Mined
Mineral
Rocks
in
Saskatchewan
-
Coal
Location
• Themajorityof notablecoal depositsare located inthe south-southwestern area ofthe province.
• Prominentaround Estevan and southernAssiniboia
Mining Process
• Allofthe currentlyoperating mines in Saskatchewan utilize surface mining, specifically open-pit mining, withdraglinesassisting in uncovering the coal.
• Surface mining is a processof mining inwhich large machines removethe layers of topsoil and rock, called overburden, to reveal coalseams.
• Itis often done whenthe coal is lessthan 200 feet underground. • Generally accomplished bythe use ofexplosives.
• Open pitmining isvirtually the same asthis process, butcan be usedfor minerals other than coal. Open pitmines generally have horizontalsteps called benchesfor machinery to use and angledwalls to prevent rockfalls/slides.
Companies
• Westmoreland is the soleoperatorofcoal mining in Saskatchewan, with 3 mines in operation around Estevan
Usage
• Coal is primarily used asfuelto generateelectric power andto provide heatto homes • Can also be usedfor processes like forging steel, smelting metalsoreven in smelting
sands -thisdepending on thetype ofcoal being used.
• Some importantindustries using include alumina refineries, papermanufacturers, and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
Mineral Importance
• Coal is importantformany reasons.
o A majorenergysource that manydepend onfortheirlivelihoods; though coal itselfonly makes up 9.0% ofCanada’s energygeneration, itrepresents almost halfofSaskatchewan’s.
o Represents a large portion ofthe Canadian economy, as Canada is atop 10 coal exporterglobally and hasatop exportofcoal-included petroleum at 14%oftotal exports.
o Arelatively cheap source offossilfuelthat is still consistently used throughout theworld
Economic Impact
• Coalaccountedfor$7.1 billion in GDPfor Canada in 2017
Gold
Location
Northern Saskatchewan
-SeabeeGoldMine
-Located about125km northeastfrom LaRonge,Saskatchewanand 150km northwest from Flin Flon, Manitoba
MininsProcess
Therearetwowaysthatgold ismined inSaskatchewan:
-Mostofthegoldwe mineinSaskatchewan isfound in underground lode mines. Duringlode mining, multiplelaboring minersworktogethertoextractgoldfromtunnelsin amountain or fromtheearth.
-Someriversand streamsin northernSaskatchewan containsmallamountsofplacergold. Duringplacer mining, anindividualorgroupofpeoplefilla panwithcrushedgold orethat beginsto separatefromrockintogold pieces.
Company
SSRMining (formerlySilverStandard CompanyInc.)
Uses
Jewelry(Primary Use)
-Rings, necklaces, andwatches.
Coins
Dentistry
-Fillings, crowns,and orthodonticapplications.
Electronics
-Goodconductorforelectroniccomponents likeconnectingwiresand connectionstrips.
-Asmall bitisused incell phones, calculatorsand GPSsystems.
Importance
It'simportantbecause it'sa dense,soft,shiny,malleable, and ductile metal,which allowsittobe drawn outintoverythinwireandmolded intoavarietyofthings.
It'sveryefficientforthetransmissionofheatand electricity. Itmakes a lotofmoneyforCanadaand it's
a useful preciousmetal.
Moneyfrom Gold
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Diamonds
Wherearediamonds located in Saskatchewan?
• AcrossmostofnorthernSaskatchewan • Athabasca Basin
FortALa Corne Kimberlite Field Candle LakeKimberlite Field • Sturgeon LakeKimberlite Block
PikooKimberliteField
Flowarediamondsmined?
• Minedin anopen pit mine • Minedunderground
• In somecaseswherediamond is found underornearwater,theywilldigadikearoundthe diamonds and pumpthewaterouttogainaccesstothediamonds. Theywouldthen startanopen pitmine.
• Mostlyminedtroughopen pitsbutaresometimesmined undergroundaswell.
Whatcompaniesare responsibleformining diamondsin Saskatchewan?
• StarDiamond Corporation • War EagleMining
GreatWestern Gold
Whatarediamonds usedfor?
• Usedtocut, grind, and drillother materials becauseoftheir hardness • Alsoused injewelry
Whyarediamonds important?
• Very useful inthe industrial industry
• Geologists can useinclusions totell agreatdealaboutthemantleand otherpiecesofrock. • Geologists can usetheseinclusionsto lookattheseancientmantlesamples.
Flowmuch moneydodiamonds makeSaskatchewan and Canadaeveryyear?
The Diavikmineis expectedtoyield8 million carats peryear. TheJerichomine isexpectedto yield 0.39millioncarats peryear. SnapLake isexpectedtoyield roughly 1.5million caratsayear.
The averagepricepercaratofmined diamondswas$257in 2000 butdroppedto$161 in 2002. Canada'stotal primaryexports ofdiamondswerevalued at$2.6 billionin 2017
Canada
Diamond
Production
(thousandsofcaratsperyear)
18.000
15,000
12.000
9,000
$.000
3,000
0
POTASH
Wherein Saskatchewanisthisminerallocated?:Therearethree majorlayersofpotash,the
Esterhazy, BellePlaineand PatienceLakeMember, areseparatedbylayersofsalt.Currentprojects include
• Vanscoy
• CoryDivision • PatienceLake
Division • AllanDivision • Colonsay • Lanigan Division
Esterhazy
RocanvilleDivision BellePlaine Bethune Unity Saskatoon Jansen
Muskowekwan Wynyard Foam Lake Milestone Southey Albany Vanguard
Howisthismineralmined?:
• Conventional-likelargeundergroundtownswith roomsandpillarsacross 1000sofmetres, o Developedinareaswherepotash isrelativelyclosetothesurface,-1000m. o Someconventional mineshave2shafts;onefortransportingequipmentand
employees,theotherfortransportingthepotash.
• Solution-injectsthepotashreservewithsolutiontodissolve itandbring ittothesurface o Used inareaswhere potashistoodeep,costlyand unsafeforconventionalmining.
• SelectiveSolution-removesthe potashfromthe brineinsteadofsendingittoan evaporator andcrystallizer,anewwaytominepotash usingselective horizontalsolutionmining,
o saltstaysundergroundorisutilizedintheprocess;lessenvironmentalfootprint, o longhorizontalcaverntargetsmorepotash, lesswellsrequired.
Whatcompanies areresponsibleforthismining inSaskatchewan?: • Nutrien
• Canpotex
• The MosaicCompany
• K+S PotashCanada
Whatisthismineral used for?:Oneoftheworld'sthreemostimportantfertilizers. Used incombination withnitrogenand phosphate, potash increasestheyieldsofimportantcropsascorn,soybeans, coffee,and riceessential forfarming.
Whyisthismineral important?:Potash isimportanttoagriculturebecausepotassiumhelpsprotect plantsfromdiseaseand pests.Withoutittherewould be:
• Lowercropyields • Weakerplantstems
• Reducedresponsetonitrogen • Increased riskofdamagebydrought • Resistancetodisease isreduced • Lowermarketablequality
HowmuchmoneydoesthismineralmakeSaskatchewanand Canadaeachyear?: • Approximately$213million in potashroyaltiestaken in peryear.
• Rangesfrom $205-$221 milliondependantontheyearlyyield.
https://www.westernpotash.com/about-potash/prairie-potash https://www.thecanadianencvclopedia.ca/en/article/potash
Uranium
Canada istheworld'ssecond largestexportfor uranium,most ofwhich comesfrom
Saskatchewan
o Most uranium inCanada comesfromthe mines inthe Athabasca Basin in
northern Saskatchewan.
Depending onthe depth, uranium is mined usingeithersurface (open pit)orsub-surface
(underground) mining.
o Open pitstarts byremoving soil and wasterock ontop oftheore. Then a pit is
excavatedto accesstheore.Thewallsofthe pitare excavated in a seriesof
benchesto preventtheholefrom collapsing. Holes arethen drilled into the rock
and loaded with explosives.The broken rockwillthen becarried awayfor
processing.
o Whenthe ore ismorethan 100 meters belowthe surfacetheywill digdown.
Minerswilldigvertical shaftsdown tothe depth ofthe ore, and cutaround the
deposit.Various othertunnels and pathwaysarecreated forventilation. o Solutions can also be pumped underground to dissolvethe oredirectlysothat
theycan extractthe dissolved uranium.This is called In-Situ recovery.
The main uranium companies inSaskatchewan are Camecoand OranoCanada, both
based in Saskatoon.
Uranium is used asnuclearfueltogenerateelectricity in nuclear powerstations, isthe
majormaterial from which othersynthetic uranium elements are made,is used as
ballasts in airplanes and boats, and is used in nuclearweaponry.
o An isotope in uranium releases massive amountofenergywhen split,which is
whyuranium is mainly used in power generation.
Uranium isimportantbecause itcan createlargeamounts ofenergytoprovide power to manypeople inthe country. Countriesinterested in warmaydeem uranium
important in orderto make nuclearweaponry,this iswhyCanada haspolicies on who
the uranium is sold to, andwhat it isused for.
Uranium Jigsaw
• Location
o Most ofSaskatchewan’s Uranium is mined in Northern Saskatchewan in the Athabasca Basin. Lake Athabasca is locatedjustto the north ofthe basin, and the basin covers almostall ofCree Lake.
• Producers
o There are twomain Uranium producers in Canada: Cameco Corporation: and Orano (AREVA Resources Canada).
• Mining Methods
Uranium can beextractedthrough any ofthe three methods; solution mining open pit mining, or underground mining.
In both underground, and open pitmining (knowthesefrom notes), afterthe ore has been extractedfrom theground, the uranium needs to be isolated. There are afew methodsto do this:
■ Heap leaching - Ifthe ore has avery small uranium contentin it. The ore is crushed and placed on a leaching padwhere chemicals are poured ontothe pileto leach the uranium outofthe ore.
■ Conventionalagitation leaching - most common method doneto extract uranium from ore. It’s done by crushing up the ore into a fine powder, and mixing it in water. They then thicken the mixture by heating it. and its dumped intotanks full ofAlkaline solutionforthe leaching to take place. Afterthat process is done, the mixture is separated usingfilters, and neutralized.
Solution mining (notes) can be used toextract and isolate Uranium atthe same time.
• Mineral uses and importance
j Most Uranium in SK is used as fuel andenergy fornuclearpowerplants, and
fornuclearreactors. Which allowsforgeneration ofelectricity.
o Can be used forballasts and counterweights in big automotive machines like boats and planes.
o Since U-238 is more common, it’s often used in smoke detectorsand can be converted into plutonium.
Othertypes ofuranium can be used in a numberofhealthcare related reasonslike radiotherapy, and gamma sterilization. Which can helptreat illnesses.
o Can aid in the preservation offood -controls ripening ofstored fruits, kills pests, can be used to produces highergrade crop seed.
• Revenue