The structural feature that dominates the NDR and H1 areas is the northwest trending North Dry Valley Anticline. NDR and H1 are located on the northeast limb of the anticline and as such, the strata of NDR and H1 dips very steeply to near vertical to the northeast.

Faulting in the northern portion of the NDR lease has forced the Meade Peak Member of the Phosphoria Formation to uplift to the overlying Dinwoody Formation. This has resulted in the absence of the Meade Peak Member north of the Blackfoot normal fault with in the NDR property.

Additional folding and faulting are found in the southern portion of the H1 area, notably, the Stewart Anticline, which trends northeast/southeast. The axis of the Stewart Anticline are within the southern portion of the H1 property and allow for a large outcrop area of the Meade Peak Member.

The Meade Peak Member of the Phosphoria Formation contains the phosphate ore within the Conda Projects and is overlain by the Rex Chert member and underlain by the Park City Formation. The Quaternary Alluvium is not very extensive and where present, is only about 5 ft to 20 ft thick. The Meade Peak Member is broken into five mining zones throughout the Conda Projects where the Upper Phosphate and Lower Phosphate Zones are the primary phosphate mineralized zones. The significant mineralized zones encountered on the property are shown below:
- Upper Overburden Zone (Hanging Wall mud).
- Upper Phosphate Zone - Low/medium to high grade phosphate zone. Interbedded phosphorite, mudstone, siltstone, limestone, and shale.
- Center Interburden Zone – Shale and mudstone.
- Lower Phosphate Zone – Low to high grade phosphate zone. Interbedded phosphorite, mudstone, siltstone, limestone, and shale.
- Lower Underburden Zone (Footwall mud) – Reddish brown siltstone with black fossiliferous siltstone and some phosphorite.

The phosphate mineralization presented in this TR is sedimentary in nature, occurring in a conformable sequence of alternating phosphatic and weakly- to non-phosphatic shale, mudstone, carbonate, and chert beds within the Meade Peak Member of the Permian Phosphoria Formation. The Phosphoria Formation occurs within the Western Phosphate Field that occupies in excess of 135,000 square miles, spanning Eastern Idaho, Southern Montana, Western Wyoming, and northern half of Utah (Sheldon 1989).

The phosphate mineralization encountered in the Meade Peak Member is stratigraphic in nature and the deposit type is considered a typical example of a marine sedimentary phosphate deposit. The phosphate mineralization occurred during the primary depositional processes and there are no known secondary phases of phosphate mineralization or enrichment identified in the deposits.

PEA level pit designs were completed for both the H1 and NDR deposits using the pit shells selected from the pit optimization and geotechnical parameters provided by Itafos Conda.

Preliminary OSAs (Overburden Stockpile Areas) were designed for both H1 and NDR. Both pits assume utilizing the Maybe Canyon pits to handle the overburden from the early phases of mining. It is estimated approximately 12 Mbcy of NDR overburden will be placed in NMM, and approximately 14 Mbcy of H1 overburden will be placed in SMC. The remaining overburden will go into H1 and NDR as backfill. Material that cannot be directly placed into the Maybe pits or advancing development of the H1 or NDR pits will be over stacked as temporary internal OSAs or placed into temporary external OSAs. The temporary external OSAs are estimated at 12.8 Mbcy for H1 and 2.1 Mbcy for NDR. This material will be rehandled and placed in the final pit phases as part of final reclamation.

A PEA level schedule was developed to provide 548 Kt dry of contained P2O5 annually to the CPP. The PEA plan was developed to provide an uninterrupted supply of ore and maintain a stockpile inventory of about six months of feed.

Impact Crusher
The 8 x 1.375-inch coarse size fraction (203,200x34,925 µm), considered of medium hardness (about 9.0 kwh/t), is submitted to crushing in an impact crusher to liberate, at the coarser size fraction possible, the impure phosphate fluor or hydroxy-apatite from coarse dolomite and other impurities, such as aluminum silicates, clays, quartz, and iron bearing minerals.

This unit operation is carried out in an open circuit, receiving about 20% of the total plant feed (70 tph), and sending the crushed product to join the 1.375 x 0.25-inch size fraction (34,925 x 6,350 µm). Then, this material is pumped to feed the rod mill for further size reduction and liberation of impure fluor or hydroxy-apatite of contaminants. From the characterization studies, it is clear that liberation of the impure fluor or hydroxy-apatite of contaminants requires to be ground to -0.375 inch (-9,525 µm).

Rod Mill Grinding and Sizing
The final size reduction unit operation is conducted in an Allis Chalmers 9 ft x12-ft Rod Mill using 4-inch diameter rods. These 4-inch diameter rods are used to avoid excessive grinding, since the Bond Work Index is about 9.7 kwh/ton (considered soft in the rock hardness range). The rod mill is loaded to an occupied volume of 30% to 35% and operated at 64.8% Cs (16.56 rpm).

Then, the ground product is sized in a trommel attached to the rod mill. This trommel consists of two concentric screens of 0.375 inch (9,525 µm), and 1-inch openings (25,400 µm); thus, producing a +1 inch (+25,400 µm), 1 x 0.375 inch (25,400 x 9,525 µm), and -0.375-inch size fractions (-9,525 µm). A minimum amount of +1-inch material (+25,400 µm) is produced, and it is rejected. The 1x0.375-inch size fraction (25,400 x 9,525 µm) returns to the rod mill as circulating load to be reground, and the -0.375-inch size fraction (-9,525 µm) joins the -0.25-inch material (-6,350 µm) to be submitted to classification.

Ball Mil Grinding
The Washer Plant concentrate is reclaimed by a belt conveyor from the stockpile using dozers, or front-end loaders, to feed a belt conveyor hopper. This belt conveyor feeds the chute of the North Ball Mill while a second one feeds the South Ball Mill. The product is ground in two FFE ball mills 11.5 ft x 21.5-ft running in parallel. These ball mills are fed with 0.375-inch x 325-mesh beneficiated phosphate concentrate (9,525x44 µm) to be ground to 98% -35-mesh size fraction (-420 µm) to allow an acceptable recovery in the PAP.

No ore processing occurs at any of the mineral projects. However, phosphate ores to be mined and delivered must be suitable for consumption by the CPP. Suitable for consumption means that delivered phosphate ores may be blended, if needed, and washed to meet certain quality characteristics required of the chemical plant feed. Current CPP Process and Facilities The CPP consists of the following plant, major facilities and operations.

Phosphate ore (fluorapatite) is mined, transported to a loading tipple, and then loaded into rail cars for transport from Itafos’ captive mines to the CPP.

The Wash Plant prepares the ore for use by the phosphoric acid plant. The ore is screened, with the smaller ore going to a sump and oversize material crushed prior to reporting to the sump. At the sump, the ore is slurried and pumped to a hydrocyclone bank to separate slimes from the ore. The hydrocyclone operation has the net effect of raising the % of P2O5 in the underflow, which ........