The meek shall inherit the earth, but not its mineral rights: Meet mining’s 40 richest billionaires – by Frik Els (Mining.com – April 16, 2012)

http://www.mining.com/

MINING.com counts more than 90 billionaires involved in minerals, metals and mining on the planet with a combined wealth of well over $300 billion.

2012 Mining Billionaires: #1 Eike Batista

Brazil’s Eike Batista is the world of mining’s top entrepreneur with a net worth of $32 billion.

2012 Mining Billionaires: #2 Gina Rinehart

Australia’s ruler of iron ore, coal and the family trust

2012 Mining Billionaires: #3 Lakshmi Mittal

Mining’s biggest loser Lakshmi Mittal is down to his last $17 billion

2012 Mining Billionaires: #4 Iris Fontbona

Chile’s copper widow Iris Fontbona

2012 Mining Billionaires: #5 Alisher Usmanov, #6 Alberto Bailleres Gonzalez

Russian metal king turned Twitter, Facebook fiend and hated soccer investor & Mexico’s silver tycoon

2012 Mining Billionaires: #7 Rinat Akhmetov,

#8 Vladimir Lisin,

#9 Alexei Mordashov,

#10 Vladimir Potanin

A trio of Russian metal oligarchs and Ukraine’s controller of coal.

For the rest of this list, please go to the Mining.com website: http://www.mining.com/tag/2012-mining-billionaires/