MINI NG
Bay St. George, Newfoundland
– an evaporite basin with potash-salt potential
by Dr. Edward Schiller
Potash and salt are mined from
Carboniferous-aged strata from the
Maritime Basin in Atlantic Canada. The
three producers are potash and salt
from Sussex, New Brunswick by Potash
Corporation of Saskatchewan [POT-TSX,
NYSE], salt from Pugwash Nova Scotia by
the Canadian Salt Company Ltd., a subsidiary of Morton Salt Inc., and salt from
Nappan Salt Mine, Nova Scotia by Sifto
Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Compass
Minerals International Inc. [CMP-NYSE]
(evaporation operation).
The former two operations use conventional underground cut and fill, and room
and pillar methods, respectively, whereas
the latter extracts salt from brines dissolved
from solutions injected into salt beds at
depth.
The Maritime Basin extends from southwestern New Brunswick northeastward to
southwestern Newfoundland and northwestward to the tip of Gaspé, Québec, and
the St. Lawrence River and southeastward
to northeast Nova Scotia (see map).
Based on previous exploration, comprising seismic surveys and drilling, Vulcan
Minerals Inc. [VUL-TSXV] acquired
interest in 1,455 mineral claims in the
Bay St. George Sub-Basin of southwestern
Newfoundland. In drill hole Captain Cook
No.1 approximately 400 metres of evaporates were intersected consisting of 240
metres of anhydrite, 160 metres of halite
(salt), including about 5 gross metres of
potash grading up to 20.4% of K2Cl (potassium chloride) at a depth of 287 metres.
It became apparent from the drill and
geophysical results that an evaporate
analogue to the Moncton Sub-Basin, that
hosts the potash-salt deposits of Potash
Corporation of Saskatchewan, could
exist in the Bay St. George Sub-Basin.
Geologically, the hosting Carboniferous
32 www.resourceworld.com
Windsor Group in Newfoundland showed
striking similarity to the same strata in
New Brunswick and for this reason the
Bay St. George area became a potash target
of interest.
Vulcan has spunout a new company,
Red Moon Potash Inc. [RMK-TSXV],
whereby Vulcan owns 60% of Red Moon.
In mid-May, Red Moon received the necessary exploration approvals to proceed
Diamond drilling has commenced on Red Moon Potash's Bay St. George potash-salt project in
western Newfoundland. Photo courtesy Red Moon Potash Inc.
JULY 2013
