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By R. A. Campbell, R. R. Rogers

"AbstractThe experiments described show that crude bismuth metal containing up to 5 per •cent lead, 0.14 per cent silver, 0.015 per cent copper, 0.02 per cent iron, .and small amounts of antimony, nickel, and tin may be refined to a bismuth content of 99.98 per cent by distillation followed by chlorination. It also is shown that bismuth trichloride of high ,purity may be produced by passing chlorine over hot •crude bismuth metal and allowing the resulting vapours to •condense in a cooler .part of the system.IntroductionBISMUTH is used in the production of alloys and pharmaceuticals. During 1952, the New York price for the refined metal was $2.25 per pound in ton lots.Some months-ago a Canadian producer requested the Mines Branch to investigate methods of refining the bismuth which they had been producing. Their crude product had been selling for $1.50 to $1.70 per pound and it was desired to increase its purity to at least 99.98 per cent so that it could be sold for $2.25 per pound."

Jan 1, 1955

By D. MOORE, A. REINSBAKKEN, A. J. Sinclair

The Gypo quartz vein lies near Oliver, British Columbia, and was quarried between 1955 and 1968 for decorative chips. The vein is one of many quartz veins hosted by the Late Jurassic Oliver Plutonic Complex, specifically by the porphyritic quartz monzonite phase of the pluton. The vein has a known length of 155m and a thickness of 46m. It strikes east-west and dips at 60 degrees to the south. Mineralogy is predominantly quartz with minor pyrite, muscovite, fluorite, calcite, apatite and manganese; trace amounts of chalcopyrite, pyrrh otite, marcasite and molybdenite also are present. Quartz in the vein is zoned. A thin grey quartz zone found near the margins of the vein fades gradually into white quartz, which comprises over 95% of the vein. Late-stage boxworks cut earlier mineralization, particularly fluorite, which occurs as pods in a zone fairly close to the hanging wall. Sulphide minerals are found in a centrally located zone in the quartz vein. The hanging wall of the Gypo veins is altered only slightly, but thefootwall is altered extensively to a greisen of muscovite and grey quartz. Evidence suggests that early in rhe vein development, the adjoining country rock was feldspathized. As grey quartz and muscovite was deposited, a period of intensive greisenization and fracturing occurred which so weakened the rock that a central block of greisenized country rock foundered. This provided the open space in which the vein was deposited.

Jan 1, 1984

By L W. Morley

The Division is concerned with physical methods as applied to geo-logical research and mapping. An at-tempt is made to describe long-term goals, illustrated by examples of projects in the fields of aeromagnetic interpretation, palaeomagnetic re-search, Pleistocene and groundwater geophysics, seismic surveying, electromagnetic research and instrument development. Cooperative projects in surveys and research, with universities, private companies and provincial organizations, are frequently undertaken. An outstanding example of this is the recently approved Federal-Provincial Aeromagnetic Survey Plan, the purpose of which is discussed both from an economic and a scientific point of view. HISTORY OF THE DIVISION M AGNETIC, electrical, seismic and gravity methods, as a means of extending the geologist's sphere of observation beyond the head of his hammer, came into wide-spread use for the first time after World ?war I. Interest in these methods was aroused amongst geologists of the Geological Survey and, in 1928, a group of these geologists and university

Jan 1, 1963

By Y. Thibault, L. Morin, R. Cameron, D. Gould

"There are an estimated 50 to 100 million dry metric tonnes of low-grade nickeliferous pyrrhotite tailings in the Sudbury area alone, with an average nickel grade ~0.8% (plus cobalt). Pyrrhotite is a highly reactive sulphide mineral that has the potential to generate acidity; consequently, it is stored in large tailings ponds that require perpetual treatment to avoid the production of acidic drainage. Re-processing this material using bioleaching technologies has the potential to recover valuable metals, while reducing the toxicity, reactivity, and acid generating potential of the remaining residues. CanmetMINING is currently developing a stirred-tank bioleaching process to recovery nickel and cobalt from pyrrhotite-rich tailings. Stirred-tank experiments have been conducted with one tailings sample over a range of pH and temperature conditions, resulting in 80 to 90% and 70 to 80% leaching of nickel and cobalt respectively in 10 days.INTRODUCTION Sulphide tailings may represent a significant financial liability for mining companies as these wastes may produce acidic drainage under some disposal conditions. As a result, the companies must post financial bonds large enough to ensure there are sufficient funds for perpetual management of these wastes. At the same time, there are billions of dollars in metals incorporated into these mining wastes waiting to become valorized. Many sulphide tailings are amendable to bacterial oxidation for metal extraction. Re-processing of tailings using bacterial leaching has the potential to recover valuable metals from waste; and reduce the toxicity, the reactivity, and the acid generating potential of the remaining residue. By reprocessing these wastes there is an opportunity to significantly reduce liabilities and financial assurance bonds, while recovering metal values. There are an estimated 50 to 100 million dry metric tonnes of low-grade nickeliferous pyrrhotite-rich tailings in the Sudbury area alone with an average nickel grade ~0.8% (Peek et al., 2011) plus cobalt and copper. Pyrrhotite is separated from pentlandite concentrates by magnetic separation and flotation. It is already finely ground and has often been segregated from other tailings material, making „mining? relatively inexpensive. This represents roughly (> $100/ton) in contained value, with negligible mining costs. This paper reports on the development of a stirred-tank bioleaching process for recovering nickel and cobalt from pyrrhoitite-rich tailings, which is currently underway at Canmet MINING."

Jan 1, 2017

By David Ulrich Furrer

Materials and manufacturing processing technologies have played an important role in the development and capabilities of nearly all manmade products. Market drivers for fuel efficient, low cost, environmentally friendly, more capable transportation has given rise to significant materials challenges and subsequent developments. The rate of improvement and implementation of new commercial products can be limited by the rate of new materials and process technology development and qualification. As many materials are being designed for unique requirements and even location-specific unique properties, the implementation of tools and methods to enable rapid characterization and validation of material definitions and design systems must also be accelerated. A review of new integrated material, manufacturing process and component designs, engineering processes and emerging tools and methods will be discussed. The linkage of computational materials science and engineering into component design will also be discussed along with the challenges and opportunities for further growth and application of integrated computational materials engineering (ICME).

Jan 1, 2015

Between 1993 and 2003, a series of AG and SAG mill pilot plant trials were conducted using Hardinge Ical pilot plant scale SAG mills on numerous ore samples and ranging across a wide variety of operating conditions. The data from these tests were used to evaluate the design of SAG and AG mill circuits for over a dozen projects, of which about half were eventually constructed and commissioned. The data were also used in the development of SAG mill modelling, scale-up and simulation procedures by several consultants who had access to part of the data set. Recently, we have had the opportunity to bring this data together and further analyse the consolidated dataset. This paper reports on the outcomes of this analysis that has identified the impacts of different AG/SAG circuit flowsheets and operating conditions on energy efficiency and operating cost.

Jan 1, 2012

By ByongPil Lee, Changkyu Lee, Jin Gyun Park, Hyung Sub Eom, Sung-Koo Jo, Jae-Young Lee, Gilsoo Han

"A new hydrometallurgical process for nickel extraction from a low grade laterite ore such as limonite has been developed by RIST and POSCO. This POSCO Nickel Extraction Process (PosNEP) consists of five main processes: ore reduction using hydrogen as a reductant; acid leaching at atmospheric pressure and temperature; cementation by the use of reduced-ore seed; production of the main product such as ferronickel or a high purity nickel compound; and production of by-products such as cobalt and iron in the forms of cobalt sulfate and iron oxide. In addition, hydrogen produced in acid leaching and hydrochloric acid regenerated in pyrohydrolysis for iron oxide production can be reused in the process, which makes PosNEP more cost-effective. The performance of PosNEP has been proven through pilot tests, showing that this process is economically and technically viable. In this paper, basic concepts and detailed test results of PosNEP are shown.INTRODUCTIONNickel has been extracted from two types of ore, sulfide and oxide ore. Nickel and cobalt usually occur together in the ores. The principal ore mineral of the sulfide is pentlandite, (Ni,Fe)9S8, which is easily beneficiated to produce sulfide concentrates(Moats & Davenport, 2014). These concentrates are usually treated by smelting and converting to make a matte. The produced matte is then purified through either hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical processes to produce high-purity nickel. In general, this process for sulfide ore has been known as a more cost-effective process than that for oxide ore.The oxide ore is laterite comprised of two different ore types, saprolite and limonite. The main nickel-bearing mineral of saprolite is nickeliferrous garnierite,(Mg,Ni)6Si4O10(OH)8, and that of limonite is nickeliferrous goethite (Fe,Ni)O·OH ore (Moats & Davenport, 2014). Since the saprolite has high contents of nickel and slag formers (MgO and SiO2) and a low content of iron, it tends to be treated by a pyrometallurgical smelting process such as calcination and electric furnace techniques to produce ferronickel for use in stainless steel. In this process, the cobalt in the ferronickel does not have any economic value."

Jan 1, 2017

By H. Oterdoom, S. Pilger, T. P. Bui, J. Rotarius

"Most FeNi furnaces used to rely on post-combustion and off-gas cooling inside the furnace to eliminate the produced CO gas, and control the off gas temperature. As furnace load, capacity, and thus gas volumes increased over the years, this led to increased instabilities that can cause problems in controlling the operation. Some of the large capacity furnaces nowadays work with partial or full combustion outside the furnace, more similar to the steel industry. Forced combustion with or without enriched air and other additions can support in controlling post-combustion, stabilizing and even reducing off gas amounts, and affecting composition. This paper presents some of the possibilities and advantages of having a specially designed post-combustion system for the FeNi laterite industry, but that could also be applied to other processes as well.Large Scale Furnaces In the FeNi industry, the Rotary Kiln Electric Furnace (RKEF) process is still going strong in spite of continuous hope that hydrometallurgical processes will one day make the RKEF plant obsolete. Within the pyrometallurgical plants there is a continuous trend for larger scale furnaces. The development for a number of furnaces that were started before 1985 and increased capacity by “natural growth” is given in Figure 1. Natural growth refers to the development of the plants that after having mastered a certain level of operation, were ready for a higher load that could be installed either with a new furnace on the same site, or during a revamp. The advantages of natural growth are numerous, for example: •,Deep knowledge of the ore and its’ behavior, no need for testing, and little risk of surprises. •,Mining, laboratory, equipment, etc. is all proven technology for the conditions on site. •,Starting a furnace with increased capacity is a re-start, not a green-field commissioning. •,Typically, when increasing the production capacity of an existing plant, not the entire plant is commissioned for the first time, but only a part. In the FeNi laterite industry for example, the kilns may already have had the capacity to provide enough material."

Jan 1, 2017

By José J. Suárez

Abstract: Globally, the mining industry is expected to face the following challenges through 2020: 1. Sustaining growth amidst fierce competition 2. Containing cost increases and managing through the cycle 3. Attracting and retaining talent 4. Managing environmental concerns and improving sustainability 5. Managing volatility risks in commodity markets Our experience and research reveals that the higher performing global miners are adopting many of the following strategies: (1) Adopt a Global, Agile Operating Model (2) Be the Developer of Choice (3) Drive Capital Efficiency (4) Be the Employer of Choice (5) Integrate the End-to-End Business Model (6) Move to the Virtual Mining Value Chain This paper/presentation will provide data obtained through research on five (5) challenges facing the mining industry, and on the six (6) strategies that high performing global miners are adopting.

May 1, 2013

By Ahmad Ghahreman, Lin Li

"In this study, the Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox reaction kinetics on the surface of pyrite, have been investigated in a 0.5 mol L-1 sulfuric acid solution for a temperature range of 22 to 65°C. Based on mixed potential theory, chronoamperometry is introduced to study the Fe(II)/Fe(III) kinetics by subtracting the current density of pyrite oxidation in an iron-free acidic solution from that in an iron-containing solution at the same applied polarized potential. Tafel behavior was established by this method to analyze the kinetics of the Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox reactions. The results showed that exchange current densities increased slightly with temperature, however remained on the order of 10-5 A cm-2. The activation energy for Fe(II) oxidation and Fe(III) reduction on the pyrite surfaces was calculated to be 102.0 and 32.7 kJ mol-1, respectively. Anodic transfer coefficients also increased, from 0.24 to 0.39, with increasing temperature, which indicates a weakened n-type semiconductor property at higher temperatures. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements have indicated that at lower anodic over potentials the charge transfer is the rate determining step of pyrite oxidative dissolution in sulfuric acid solution. In the presence of Fe ions, the major contribution of the total current density comes from the Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox reaction. INTRODUCTION Pyrite, an abundant sulfides mineral in the nature, is commonly considered a valueless gangue mineral frequently associated with other valuable sulfide minerals such as chalcopyrite, or metals such as gold, or coal (Lin & Say, 1999). Pyrite oxidation has been the subject of extensive research in view of gold metallurgy, as oxidation of pyrite is the initial step to break down the pyrite lattice and expose the encapsulated fine gold particles (Gasparrini, 1983). Fe(III) ion and dissolved oxygen (DO) have generally been considered as the two most important oxidants with respect to pyrite oxidation, having been studied extensively in previous research (Zheng, Allen, & Bautista, 1986; King Jr & Lewis, 1980). The process of pyrite oxidation can be viewed as a series of reactions amongst pyrite, ferrous, ferric and oxygen in which pyrite is initially oxidized by the dissolved oxygen in water forming ferrous (Eq. 1), and then the ferrous also is oxidized by he dissolved oxygen to form ferric (Eq. 2). The ferric, produced by reaction 2, then could potentially oxidize pyrite (Eq. 3) and convert to ferrous."

Jan 1, 2017

By David M. Knowles, R. Gordon Gastil

"The Precambrian sedimentary series of the Labrador geosyncline, including iron formation, extends into southwestern Labrador and adjacent Quebec. The iron formation consisted of primary oxide, silicate, and carbonate facies which were deposited simultaneously in an irregular basin in response to migratory environmental conditions. The iron formation isochemically recrystallized to coarse-grained quartz-iron oxide, iron silicate, and quartz-iron carbon-ate rocks during prolonged regional metamorphism. The rocks are deformed on two deformation axes intersecting at large angles, and are characterized by isoclinal to recumbent folds. Parts of the formation have been profoundly affected by a post-metamorphic leaching and oxidizing environment."

Jan 1, 1959

By Ron Tessier, Claude Bazin, Robert Grant, Mike Cooper

"Grinding simulators are now widely available to assist in the optimization of industrial circuits. They provide circuit operating conditions or flowsheet designs that yield a given product size distribution. However, they do not provide information of the impact of a change of product size distribution on the subsequent flotation or leaching stages. This paper presents a method to predict grade and recovery indices for a flotation plant as a function of the flotation feed size distribution. The application of the method to various size distributions allows the determination of the optimal fineness of grind. A case study for a CuPb rougher circuit of a New Brunswick complex sulphide processing plant is presented to illustrate the method.IntroductionIs the grinding circuit product fineness optimum for the subsequent separation steps? This is a question that is certainly very difficult, but critical, to answer. Laboratory and pilot plant testworks can provide clues as to whether grind should be finer or coarser. For a full scale operation there is no other way than trying to change the setup of the grinding circuit and verify the effect on flotation. True effects can, however, be masked by the numerous and unexpected disturbances inherent to grinding and flotation circuit operations. A good preliminary investigation requires a noise free environment to elaborate possible solutions for the question.Plant simulators provide this noise free environment. However, despite grinding and flotation simulators having evolved significantly for the last 20 years, very little is available on the integration of both simulators to analyze the effect of fineness of grind on metallurgical performances. For instance, a grinding circuit simulator may help to find the tuning of a grinding circuit that will yield the desired fineness of grind, but does not inform on the effect the new product size distribution will have on the separation stages. Linking grinding and flotation would require a flotation plant simulator with the rate and infinite recovery parameters for each mineral in each size interval considered. This approach is seldom used because of the tedious work required to estimate the model parameters. Recently Leroux(1992) proposed a method to predict mineral liberation from grinding ore of known mineralogical texture. Although the method is still at its infancy it may provide, when combined with a reagent conditioning model (e.g Niemi et al., 1982; Bazin et al., 1988), a way to simulate flotation without the need of entering the numerous parameters of a flotation model."

Jan 1, 1994

By S P. Giambra

The 50,000-ton-per-day Concentrator and Crushing Plant, complete with its related water supply, tailings disposal and concentrate handling systems, was started up in a five-month period, with the entire plant obtaining its design capacity six months after the first mill became operational. Individual mill lines, with their spiral circuits, achieved design capacities within a week after the first treatment of ore through each mill. Construction and start-up proceeded together in many areas of the plant, and considerable organization and cooperation between the Owner, the Engineer and the Contractors permitted a smooth transition from construction to operation. PLANT DESCRIPTION THE Carol Lake Plant of the Iron Ore Company of Canada l1as been well described in various technical magazines. The purpose of this paper is to present a brief outline of the start-up of the con-centration complex. This start-up was accomplished in a period of five months, with the plant producing one million tons of concentrate and achieving its design-rated tonnage less than six months after the first ore was treated.

Jan 1, 1963

By J. B. Edwards

"The case is presented for the use of simulators for the computer-based training (CBT) of mining plant operators and for introducing them to automatically controlled systems. As well as their use in the classroom, the role of simulators is examined for ""on-plant"" use in trouble-shooting, fault-finding and maintenance of automatic systems. Case studies are presented showing how specific simulators are becoming established or have potential in the areas of automated materials handling, machine testing, setup and guidance. The evolution of scientific simulations into simulators of widespread practical use is discussed and present-day limitations of computer speed and graphics are considered. Related areas of research for the Canadian Centre for Automation and Robotics in Mining (CCARM) are identified.IntroductionCCARM's Commitment to Simulator DevelopmentAs automation is progressively developed and exploited in mining operations, there arises an urgent need to educate and train staff responsible for its introduction and operation in our mines and for its maintenance. For this purpose , an essential ingredient of an automation program is the development of appropriate mining system simulators for use by a wide variety of personnel. The author has been fortunate to have been closely involved with the development of automatic control systems for a variety of mining machines and mining systems in the United Kingdom. A key ingredient of the research phase in each case has been the use of simulation techniques. As projects have moved toward their commissioning and exploitation phase, the simulations have evolved into simulators tailored for use by machine operators and maintenance personnel. Illustrative case studies are presented later. The researach of the newly constituted Canadian Centre for Automation and Robotics in Mining (CCARM) will likewise involve extensive simulation, and the development of simulators (from the scientific programs) for use at the mine by operators and technicians will be given high priority in the Centre's over-all work program."

Jan 1, 1990

By R. M. Young

In. East Kootenay, two Companies are operating, the Crow's Nest Pass Coal Company of Fernie, with mines at Coal Creek and Michel, and the Corbin Coal and Coke Company, of Corbin and Spokane. Wash., with mines at Corbin. The Crow's Nest Pass Coal Company has also coke-ovens of the bee-hive type at Fernie and Michel. The mines have a productive capacity, with present development and plant, of approximately 1,500,000 tons of coal, and of 300,000 tons of coke annually. The total production in 1923 was 828, 990 tons of coal and 65.990 tons of coke. In the early years of operation, the mines furnished a very large percentage of their output to the railways and smelters. These were, in fact, the primary markets for which the mines were opened and the ovens constructed. The Great Northern Railway had built into Femie, and later extending its line to Michel, became a heavy consumer of both of these mines. The Spokane International, connecting the Crow's Nest branch of the C.P .R. with Spokane, furnished tonnage to Corbin. The Canadian Pacific Railway bought for Crow's Nest consumption. The smelters at Grand Forks and Trail in the Boundary country were large and steady consumers of coke, while in-termittently Northport, Butte, Helena, and Great Falls shared in the product of the ovens.

Jan 1, 1924

By J. S. Kirkaldy, W. J. Slater, G. R. Mason

Activation analysis for copper and manganese in 10 mg samples machined from aluminum-base diffusion couples has been used in the study of ternary diffusion in the Al-Cu-Mn system. The accuracy, economy and convenience of the method are considered to be very competitive with other methods for analysis of such small samples. Neutron-activated aluminum-zinc alloys in the range from 10 per cent to 100 per cent zinc have been equilibrated with a known volume and the vapors subsequently condensed and collected. The vapor pressures relative to pure zinc (the thermodynamic activities) have been determined at 550°C' by recording the relative count of /'-rays from zn65 in the collected samples. The method is a sensitive one, although subject to serious obstacles to experimental accuracy.

Jan 1, 1961

By M. E. Hurst

SINCE 1934 there has been a marked revival of interest in the Porcupine district, especially in the eastern portion of the area, where exploration on the property of Pamour Gold Mines has indicated the presence of extensive gold-bearing deposits. Owing to the prevalence of overburden and the limited amount of exploratory work that has been done, little information is available as yet concerning the distribution and structural relationships of the rocks in the area to the east of Porcupine lake. In order to throw some light on the structural conditions in this section, a brief discussion of the sequence and character of the formations in the better known, producing section of the camp has been included. It should be emphasized that this paper is a preliminary study and that, consequently, the conclusions expressed should not be regarded as final. The writer wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to P. C. Benedict, whose study of the geological relationships on the Foley-O'Brien property has made possible a fuller understanding of the structure in the central portion of the area. The writer also wishes to express his appreciation of the information and facilities placed at his disposal by R. M. Macaulay and C. D. Stevenson, of Pamour Gold Mines, and by A. Bell, of Noranda Mines, Limited.

Jan 1, 1936

By J. Worden, D. Hughes, S. Smart, H. Zughbi

The enterprise wide optimization (EWO) of steelmaking and manufacturing is a multi-level, hierarchical problem which spans higher level corporate planning and scheduling through to the lower level operations of processes that produce and manufacture steel. External and internal system dynamics combined with process unit co-ordination create complex changing circumstances for the enterprise. This paper presents a scoping study as a prelude to enterprise wide considerations at an integrated steelworks to help inform the choice of appropriate model types and optimization techniques. The hierarchical, multi-level structure of the enterprise and the important spatial-temporal scales to consider are defined. Insights into the system were gained by analyzing a large set of dynamic operational data. Over two years of data were subject to both univariate and multivariate analysis with the intent of understanding the complex interrelations of energy flows on site, the inherent system dynamics of the energy network, system operational modes, aspects of planning and scheduling and the coordination between major processing units. This analysis was further used to evaluate the performance of the system in regards to energy utilization and understand the potential economic benefits derived from improved operational decisions.

Jan 1, 2015

By Michael Moser, Brighty Dutta, David Dreisinger

"Molybdenum is widely used in the industries as an alloying element in the manufacture of steels and super alloys. The widespread use of the element encourages a growing need to develop extraction processes for recovery from both primary and secondary sources. The Solvay Group has developed a solvent extraction reagent named CYANEX®600 for the recovery of molybdenum from acidic solutions originating from both low grade (e.g. copper solvent extraction raffinates, smelter dusts and slags) and high grade (molybdenite) molybdenum sources. CYANEX®600 is a purified form of CYANEX®272 with the active component bis(2,4,4- trimethylpentyl)phosphinic acid. The extraction behavior of CYANEX®600 towards molybdenum in sulphuric acid medium was evaluated. The uptake of molybdenum increased with the increase in concentration of CYANEX®600. The approximate stoichiometry of the extracted complex was: Mo: CYANEX®600 = 1:2. Efficient back-extraction could be achieved with 0.1 M disodium EDTA and 0.1 M (NH4)2CO3, thus providing the option of recyclability of the extractant. The detailed back-extraction studies are currently under progress to find out the possible option for complete transfer of Mo(VI) to the aqueous phase so that high purity Mo salts could be precipitated from the molybdate solutions.INTRODUCTION Molybdenum (Mo) is one of the world’s valuable metals and is highly sought after by researchers due to its versatile mechanical, thermal, chemical properties. Swedish scientist Carl Wilhelm Scheele demonstrated molybdenite to be a mineral sulfide in 1778. Peter Hjelm successfully isolated dark metal powder from the mineral sulphide and named it as ‘Molybdenum’ in 1782 (Gupta, 1992). Molybdenum is a refractory metal of silver gray appearance and is an important alloying element used in the manufacture of steels and super alloys. Molybdenum compounds are widely used in formulation of catalysts (Gupta, 1992). Molybdenum occurs in nature only in chemical combination with other elements. Several molybdenum bearing minerals have been identified, but the only one of commercial significance is molybdenite (MoS2). As molybdenum is a strategic metal for the industrial sector, its widespread use acts as a factor for depletion of the natural resources. Hence, there is growing need to develop extraction procedures for its recovery from both primary and secondary sources. United States, China, Chile, Canada, Peru, and Mexico are listed as the main producers by the U.S. Geological Survey, 2016 (U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2016)."

Jan 1, 2017

By T. C. WEBB

In New Brunswick, significant potash deposits are intimately associated with rocks of the Lower Carboniferous Windsor Group. To date, two deposits high in sylvinite, up to 20 m thick, have been confirmed at depths between 490 and 1,035 m below surface near Plumweseep and Salt Springs. These areas are currently under development by the Potash Company of America and the Denison-Potacan Potash Company respectively. A third area, near Lower Millstream, is also known to contain potash-bearing evaporites and is now being explored by BP Exploration Canada Ltd. All three areas are situated in the western half of the Moncion Subbasin and are within 25 km of Sussex. Numerous similarities in stratigraphy, thickness, mineralogy and structure suggest that deposition of evaporites throughout much of southern New Brunswick was contemporaneous and extended over a considerable area. Future opportunities for potash exploration in the province thus seem excellent. A number of large unexplored areas remain in the Moncion and Cumberland Subbasins and in parts

Jan 1, 1984