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  3. Mineral Resource Data System (MRDS)

Sussex

Plant in New Brunswick, Canada with commodity Potassium
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Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Mineral rights holdings
  11. Land status
  12. Ownership information
  13. Production statistics
  14. Workings at the site
  15. Links to other databases
  16. Bibliographic references
  17. General comments
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10278897
MAS/MILS ID 1220200022
Record type Site
Current site name Sussex

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -65.38254, 45.78322 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 5000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Alaska(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Canada New Brunswick

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Potassium Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Gypsum Unknown
Halite Unknown
Sylvanite Unknown
Sylvite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -65.38254, 45.78322
ListMap

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Strike N50E
    Dip 50N
    Thickness 12.3M
    Depth to top 615M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 SEDIMENTARY
    Shape of Orebody #1 LENTICULAR
    Primary mode of Origin EVAPORATION
    Primary Ore Control FOLDING
    Secondary Ore Control BEDDING
    Strike And Dip N50E:50N
    Minimum Depth to Top 460
    Date of Last Modification 850103
  • Area 19183HA
    Field Value
    Total Surface Area (HA) 19183
    Date of Last Modification 910418

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE RESOURCE EXPLOITED AT THE SALT SPRINGS MINE IS A SYLVANITE MINERAL THAT OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE EVAPORATION OF SEA WATER IN AN ENCLOSED BASIN. THE MINERALIZATION OCCURS IN ROCKS OF THE LOWER CARBONIFEROUS WINDSOR GROUP IN THE MOCTON BASIN OF THE FUNDY EPIEUGEOSYNCLINE. SYLVANITE ORE WAS DISCOVERED IN THREE STRUCTURAL BASINS OF THE MOCTON BASIN NEAR SALT SPRING. THE MINERALIZED ZONE ORIGINALLY WAS FLAT, BUT SUBSEQUENT TECTONIC ACTIVITY ALONG THE FLANKS OF THE BASIN CREATED STRESSES THAT SQUEEZED THE BED INTO ITS PRESENT ANTICLINICAL STRUCTURE. THE BED IS INTENSELY FOLDED, PITCHED IN SOME SEC- TIONS AND EXPANDED IN OTHERS. DESPITE THE SUBSEQUENT ALTER- ATIONS, THE SYLVINITE BED SUFFERED NO LOSS OF CONTINUITY.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Non-metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1971
Mining method Filled Stopes - Horiz Cut and Fill W/Tailings
Year of first production 1983
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Flotation
Milling method Flotation

Mineral rights holdings

Type of mineral rights Minerals Only

Land status

Ownership category Private

Ownership information

  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Potash Corp. Of Saskatchewan (Pcs)
    Interest 100
    Home office Canada
    Year 1993
    First year 1993
    Last year 1994
  • Type Owner-Operator
    Owner Potash Co. Of Canada (Pca)
    Interest 100
    Home office Canada
    Year 1982
    First year 1982
    Last year 1993

Comments on the ownership information

  • PROPERTY WAS SOLD TO POTASH CORPORATION OF SASKATCHEWAN (PCS) IN SEPT OF 1993, 120.7 MILLION 1993US$.

Production statistics

  • Year 1992
    Description Kcl Production 671000 Mt/Yr
    Importance Item Commodity Group Amount recovered Grade Recovery percentage
    Major KCl Potassium Potassium 671000mt

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 708M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ACTUAL
    Mining Method HORIZ CUT & FILL W/TAILINGS 10-60
    Percent Recovery 74
    Hardness of Rock NONCOHERENT WITH LITTLE WATER
    Rock Characteristics SEMIPLASTIC OR PLASTIC
    Rock Support Chars. SUPPORTING
    Mine Support Chars. POST, HEADBOARD, CAPS, ROOF BOLTS
    Number of Shafts 2
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 6487
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Operating Days per Year 330
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1982

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    BUSBY, K.R.,"THE NEW BRUNSWICK PROJECT OF POTASH COMPANY

  • Reserve-Resource

    OF AMERICA,"PRESENTED 9/11/81 TO NEW BRUNSWICK BRANCH OF

  • Reserve-Resource

    CANADIAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGY, BATHERST, NB.

  • Deposit

    "GEOLOGY OF NEW BRUNSWICK POTASH DEPOSITS", BY P. W.

  • Deposit

    KINGSTON AND D.E. DICKIE, CIM, GEOLOGY, FEBRUARY, 1979,

  • Deposit

    PP134 TO 141.

  • Deposit

    "PCA, DENISON READIES TWO NEW POTASH MINES IN NEW BRUNSWICK

  • Deposit

    FOR MID-80'S PRODUCTUION", CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL,

  • Deposit

    NOVEMBER, 1979, PP35 TO 41.

  • Deposit

    PHOSPHORUS & POTASSIUM, NO 187, SEPT-OCT, 1993, PAGE 7.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit SUSSEX IS ONE OF TWO MINES OUTSIDE OF SASKATCHEWAN THAT ARE CURENTLY PRODUCING POTASH. THE SASKATCHEWAN MINES CAN PRODUCE POTASH AT A LOWER COST. HOWEVER, THESE MINES HAVE THE GEOLOGICAL AVANTAGE OF BEING ON THE EASTERN SEABORD WHICH MAY BE USED TO COMPETE IN THE EUROPEAN MARKET. NEGOTIATIONS ARE CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS FOR THESE MINES TO DIRECTLY SUPPLY EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. SALT SPRINGS (DEVELOPED BY DENISON MINES) AND SUSSEX (DE- VELOPED BY PCA) ARE ASSUMED TO BE VERY SIMILAR IN MOST AS- PECTS. HOWEVER, A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE EXISTS IN THE SCALE OF OPERATION,BASED ON PRODUCTIVITY FOR THE TWO PROPERTIES. IT HAS BEEN ASSUMED THAT DENISON, A NEW POTASH PRODUCER, WILL BE APPROXIMATELY 10% LESS EFFICIENT IN OPERATIONS AT SALT SPRINGS THAN THE SUSSEX OPERATION. IN ADDITION TO POTASH, PCS COULD MINE A DEPOSIT OF HIGH GRADE SALT FROM THE CENTER OF THE ANTICLINE. NO OTHER IN- FORMATION IS AVAILABLE CONCERNING THIS ASPECT OF THE MINE

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 23-SEP-1996 Michael, Mark R. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.

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