Overview

Mine Type	In-Situ
Status	Active
Commodities	Potash
Mining Method	Solution mining
Production Start	...
Snapshot	Patience Lake mine, which was originally a conventional underground mine, but began employing a solution mining method in 1989. The Patience Lake mine produces six grades of potash to suit the different preferences of different markets.

Deposit type

• Evaporite

Summary:

The Patience Lake mine is located within the Patience Lake Member of the Prairie Evaporite Formation.

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.

Mining Methods

- subscription is required.

Comminution

Crushers and Mills

Processing

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Production

Commodity	Units	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
Potash	Mt	....	....	....	....	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.3

Operational metrics

Metrics	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
Annual production capacity	....	....	....	....	0.3 Mt of potash salt	0.3 Mt of potash salt	0.3 Mt of potash salt	0.3 Mt of potash salt	0.3 Mt of potash salt

Personnel

Job Title	Name	Profile	Ref. Date
.......................	.......................		Mar 25, 2024
.......................	.......................		Mar 25, 2024
.......................	.......................		Mar 25, 2024

Employees	Year
......	2017
......	2016
......	2015