I have seen Brent Cook quoted as saying that his review of known deposits with Quinton Hennigh found very few good potential mines, this being part of his conviction that good exploration and discoveries remain key to the industry in the next few years.
Clearly a number of the deposits listed, particularly some of the largest, are low grade and currently uneconomic. The 'real' price of gold above costs will need to climb dramatically to make them mines.
We also need to be wary that a number of the apparent high grade deposits are high cost (deep) underground mines, for example in South Africa, perhaps technology can re-invigorate them.
The other key issue is jurisdiction with some fabulous deposits in locations which politically, environmentally or through remoteness may never be developed or earn a return for common stockholders, Kinross recently walking away from Fruta Del Norte in Ecuador, for example.
Within the list there are deposits at different stages of development and qualities of resource and economic assessment, some have more discovery potential than others.
All that said no doubt this list will include future M&A targets, while some of the deposits have 'lingered' for years and will need $2000 gold, or at least easy financing, to generate excitement others have de-risked and progressed to follow in the steps of Rainy River (to New Gold) or Volta Resources (to B2 Gold) at higher or lower prices.
And all of the above and more is already known, weighed and assessed in current prices.
Or perhaps as discussed at the beginning of the report
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