Mining Intelligence and News
Canada

Allan Mine

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Potash
Mining Method
  • Continuous
  • Room-and-pillar
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SnapshotAt Allan, potash ore has been mined and concentrated to produce saleable quantities of high grade finished potash products. Raw potash ore is processed on surface and concentrated finished potash products (near-pure KCl) are sold and shipped to markets in North America and offshore.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. (operator) 100 % Direct
Nutrien Ltd. 100 % Indirect
Nutrien Ltd. owns and operates Allan mine indirectly through PotashCorp.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Evaporite

Summary:

Much of southern Saskatchewan is underlain by the Prairie Evaporite Formation, a layered sequence of salts and anhydrite which contains one of the world’s largest deposits of potash. The potash extracted from the predominantly sylvinite ore has its main use as a fertilizer.

The 100 m to 200 m thick Prairie Evaporite Formation is overlain by approximately 500 m of Devonian carbonates, followed by 100 m of Cretaceous sandstone, and 400 m of Cretaceous shales and Pleistocene glacial tills to surface; it is underlain by Devonian carbonates (Fuzesy, 1982). The Phanerozoic stratigraphy of Saskatchewan is remarkable in that units are flat-lying and relatively undisturbed over very large areas.

Potash mineralization in this region of Saskatchewan is predominantly sylvinite, which is comprised mainly of the minerals sylvite (KCl) and halite or rock salt (NaCl), with trace carnallite (KMgCl3 · 6H2O) and minor water insolubles. Potash fertilizer is concentrated, nearly pure KCl (i.e. greater than 95% pure KCl), but ore grade is traditionally reported on a % K2O equivalent basis. The “% K2O equivalent” gives a standard measurement of the nutrient value of different potassium-bearing rocks and minerals. To convert from % K2O equivalent tonnes to actual KCl tonnes, multiply by 1.58.

There are three mineable potash members within the Prairie Evaporite Formation of Saskatchewan. Stratigraphically highest to lowest, these members are: Patience Lake, Belle Plaine, and Esterhazy.

The Allan potash deposit lies within the Patience Lake Member of Prairie Evaporite Formation. There are two potash seams named A Zone and B Zone within this Member; at present, only the A Zone is being mined at Allan. Some test mining has been carried out in the B Zone, but no mining is done in this layer at present. Neither the Esterhazy nor the White Bear Potash Members are present in the Allan area. The Belle Plaine Potash Member is not well-developed, and therefore is not mined.

Allan potash mineralization occurs at about 1000 metres depth below surface. The A Zone is approximately 3.35 metres thick and occurs near the top of the Prairie Evaporite Formation salts. Salt cover from the ore zone to overlying units is approximately 14 m.

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Milling equipment has not been reported.

Processing

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Production

CommodityProductUnits202320222021202020192018201720162015
Potash Salt Mt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2.22.41.82.42.4

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222021202020192018201720162015
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe4 Mt of potash salt4 Mt of potash salt4 Mt of potash salt4 Mt of potash salt
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe6.15 Mt6.55 Mt5.22 Mt6.82 Mt6.75 Mt

Production Costs

Commodity production costs have not been reported.

Heavy Mobile Equipment

Fleet data has not been reported.

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2024

EmployeesYear
...... Subscription required 2017
...... Subscription required 2016
...... Subscription required 2015
...... Subscription required 2014

Aerial view:

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