, 2026 Jamie Wade Smart mines get smarter as agentic AI steps up to connect data boost productivity and put intelligent decision making in every miner’s toolkit https://therockwrangler.com/article/smart-mines-get-smarter-as-agentic-ai-steps-up-to-connect-data-boost-productivity-and-put-intelligent-decision-making-in-every-miners-toolkit The future of mining is already here - and it’s being shaped by AI systems that can think, act and integrate seamlessly with... March 7, 2026 Jamie Wade When piezometers act up, dissipation testing shows the surprising role of saturation fluids in solving tailings dam monitoring mysteries https://therockwrangler.com/article/when-piezometers-act-up-dissipation-testing-shows-the-surprising-role-of-saturation-fluids-in-solving-tailings-dam-monitoring-mysteries Unexpected piezometer trends in a tailings dam triggered an investigation that uncovered an overlooked variable in dissipatio... March 7, 2026 Jamie Wade Betting the deep as polymetallic nodules emerge as a billion dollar play to fuel batteries steelmaking and the critical minerals transition https://therockwrangler.com/article/betting-the-deep-gerard-barron-and-the-metals-companys-high-stakes-play-for-critical-minerals It takes a certain type of confidence to suggest the future of clean energy metals might lie four kilometres below the Pacifi... March 7, 2026 Jamie Wade