Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Underground |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
- Room-and-pillar
- Continuous
|
Production Start | ... |
Mine Life | 2061 |
In recent years, the Lanigan mine underwent a major expansion which brought the nameplate capacity to 3.8 million tonnes per year. In 2023, operational capability at the Lanigan facility was 3.0 million tonnes per year. Operational capability may vary during the year and year-to-year including as between our potash operations. |
Source:
p. 7,53
Nutrien owns and operates a potash mine at Lanigan, Saskatchewan, Canada indirectly through PotashCorp.
Contractors
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Summary:
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.
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 Lanigan 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; both the A Zone and B Zone are being mined at Lanigan. The Belle Plaine potash member is present at Lanigan but is not economically mineable, while the Esterhazy Member is poorly developed and not economically mineable.
Lanigan potash mineralization occurs at an average of about 990 m depth below surface. Salt cover from the top of the A Zone mining horizon to overlying units is approximately 7 metres thick, and salt cover from the top of the B Zone mining horizon to overlying units is approximately 14 metres thick.
Mining Methods
- Room-and-pillar
- Continuous
Summary:
The Lanigan mine is a conventional underground mining operation whereby continuous mining machines are used to excavate potash ore by the stress-relief mining method in the A Zone and the long-room and pillar mining method in the B Zone. Currently, in any specific mining block, only one zone is mined (i.e. bi-level mining is not in practice). Continuous conveyor belts transport ore from the mining face to the bottom of the production shaft.
The actual mining thickness at Lanigan is dictated by the height of continuous boring machines used to cut the ore. The A Zone mining interval is fixed at 3.66 m (12’). The 3.66 m (12’) mining height also allows for comfortable working headroom and efficient extraction of potash ore. The thickness of the B Zone mining horizon varies somewhat and there is some flexibility in the thickness of the potash ore that is extracted there. Production mining machines have a fixed mining height of 2.74 m (9’). In a normal production room, ore is extracted in two lifts resulting in a mining height of approximately 4.88 m (16’).
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 secondary egress. The Service Shaft is used for service access, and exhausting ventilation from the mine.
The life-of-mine average conc ........
Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Source:
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Reserves at December 31, 2023:
Category | Tonnage | Commodity |
Proven
|
117 Mt
|
K2O
|
Probable
|
432 Mt
|
K2O
|
Proven & Probable
|
549 Mt
|
K2O
|
Measured
|
5,211 Mt
|
K2O
|
Indicated
|
3,384 Mt
|
K2O
|
Inferred
|
808 Mt
|
K2O
|
Total Resource
|
9,403 Mt
|
K2O
|
Corporate Filings & Presentations:
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