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Canada
Cory Mine

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 Location:
7 km W from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

  Address:

Box 1320
Saskatoon
Saskatchewan, Canada
S7K 3N9
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
  • Financials
  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeUnderground
Commodities
  • Potash
Mining Method
  • Continuous
  • Room-and-pillar
Processing
  • Dewatering
  • Flotation
  • Dissolving & Crystallising
Mine Life59 years (as of Jan 1, 2020)
The life-of-mine average concentration ratio (raw ore / finished potash products) is 3.19 and the overall extraction ratio over this period is 27%.


Owners

Source: p. 7
CompanyInterestOwnership
Nutrien Ltd. 100 % Indirect

Deposit Type

  • Sedimentary


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 100 m to 200 m thick Prairie Evaporite Formation is overlain by approximately 400 m of Devonian carbonates followed by 100 m of Cretaceous sandstone, 400 m of Cretaceous shales, and 100m of recent Pleistocene glacial tills to surface. The Prairie Evaporite Formation is underlain by Devonian carbonates. 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 Cory potash deposit lies within the Patience Lake Potash 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 Cory. 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 Cory area. The Belle Plaine Potash Member is not well-developed, and therefore is not mined.

Cory potash mineralization occurs at a depth averaging approximately 1,010 m below surface. The A Zone is approximately 3.35 m thick and occurs near the top of the Prairie Evaporite Formation salts. Salt cover from the ore zone to overlying units is approximately 12 m.


Mining Methods

  • Continuous
  • Room-and-pillar


Summary:

At Cory, potash ore is mined using conventional mining methods, whereby:
- Shafts are sunk to the potash ore body;
- Continuous mining machines cut out the ore, which is hoisted to surface through the production shaft;
- Raw potash is processed and concentrated in a mill on surface; and
- Concentrated finished potash products (near-pure KCl) are sold and shipped to markets in North America and offshore.

Sinking of the two original shafts (Shaft #1 and Shaft #2) from surface to the potash zone was completed in 1968, and the first potash ore was hoisted in the fall of that year. The Cory mine has run on a continuous basis since the first ore was hoisted in 1968, other than short-term shutdowns taken for inventory management purposes or occasional plant maintenance and construction work.

Virtually all Cory underground mining rooms are in one potash mineralized zone, the upper layer (or A Zone) of the Patience Lake Member of the Prairie Evaporite Formation (the host evaporite salt). In contrast, some potash mines further east in Saskatchewan mine in a different potash layer, the Esterhazy Member of the Prairie Evaporite Formation. At Cory, mine elevations range from approximately 980 m to 1045 m, averaging approximately 1010 m. These depths to A Zone potash mineralization are anticipated over most of the Cory lease area. Mine workings are protected from aquifers in overlying formations by approximately 14 m of overlying salt and potash beds, along with salt plugged porosity in the Dawson Bay Formation, a carbonate layer lying immediately above potash hosting salt beds.

The Cory mine is a conventional underground mining operation whereby continuous mining machines are used to excavate the potash ore by the stress-relief mining method. Continuous conveyor belts transport ore from the mining face to the bottom of the production shaft.

The highest mineral grade section of the Cory potash seam is approximately 3.35 m (11’) thick, with gradations to lower grade salts immediately above and below the mining horizon. The actual mining thickness at Cory is dictated by the height of continuous boring machines used to cut the ore. Five older borers are designed to cut at a thickness of 3.35 m (11’) and five new borers are designed to cut 3.65 m (12’).

From the shaft bottom, potash ore is hoisted approximately 1000 m from the potash level through the vertical shafts to a surface mill. In addition to hoisting potash ore to surface, the production shaft provides fresh air ventilation to the mine and serves as a secondary egress. The Service Shaft is used for service access, and exhausting ventilation from the mine.


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Dewatering
  • Flotation
  • Dissolving & Crystallising

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

At Cory, potash ore has been mined and concentrated to produce saleable quantities of high grade finished potash products since 1968. Products include granular, standard, industrial grade, and feed grade potash.

Both flotation methods and crystallization methods are used to concentrate potash ore into finished potash products at the Cory mill. 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.

Over the past decade, actual mill recovery rates have been between 69.0% and 80.6%, averaging 73.7%

Recoveries & Grades:

CommodityParameter2020201920182017201620152014
Potash Head Grade, %  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required24.12423.524.524.9

Production:

CommodityUnits2020201920182017201620152014
Potash Mt  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required0.811.21.51.2
All production numbers are expressed as salt.
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics202020192018201720162015
Ore tonnes mined  ......  Subscription required3.46 Mt2.82 Mt3.41 Mt4.41 Mt5.15 Mt
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required
Annual processing capacity  ......  Subscription required3 Mt3 Mt3 Mt3 Mt
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2020:

CategoryTonnage CommodityGrade
Proven 73 Mt K2O
Probable 141 Mt K2O
Proven & Probable 214 Mt K2O 21.9 %
Measured 2,452 Mt K2O
Indicated 1,225 Mt K2O
Inferred 2,570 Mt K2O
Total Resource 6,247 Mt K2O 21.1 %

Financials:

Units2015
Capital expenditures M CAD 7.9  


Heavy Mobile Equipment:

Mine Management:

Job TitleNamePhoneEmailProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 16, 2021
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 16, 2021
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 16, 2021
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Apr 16, 2021
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

EmployeesYear
Subscription required 2017
Subscription required 2016
Subscription required 2015

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
................................... Subscription required 2019
Annual Information Form 2018
Technical Report 2018
Annual Information Form 2017
Annual Report 2017
Annual Report 2016
Form 10-K 2016
Annual Report 2015
Form 10-K 2015
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Aerial view:

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