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Patience Lake Mine
Owner: PotashCorp

Patience Lake potash mine is located near the city of Saskatoon in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. At Patience Lake potash is mined in situ by using a solution mining method where hot water is pumped through drillholes into the underground potash deposit and the resulting brine is then recovered through another set of drillholes and directed to the evaporation pond.
 
The potash produced at Patience Lake is being used in fertilizer and agricultural products. Final product is shipped by rail to North American users and through ports to international customers.


Geology & Mineralization

The sylvite (potash) deposits of Saskatchewan formed over 350 million years ago as a result of the final stage of evaporative concentration of sea water in a middle Devonian sea.
 
The productive Praire Evaporite Formation comprises a series of flat-lying sedimentary deposits of interbedded sylvite (KCl), carnallite, halite beds and clay and dolomite beds.
 
Stratigraphy of the region is dominated by three important potash bearing beds: the upper Patience Lake member (exploited by mines employing underground and solution mining methods); the middle Belle Plaine member (solution mining); and the lower Esterhazy member (underground and solution mining).
 
Potash deposits in Saskatchewan are about 1,000 m to 3,000 m below surface and are flat lying and pretty much undisturbed. The ore is made of approximately 55 percent sodium chloride (rock salt), 40 percent potassium chloride (KCl, or potash) and 5 percent clay and other insoluble materials. It also contains small quantities of iron oxide which colors the ore in red or pink.
 
Saskatchewan hosts 50% of the world's reserves.
 
General Manager Trevor Berg
Box 509
Saskatoon, SK S7K 3L6
Canada
 
Ph: (306) 667-4300