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MININGWORLD
Besides being the heart of Canada's bread
basket, Saskatchewan is richly endowed
with minerals and is home to world class,
uranium and oil and gas deposits, diamonds
and, perhaps most importantly, potash.
Potash is an invaluable fertilizer used
primarily as a crop nutrient that increases
crop yield and strengthens plant stalks
and roots. Potash enhances water retention
and helps crops fight disease and injury. It
also adds flavor, color and texture to foods.
Saskatchewan is home to the world's
richest potash deposits and the prov-
ince hosts almost half the world's potash
reserves. Saskatchewan's rich potash
deposit formation began nearly 400 mil-
lion years ago. The province was almost
entirely covered in a vast sea that eventu-
ally became an inland sea as a massive reef
formed in the north cutting it off from
the ocean in the north. Over time, warm
dry air evaporated the inland sea and left
behind a bed of mineral salts aptly named
the Prairie Evaporate Formation.
Saskatchewan's massive potash deposits
covering huge tracts of the province lend
themselves to large scale mining. They are
located about 1,000-3,000 metres below
the surface and are relatively flat-lying and
undisturbed over very large areas. Potash
ore is composed of approximately 55%
sodium chloride, 40% potassium chloride
and 5% clay and other insolubles. Potash
forms in crystals which are light weight
compared to other minerals and contain
small amounts of iron oxide which gives
potash a whitish pink to deep red colour.
potash corporation of saskatchewan
[POT-TSX], the world's largest fertilizer
company by capacity, produces the three
primary crop nutrients – potash (K), phos-
phate (P) and nitrogen (N). As the world's
leading potash producer operating in
Saskatchewan, PotashCorp is responsible
for approximately 20% of global capacity.
So, how is potash recovered from these
huge, regular deposits? PostashCorp uses
two mining methods to mine potash.
Potash mining methods
and machines
by Kathrine Moore
