Mining Intelligence and News
Canada

Lanigan Mine

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Categories

Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Potash
Mining Method
  • Room-and-pillar
  • Continuous
Production Start... Lock
Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotIn 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.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Nutrien Ltd. 100 % Indirect
Nutrien owns and operates a potash mine at Lanigan, Saskatchewan, Canada indirectly through PotashCorp.

Contractors

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Deposit type

  • Evaporite

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.

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  ....  Subscribe1.821.821.8

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222021202020192018201720162015
Annual production capacity  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3.8 Mt of potash salt3.8 Mt of potash salt3.8 Mt of potash salt3.8 Mt of potash salt
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe5.83 Mt6.98 Mt6.31 Mt7.09 Mt6.09 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 26, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Mar 25, 2024

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

Aerial view:

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