Bernic Lake Lithium Operation

Plant in Manitoba, Canada with commodities Beryllium, Cesium, Lithium
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. Reserves and resources
  15. Workings at the site
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10181456
MAS/MILS ID 1220150001
Record type Site
Current site name Bernic Lake Lithium Operation
Alternate or previous names Bernic Lake Mine

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: -95.45283, 50.4286 (WGS84)
Elevation 333
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 Manitoba

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Beryllium Critical Tertiary
Cesium Critical Tertiary
Lithium Critical Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Mica Unknown
Microlite Unknown
Quartz Unknown
Tantalite Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) -95.45283, 50.4286

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 PEGMATITE
    Shape of Orebody #1 MASSIVE
    Primary mode of Origin METAMORPHISM
    Primary Ore Control CONTACT ZONE
    Type of Wallrock Alter. #1 UNKNOWN
    Date of Last Modification 910722

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Discovery year 1928
Mining method Open Stope - Room and Pillar
Year of first production 1969
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 Tantalum Mining Corp. Of Canada Ltd
    Interest 100
    Home office Canada
    Year 1975

Production statistics

  • Year 1990
    Description Spodumene Conc Prod. 11000 Mt Conc

Comments on the production information

  • 1990 PRODUCTION WAS ESTIMATED AT 11,000 MT OF SPODUMENE AT 7.25 PCT LITHIA. CAPACITY ESTIMATED AT 15,000 MT/YR OF CONC.

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1979
    Indicated 463303mt ore
    Demonstrated 463303mt ore
    Total resources 463303mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Beryllium Beo 0.2 wt-pct Beryllium Trace 1979
    Tantalum Ta2O5 0.127 wt-pct Tantalum 1979
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1979
    Indicated 194878mt ore
    Demonstrated 194878mt ore
    Total resources 194878mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Tantalum Ta2O5 0.219 wt-pct Tantalum 1979
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1979
    Measured 217521mt ore
    Demonstrated 217521mt ore
    Total resources 217521mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Tantalum Ta2O5 0.189 wt-pct Tantalum 1979
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1979
    Measured 60911mt ore
    Demonstrated 60911mt ore
    Total resources 60911mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Tantalum Ta2O5 0.188 wt-pct Tantalum 1979
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Indicated 1450000mt ore
    Demonstrated 1450000mt ore
    Total resources 1450000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Tantalum Ta2O5 0.103 wt-pct Tantalum 1990
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Indicated 702000mt ore
    Demonstrated 702000mt ore
    Total resources 702000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Tantalum Ta2O5 0.065 wt-pct Tantalum 1990
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1990
    Indicated 7300000mt ore
    Demonstrated 7300000mt ore
    Total resources 7300000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Lithium LiO2 2.76 wt-pct Lithium Major 1990

Comments on the reserve resource information

  • CONTRACTORS ESTIMATE OF IN SITU RESOURCES AT THE 75% PROBABILITY LEVEL. DATA FROM THE CONTRACTORS PROPERTY EVALUATION, 1982. MATRIX 2 RESOURCES WERE NOT USED IN THE PROPERTY EVALUATION.
  • GRADES IN TERMS OF LITHIUM
  • TANCO HALTED PRODUCTION OF TANTALUM DUE TO POOR MARKET PRICE IN BEGINNING OF 1983. IN 1985 BERNIC LAKE BEGAN PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF LITHIUM (SPODUMENE) CONCENTRATES, ADIT LI IS MINED FROM A DIFFERENT PART OF THE DEPOSIT THAN TA WAS RESOURCES IN RECOVERABLE MT TANTALUM AND IS CURRENTLY PRODUCE BUT BERYLLIUM IS NOT.

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 170M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Status of Mining Method ESTIMATE
    Mining Method ROOM AND PILLAR 10-34
    Percent Waste Rock 6.5
    Percent Recovery 77
    Hardness of Rock UNKNOWN
    Rock Characteristics UNKNOWN
    Number of Shafts 1
    Slope of Inclines .2
    Number of Inclines 1
    1st Condition of Workings OPEN
    Capacity 725
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Operating Days per Year 260
    Operating Shifts per Day 2
    Year of Information 1982

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Production

    ENGINEERING AND MINING JOURNAL, NORTH AMERICA'S FIRST

  • Production

    TANTALITE MILL NOW ON STREAM AT BERNIC LAKE, SEPT., 1969,

  • Production

    P. 282.

  • Production

    BURT, R.O., TANTALUM MININ CORPORATION'S GRAVITY

  • Production

    CONCENTRATOR-RECENT DEVELOPMENTS; CIM BULL., SEPT., 1979,

  • Production

    P.103-108.

  • Production

    WILLIAMS, C.T., J.C. HAYWARD, J. AMBLER AND G.A. KARKLIN,

  • Production

    TANTALUM MINING CORPORATION OF CANADA LIMITED- BERNIC

  • Production

    LAKE CONCENTRATOR; D.E. PICKETT, ED., IN MILLING PRACTICE

  • Production

    IN CANADA, CIM SPECIAL VOLUME 16, 1978, P.333-336.

  • Geology

    CROUSE, R.A., P. CERNY, D.L. TRUEMAN AND R.O. BURT, THE

  • Geology

    TANCO PEGMATITE, SOUTHEASTERN MANITOBA; CIM BULL.,

  • Geology

    FEB., 1979, P.142-151.

  • Geology

    HOWE, A.C.A. AND J.C. ROUNDTREE, GEOLOGY AND ECONOMIC

  • Geology

    SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BERNIC LAKE PEGMATITE; CIM BULL.,

  • Geology

    FEB., 1967, P.207-212.

  • Geology

    HOWE, A.C.A., EXOTIC MINERALS AT BERNIC LAKE, MANITOBA;

  • Geology

    CANADIAN MINING JOURNAL, APR., 1972, P. 69,70.

  • Reserve-Resource

    "TANTALUM MINING CORPORATION OF CANADA LIMIT

  • Reserve-Resource

    (BERNIC LAKE)".

  • Reserve-Resource

    RECORD HAS THE SAME REFERENCE AS ABOVE.

  • Reserve-Resource

    CANADIAN MINES HANDBOOK-1990-91, PAGE 420.

  • Reserve-Resource

    RECORED HAS THE SAME REFERENCE AS ABOVE.

  • Reserve-Resource

    SEE REFERENCE LISTED BELOW FOR MORE RESERVE DETAILS.

  • Reserve-Resource

    R.A. CROUSE, P. CERNY, D.L. TRUEMAN, R.O. BURT, "THE TANCO

  • Reserve-Resource

    PEGMATITE, SOUTHEASTERN MANITOBA", CIM BULLETIN,

  • Reserve-Resource

    INDUSTRIAL MINERALS, FEBUARY, 1979, PAGES 142-151.

  • Deposit

    GARLICK, RICHARD, MANITOBA'S 'NEW' METALS, CANADIAN MINING

  • Deposit

    JOURNAL, NOV., 1969, P.

  • Deposit

    STIPP, HENRY E., TRIP REPORT: TANTALUM MINING CORPORATION OF

  • Deposit

    CANADA LTD., (TANCO) BERNIC LAKE, MANITOBA, CANADA;

  • Deposit

    MAY 3, 1977, 5P.

  • Deposit

    NORTHERN MINER, TANCO ENJOYING RECORD YEAR; NOV. 29, 1979,

  • Deposit

    P. D27.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 13-JUN-96 Buckingham, David A. U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

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