Florida phosphates operation is owned by or has controlling interest granted to Mosaic Fertilizer LLC, South Ft. Meade Land Management or South Ft. Meade Land Partnership, L.P. (“SFMLP”), each a subsidiary of Mosaic.
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Summary:
The phosphate deposits of Florida are sedimentary in origin and part of a phosphate-bearing province that extends from southern Florida north along the Atlantic coast into southern Virginia. Sedimentary phosphate deposits consist of rock in which the phosphate mineral(s) occur in grains, pellets, nodules, and as phosphate replacement of calcium in the remains of animal skeletal material and excrement.
Florida has phosphate rock distributed along the entire peninsula with varying lateral extents and abundance. There are five phosphate districts recognized in Florida identified as Northern, Northeast, Hardrock, Southeast and Central. The phosphates of Florida occur in sedimentary rocks and are of secondary origin, having been redeposited either by mechanical or chemical action. During deposition, most of the carbonate platform was drowned, and deposition was widespread. The intensity of reworking by marine processes allows some deposits to remain relatively near their origins and contribute to massive deposits while others were transported and winnowed into deposits of nodules, grains and pellets.
All our phosphate deposits are located in the central Florida Phosphate District. The general description of the phosphatic deposits in central Florida consist of two geological facies. The phosphate bearing units are within the Bone Valley Member of the Peace River Formation and the Undifferentiated Member of the Peace River Formation within the South Florida Extension region of the Central District. The deposit characteristics transition from north east to the south west. The major phosphate bearing units in the north east consist of a productive Bone Valley Member with limited production in the Undifferentiated Member. The phosphate bearing units in the south west exhibit limited production in the Bone Valley Member and a productive Undifferentiated Member of the Peace River Formation.
The phosphate stratigraphy consists of 5 to 50 feet (1.5 to 15.2 m) thick, white to brown poorly graded quartz sand with varying abundance of reworked phosphate grains as waste overburden. The economic zone is 13 to 50 feet (4.0 to 15.2 m) thick, with a grade ranging from 27 to 35% P O . It consists of tan-gray to gray quartz sands, dark gray to dark gray-blue-green clays and silts with phosphate nodules and pellets present with phosphate grains and clasts predominate. There can be interbedded waste zones of 0 to 15 feet (0.0 to 4.6 m) thick comprised of beds of cream to green barren sandy clay, clays or dense dolomitic clays. The basal units are dark gray to black clays to phosphatic limestone rubble to beds of phosphatic limestone.
The Four Corners property geology consists of 21 to 41 ft. (6.4 to 12.5 m) of gray to white poorly graded quartz sand with varying abundance of reworked phosphate grains as waste overburden. The first economic zone is 13 to 26 ft. (4.0 to 7.9 m) of tan-gray to gray quartz sands, clays and silts with phosphate nodules and pellets present with phosphate grains and clasts predominate. There is an interbedded waste zone of 0 to 10 ft. (0.0 to 3.0 m) in thickness comprised of beds of blue to green barren sandy clays. Occasionally, there are beds of marine limestone and dolostones or marginally phosphatic sandy beds of dolomitic clasts and grains. The second economic zone is 0 to 15 ft. (0.0 to 4.6 m) of dark gray to dark gray-blue-green clays, silts with quartz sands with phosphate nodules and pellets present with phosphate grains.
The South Fort Meade property geology consists of 5 to 50 ft. (1.5 to 15.2 m) of gray to white poorly graded quartz sand with varying abundance of reworked phosphate grains. The economic zone is 0 to 50 ft. (0.0 to 15.2 m) thick, ranging in grade from 30 to 40% P2O5sand comprised gray to gray-blue clayey sands with lincation of red, brown, and white. Phosphate nodules and pellets arc the dominant constituent to gray to gray-blue quartz sands, clays, and phosphate grains and some nodules. The basal units are gray to gray-blue barren clays to phosphatic limestone nibble to beds of phosphatic limestone.
The Wingate property geology consists of 35 to 49 ft. (10.7 to 14.9 m) of white to tan-gray poorly graded quartz sand to brown gray to orange iron-cemented clayey sand hardpan to tan-gray to gray clayey sands with varying abundance of reworked phosphate grains. The economic zone is 19 to 37 ft. (5.8 to 11.3 m) thick, ranging in grade from 28 to 31% P2O5and comprised of tan-gray to gray clayey sands with phosphate pellets and grains to gray to gray-blue quartz sands, clays, and phosphate grains and some nodules. The basal units arc gray to gray-blue barren clays to phosphatic limestone rubble to beds of phosphatic limestone.
The South Pasture property geology consists of 17 to 37 ft. (5.2 to 11.3 m) of mostly tan gray to gray poorly graded quartz sand with varying abundance of reworked phosphate grains. The first economic zone is 13 to 27 ft. (4.0 to 8.2 m) of tan-gray to gray-blue quartz sands, clays and silts with phosphate nodules and pellets arc present with phosphate grains and clasts predominate. There is an interbedded waste zone of 0 to 13 ft. (0 to 4.0 m) in thickness comprised of beds of blue to green barren sandy clays. Occasionally beds of marine limestone and dolostones or marginally phosphatic sandy beds of dolomitic clasts and grains. The second economic zone is 0 to 14 ft. (0.0 to 4.3 m) of dark gray to dark gray-blue-green clays, silts with quartz sands with phosphate nodules and pellets present with phosphate grains and clasts predominate. The phosphate grade ranges from 29 to 33% P2O5. The basal units are dark gray to black clays to phosphatic limestone rubble to beds of phosphatic limestone.
The DeSoto property geology consists of 18 to 32 ft. (5.5 to 9.8 m) of gray to white poorly graded quartz sand with varying abundance of reworked phosphate grains. The economic zone is 11 to 28 ft. (3.4 to 8.5 m) thick, ranging in grade from 29 to 35% P2O5 and comprised of tan-gray to gray clay-rich sands with phosphate pellets and grains. The basal units are gray to gray-blue barren clays to phosphatic limestone rubble to beds of phosphatic limestone.
The Pioneer property geology consists of 21 to 45 ft. (6.4 to 13.7 m) of gray to tan poorly graded quartz sand with varying abundance of reworked phosphate grains. The economic zone is 14 to 38 ft. (4.3 to 11.6 m) thick, ranging in grade from 26 to 33% P2O5 and comprised of tan-gray to gray to gray-blue quartz sands, silts and clays with phosphate pellets and grains. The basal units are gray green to dark-gray barren clays to phosphatic limestone rubble to beds of phosphatic limestone.