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