Large-cap mining companies including BHP Group Ltd (NYSE: BHP) and Newmont (NYSE: NEM) are repositioning around a global decline in mining ore grades1, while Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) is leaning on technology to extract more metal from lower-quality material. As high-quality deposits become harder to find2, small-cap explorer Canterra Minerals (TSXV: CTM) stands out for consolidating its portfolio of assets in Newfoundland while advancing high-grade copper-equivalent and gold targets in the area3, potentially offering early-stage exposure to a market that rewards high-grade discoveries.
Ore-grade deterioration has become one of the most important structural headwinds for the mining sector majors4. Average copper and gold grades have trended lower for decades, pushing majors to rethink how they sustain production and justify long-term capital plans. Today, BHP, Newmont, and Freeport-McMoRan increasingly shape strategy around a world where high-quality deposits are rare and new discoveries slow to emerge.
For BHP, this means concentrating its portfolio around tier-one South American copper districts capable of delivering scale even as grades decline. Newmont has streamlined its portfolio to emphasize larger, longer-life gold operations with stronger cost profiles and clearer reserve visibility. Freeport is extracting incremental metal from low-grade stockpiles through advanced leaching, effectively “manufacturing” grade without new discoveries5.
These approaches all reflect the same reality: as global grades fall and costs rise, genuine high-grade discoveries, particularly in safe jurisdictions, become disproportionately valuable. In response, majors are increasingly using M&A to secure exposure to quality deposits, especially where organic discovery pipelines remain thin. That dynamic is creating renewed interest in credible early-stage explorers.
Canterra Minerals (TSXV: CTM) is positioning itself as a notable small-cap exploration company for investors who follow trends related to grade scarcity in the mining sector. While major producers are largely focused on maintaining and optimizing their existing portfolios, Canterra is advancing an exploration-driven strategy, actively drilling within established Newfoundland mineral belts where high-grade copper-equivalent and gold results have historically attracted market interest.
At Buchans, 2025 drilling expanded the Two Level Zone with standout results including 7.73% CuEq over 4.45 m and 1.85% CuEq over 26 m6, demonstrating that high-grade mineralization remains open and that the historic VMS district still has scale potential. Extending the Lundberg stockwork zone by 80 m further supports the view that Buchans could host a larger system than previously modeled.
Meanwhile at Wilding, Canterra delivered exceptional gold samples up to 535 g/t Au along a 55 km structural corridor directly on-trend with Equinox Gold’s Valentine Mine7. A new drill program is now targeting stacked, high-grade quartz-gold vein systems defined through refined structural models, drone imagery, and reinterpreted geophysics.
With supportive permitting, established infrastructure, and increasing exploration activity across Newfoundland, Canterra offers early-stage involvement at a time when the market is paying up for grade and discovery. Upcoming catalysts include Wilding drill results, expanded regional targeting, and continued systematic testing at Buchans.
BHP Group Ltd (NYSE: BHP) is a leading example of how a major manages structural grade decline while maintaining exposure to world-class deposits. At the Escondida copper mine, grades have trended lower for decades8, prompting the company to invest in process improvements and advanced operations9 to support production levels. These upgrades in processing and metallurgy have helped BHP (BHP) sustain competitive output despite the long-term decline in ore quality.
More strategically, BHP’s attempted takeover of Anglo American10 signaled its intent to secure long-life, tier-one copper assets in Chile and Peru. This was a clear acknowledgement that the best ore bodies are rare, slow to replace, and essential for long-term growth. In a world where new high-grade copper discoveries are scarce, BHP is aligning capital around the few remaining systems capable of delivering scale and competitive margins for decades.
For investors, BHP illustrates the “defensive” side of the grade story: a market leader using scale, M&A, and disciplined capital allocation to maintain exposure to quality in a tightening resource environment.
Newmont (NYSE: NEM) has responded to industry-wide grade decline with a focused shift toward portfolio concentration. Following the Newcrest acquisition in 202311, the company divested several non-core mines to sharpen its emphasis on long-life, higher-quality gold systems12. Newmont now prioritizes operations with robust geology, lower all-in sustaining costs, and the ability to remain resilient as grades trend downward.
By emphasizing quality over quantity, Newmont is aiming for a portfolio better suited to the gold sector’s long-term structural challenges. Its capital markets guidance frequently highlights orebody quality, reserve life visibility, and operational simplicity, characteristics that can help manage risk in a declining-grade environment.
For investors, Newmont offers an example of a major focused on operational discipline and asset quality in a tightening resource landscape. The company’s more concentrated strategy also highlights the continued importance of new high-grade discoveries, an area where small-cap explorers remain active.
Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) is tackling grade pressure through innovation. The company has deployed advanced leaching technologies across several operations, recovering copper from low-grade stockpiles and historical waste13. This approach expands recoverable metal at relatively low incremental cost, effectively adding incremental production without major new development.
This strategy helps manage the impact of grade variability at large-scale operations14, while demonstrating Freeport’s ability to adapt in an increasingly constrained copper environment. For investors, FCX stands out as a technologically nimble major capable of generating incremental supply15 through process innovation, an advantage in a market where permitting is slow and large new discoveries are scarce.
Freeport’s approach reinforces a central theme: while technology can unlock marginal copper, it cannot replicate the economic leverage of true high-grade discoveries.
#Where Exploration Fits in a Low-Grade World
As ore grades fall globally, majors like BHP and Newmont are sharpening their portfolios while Freeport-McMoRan leverages technology to counter declining grades. This defensive repositioning underscores the rising scarcity value of genuine high-grade discoveries. For investors seeking early-stage access to this theme, Canterra Minerals offers upside potential through high-grade copper-equivalent and gold targets in a proven, low-risk jurisdiction with multiple drilling catalysts ahead.
Canterra’s district-scale land position in Newfoundland adds strategic relevance at a time when copper inventories are tightening and demand linked to AI infrastructure, EV adoption, and grid expansion continues to build. In a supportive regulatory environment like Newfoundland, juniors with discovery potential and strong district footprints are drawing increased attention. Canterra’s ongoing work program, including new targets and steady drilling activity, offers direct exposure to this evolving copper-gold exploration landscape within one of Canada’s most prospective VMS districts.