| It's time to rewrite the history books. In Situ Leach | | | | experiment." Results were good on the test, and |
| Mining (ISL), or Solution Mining, was not first | | | | Utah pioneered ISL mining. Snow wrote in an August |
| commercially started in Bruni, Texas in 1973 by | | | | 2, 1960 memo, "The favorable results of the heap |
| Westinghouse, a consortium of oil companies and | | | | leach project and other research indicate that the |
| others. The birthplace of ISL was never South | | | | process can be successfully applied in many of the |
| Texas, as some have claimed. It was begun in | | | | low-grade areas to recover much of the |
| Wyoming, about 16 years before an ISL operation | | | | mineralization." Later in his report, Snow calculated |
| was started in Texas. Why there has been a | | | | reserves from random samples obtained from |
| whitewash over the true history of ISL is not our | | | | previous drilling at Lucky Mc, "The estimated reserve |
| concern. This series is an in-depth investigation into | | | | for the block is 147,000 tons @ 0.0361 percent |
| how and why ISL mining came about, how it has | | | | U3O8, or 106,616 pounds of U3O8." He estimated the |
| been tested over a period of nearly 50 years, and | | | | program would cost $111,471. Using a value of $6 |
| why this type of uranium mining will play an important | | | | pound for U3O8, the anticipated returns were |
| role in providing U.S. utilities with the raw fuel to | | | | calculated as follows:50 percent recovery: 53,318 |
| power nuclear reactors for the next few decades.In | | | | pounds: $208,377 |
| this modern era of uranium mining, extremely skilled | | | | 25 percent recovery: 26,654 pounds: $ 48,453That |
| engineers, hydrologists and geologists establish ISL | | | | was just the start. By the end of the decade, Shirley |
| mining operations. Most insiders compare an ISL | | | | Basin's solution mining operation was producing U3O8 |
| operation to a water treatment plant. It's really that | | | | at comparable levels to present day production at |
| simple to understand. However, as with every | | | | any of the major U.S. ISL facilities. In a paper |
| modern industrial operation, the roots of ISL mining | | | | presented by Ian Ritchie and John S. Anderson, |
| came about in a less genteel or sophisticated manner. | | | | entitled "Solution Mining in the Shirley Basin," on |
| In 1958, Charles Don Snow, a uranium mining and | | | | September 11, 1967, at the American Mining Congress |
| exploration geologist employed by the Utah | | | | in Denver, Colorado, these Utah International |
| Construction Company, was investigating a Wyoming | | | | executives explained the success of the Shirley Basin |
| property for possible acquisition for his company. | | | | solution mining operation. In a summary explaining the |
| During the course of that visit, he discovered a new | | | | company's activities, we discovered the Shirley Basin |
| method of uranium mining and helped pioneer its | | | | operation not only filled the Atomic Energy |
| development into the modern form of ISL.Since 1957, | | | | Commission (AEC) allocation requirements from 1962 |
| R.T. Plum, president of Uranyl Research Company, | | | | through 1969 but we learned of the sizeable |
| had been experimenting with a leach solution on his | | | | commitments into the future Shirley Basin was to |
| property at the Lucky June uranium mine. "They | | | | fill:"In 1968 sales of uranium concentrate were made |
| mixed up the sulfuric acid solution and just dumped it | | | | to purchases other than the AEC. One of the first |
| on the ground, and soaked it through the material | | | | sales was to Sacramento Municipal Utility District with |
| and collected it in a little trench at the end," Charles | | | | a minimum of 950,000 pounds to a maximum of |
| Snow told StockInterview. It wasn't very scientific. | | | | 1,100,000 pounds of uranium concentrate in 1971. |
| Snow added, "They were just learning how, and I | | | | Additional contracts were signed with General Electric |
| observed it and thought that the application could be | | | | Company and with Nordostschwerzerische |
| made through some of the ore that we had in the | | | | Kraftwerke A.G. (Baden, Switzerland). The contracts |
| Lucky Mc mine." The company was mining uranium | | | | called for delivery of 8,000,000 pounds of |
| this way because it was below the grades miners | | | | concentrate to GE between 1968 and 1975, and |
| were used to, when mining. As Snow noted, "It was | | | | 500,000 pounds of concentrate to NOK commencing |
| not worth mining." But it was practically at the | | | | in July 1969."ConclusionThe single reason solution |
| surface. He explained what they were doing at the | | | | mining stopped, well before the first "commercial" ISL |
| Lucky June, "There was an area where uranium | | | | operation began in Bruni, Texas in 1973, was because |
| leached out to the surface in a small area, and it had | | | | of the improved market forecast for uranium in the |
| a clay under-bed. These people put solutions onto the | | | | 1970s. Utah Construction switched to open pit mining |
| surface, collected the solution, and ran it by resin | | | | because they needed to produce a lot more uranium. |
| beads to absorb the uranium."While they only | | | | The nuclear renaissance of the 1970s demanded |
| recovered about $3600 worth of uranium, roughly | | | | massive quantities of uranium to fuel the rapidly |
| 600 pounds, Snow was impressed. He later wrote an | | | | growing nuclear power industry.Don Snow's initial field |
| inter-office memorandum in July 1959, with the | | | | tests, begun in the late 1950s, resulted in continuous |
| subject header: "Recovery of Uranium from Low | | | | production achieved by late 1962. Subsequently, |
| Grade Mineralization using a leach in place process." In | | | | production in the underground uranium mine was shut |
| his conclusion, Snow recommended, "From the | | | | down by May 1962. The underground mine was |
| preliminary information available, it appears that it will | | | | maintained in a standby condition until 1965, when all |
| be possible to treat very low grade mineralization for | | | | underground operations were written off. Millions of |
| recovery of uranium at a large net profit." He | | | | pounds were mined by Utah Construction through its |
| explained the process to his bosses, encouraging | | | | ISL operations in Shirley Basin. It wasn't heap |
| them to consider this as an option:"In brief, the | | | | leaching.Sufficient evidence confirms that Wyoming, |
| process introduces a leach solution onto the surface | | | | not Texas, first pioneered commercial ISL mining. Not |
| of the ground and allows the solution to percolate | | | | only were well fields designed as early as 1960, but |
| down through the area to be leached. The solution is | | | | the entire concept of an ISL "water treatment" plant |
| then recovered from wells and circulated through an | | | | can trace its roots to Utah Construction's pioneer |
| ion exchange circuit with the barren solution being | | | | work. Everything from injection wells to production |
| returned to the leach area. Recovery of the uranium | | | | wells were pioneered in the early 1960s. We |
| is made by stripping from the ion exchange | | | | challenged Charles Don Snow that some have claimed |
| medium."He wanted the Utah Construction Company | | | | it was heap leaching, not ISL mining. Snow shot back, |
| to try this method of mining where there was low | | | | "No, we drilled holes in the ground and the material |
| grade mineralization. Snow succeeded in convincing his | | | | had never been mined. We got our ideas, certainly, |
| bosses. That began yet another innovation for Utah | | | | from heap leaching, which came from the copper |
| Construction Company, the same company which | | | | industry." Snow explained that after the solution |
| helped construct the Hoover Dam, decades earlier, | | | | mining experiment was successful, "A recovery plant |
| before it got into the uranium mining business.Utah | | | | was designed and put into the hoist house, where |
| Construction Becomes the First Commercial ISL | | | | they had had the underground mine. That was |
| MinerNewspaper reports, through the 1960s, illustrate | | | | designed by Robert Carr Porter and Ian Ritchie." |
| that ISL mining was in full bloom more than a decade | | | | Snow added, "In fact, Ian Ritchie and J.S. Anderson |
| before anyone in Texas began a commercial ISL | | | | have a U.S. Patent on the well completion procedures |
| operation. On June 18, 1964, the Riverton Ranger | | | | that we used at Shirley Basin."Snow pondered if his |
| newspaper reported, "The Shirley Basin mine is on a | | | | friend Jack Bailey may have exported the ISL |
| standby basis. The timbers are being maintained and | | | | technology to Texas. "Jack Bailey was the Shirley |
| the water pumped out. Total production comes from | | | | Basin project manager for the underground mine |
| solution mining." Between 1962 and 1969, ISL was the | | | | when we switched over to solution mining," Snow |
| only method producing uranium at Utah's Shirley Basin | | | | said. "He later went to work for Chevron, and |
| Wyoming. Later in that same article, under the | | | | Chevron had operations in Texas. I believe they even |
| section entitled, "Gas Hills Solution Mining," it was | | | | experimented with solution mining. Now, whether or |
| reported, "The Four Corners area is 'mined' by | | | | not Jack was directly involved, I don't know." As it is |
| solution mining techniques similar to those employed | | | | with history, many of the old-timers are gone. We |
| at Shirley Basin." Credit for this new mining method is | | | | were told Jack Bailey had had a stroke a number of |
| also reported in that same article, "Lucky Mc | | | | years back, and did not trace this further. There may |
| introduced the heap leach process of recovering | | | | have been others. "Some of the people from that |
| values from low grade ores in 1960."Charles Snow | | | | area (Shirley Basin) had gone to Texas," Snow |
| explained how his company made the transition from | | | | recalled. "There is documentation, it was published |
| underground mining to solution mining, "The | | | | information, and a lot of people who went to Texas, |
| underground mining at Shirley Basin was very | | | | came from the Wyoming area. So, I'm sure there |
| expensive, and we were having a lot of heavy | | | | wasn't a paucity of information being transferred." |
| ground problems." The sandstone aquifers containing | | | | Ironically, the Westinghouse-led consortium, which |
| the uranium were uncemented and brittle, supported | | | | included U.S. Steel and Union Carbide, among others, |
| with timbers. "In some places, it was too heavy to | | | | was called Wyoming Minerals. Now we know exactly |
| hold with timbers," said Snow. "We had to use steel | | | | why they chose that name.While there have been a |
| sets underground, and it was even mashing the steel | | | | number of ISL operations built and operated in |
| sets. So the expenses were getting very high."Water | | | | Texas, there may be little future for uranium mining |
| was flowing into the open drifts at prodigious rates. | | | | in that state, unless there are new discoveries. By a |
| Snow recalled, "Barney Greenly said, 'Let's try solution | | | | few, Texas has been inaccurately called the "home |
| mining over here.' They did a test, and it did operate | | | | of ISL mining." Perhaps that came about because ISL |
| quite well. They got some pretty good results. So | | | | operations continued, during the uranium depression |
| the underground mine was shut down, and they | | | | of the past two decades, with small amounts of |
| went to a solution-mining program to produce the | | | | production occurring in Texas. According to Energy |
| allocated pounds in the Shirley Basin area." The | | | | Information Administration figures published in June |
| procedure was tested for a few years before a | | | | 2004, uranium reserves in Texas stand at 23 million |
| full-scale commercial production began. This fulfilled | | | | pounds of U3O8 based upon $50/pound uranium. By |
| 100 percent of Utah's Shirley Basin uranium production | | | | comparison, Wyoming and New Mexico reserves, |
| allotment from the AEC.There were problems at first. | | | | using that same benchmark, reach as high as 363 |
| "We started out initially using sulfuric acid, and we | | | | million and 341 million pounds, respectively.This may |
| had some reaction with carbonates in the formation." | | | | explain the rush by junior exploration companies, such |
| Sulfuric acid plus calcium carbonate produces calcium | | | | as Strathmore Minerals (TSX: STM; Other OTC: |
| sulfate, and this plugged up the formation. Calcium | | | | STHJF), Energy Metals Corporation (TSX: EMC), |
| sulfate is gypsum, which was insoluble in the leach | | | | UR-Energy (TSX: URE), Uranerz Energy (OTC BB: |
| solution. "It tended to plug up the formation and | | | | URNZ), Kilgore Minerals (TSX: KAU) and others, to |
| reduce the transmissivity of the fluid from the input | | | | Wyoming. The large quantities of pounds are in |
| hole to the output recovery hole."To prevent | | | | Wyoming, not Texas. It may also explain why |
| interference with the porosity of the formation, | | | | Uranium Resources (OTC BB: URRE) has looked |
| Snow switched to nitric acid, but admitted, "We | | | | beyond Texas into New Mexico to develop its ISL |
| were reluctant to use nitric acid because it was much | | | | operation, and Strathmore Minerals has quickly been |
| more expensive than sulfuric." But they did, because | | | | advancing through its permitting stage on one of its |
| the nitric acid solution did not form gypsum. Unlike | | | | properties in that state. It is fitting that the big past |
| present-day ISL methods used in Texas, Nebraska | | | | uranium producing states may again become |
| and Wyoming, Utah Construction did not use a | | | | tomorrow's leading U.S. producers. In any event, the |
| carbonated leaching solution in their solution mining. | | | | entire world of ISL mining owes a debt of gratitude |
| Nitric solution was used during the 1960s and | | | | to Charles Don Snow for his pioneering efforts in |
| continued until the Lucky Mc switched over to open | | | | bringing a heap leach experiment into full fruition as |
| pit mining.It all started as a heap leach experiment. | | | | modern-day in-situ mining.James Finch contributes to |
| "We had quite a bit of low grade in Lucky Mc," Snow | | | | and other publications. |
| told us, "so we thought we would try a heap leach | | | | |