Barrick Gold Corp.'s challenge against an environmental law banning mining in glacial and permafrost areas in Argentina was shot down by the country's Supreme Court, Reuters reported on June 5.

"The challenge posed by Barrick is ruled inadmissible," according to the court's ruling, which maintained that the miner failed to show that Argentina's Glacier Protection Law affected mining investments, according to Mining.com.

The ruling halted 44 mining projects nearby or on bodies of ice that are undergoing evaluation, according to the National Secretariat of the Environment.

Barrick did not issue a statement regarding the decision, but a source from within the company with knowledge of the matter said that Barrick's current operations in Argentina will not be affected, Reuters reported.

Barrick owns the Veladero gold mine in northwest Argentina and the Pascua-Lama gold mine on the Argentine-Chile border.