A Silica Mine in New Brunswick - An Earthcache
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Silica, or silicon dioxide, occurs as the mineral quartz and is the most abundant mineral on the earth's crust. Silica deposits occur throught Canada, with main producers in Quebec, Ontario and Alberta. Silica is also produced in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada produces over 2 million t of silica annually. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/silica
Well, it seems that silica is also mined in Poodiac, New Brunswick, close to Cassidy Lake. This large silica mine is strategically located close to main highways to make it easily accessible to all of Eastern North America.
Generally there are four categories of silica deposits: Cretaceous quartzose sand and gravel, Late Carboniferous quartzose sandstone and quartz-pebble conglomeration, Neoproterozoic-Silurian quartzite and Quartz veins.
A small outcrop of quartz (silica) sand has been recognized at Vinegar Hill, near Cassidy Lake south of Sussex, New Brunswick, since the 1980s and extracted for commercial purposes. The deposit lies over Carboniferous rocks and under glacial deposits. Its setting is very similar to comparable, confirmed Cretaceous deposits in Nova Scotia.
The silica-rich deposit at Cassidy Lake is made up of quartzose sand and quartz-pebble to quartz-cobble sized gravel. Other Cretaceous sand and gravel deposits similar to those at Cassidy Lake have yet to be located in New Brunswcik, however, deposits may exist in structurally similar settings, including the area immediately south of the Harvey-Hopewell Fault in Southeastern New Brunswick. Given the economic and scientific interest of the Vinegar Hill deposit a search for similar outcrops would be worthwhile.
Although silica mining has been explored in various areas of New Brunswick, including Bass River (near Belldune), the Burchill Road quartzite deposit southwest of Saint John, and White Head and Nantucket islands in southwestern New Brunswick, the Cassidy Lake deposit near Sussex is New Brunswick's most productive and longstanding silica operation.
The silica was first noted in the late 1970s when a potash exploration drillhole intersected 150 m of white quartzose material. When the silica unit was drill-tested and analyzed, results indicated a reserve of 16.7 Mt of highgrade (98–99%) SiO in the form of poorly consolidated Cretaceous sand and gravel.
The Cassidy Lake operation started production in 1986 under what became Sussex Silica Inc., and a processing plant was erected on site. Atlantic Silica Inc. acquired the Sussex Silica assets in 1993 and currently manages the quarry and facilities. Nova Scotia-based interests took ownership of Atlantic Silica in early 2003. The head office of the company is in Enfield, Nova Scotia and the mine is located at Poodiac, near Cassidy Lake, New Brunswick. The mine, employing nine persons, operates on a full-time basis for eight months of the year, and relies on its stored inventory for the remaining winter months.
Silica resources at Cassidy Lake comprise about 20 Mt of material averaging >99% SiO. The processing plant sells its silica products across eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. End uses of the sand- and pebble-sized materials include silicon metal, silicon carbide, glass, recreational sand, decorative stone, filtration sand, foundry sand, refractory sand, smelter flux, cement additive, landscaping material and construction sand.
The company operates a washing, screening and drying plant on the mine site which has a capacity of 140 metric tonnes per hour. Products required to be dry are processed and packaged at a rate of 30 to 50 tonnes per hour.
The silica deposit, covered by one to twelve metres of overburden, is a 98 percent pure unconsolidated natural deposit of sand and gravel quartz. The deposit is approximately 1500 metres long by 600 metres wide. The material is consistent with depth to the extent of 16 metre drill holes. The depth of the deposit is unknown. Proven reserves are 18 million tonnes. Probable reserves are 50 million tonnes to 32 metres depth and 100 million tonnes to 65 metres ore depth.
The plant was originally developed to supply the Quebec and Northern New Brunswick markets for silicon metal, silicon carbide and metallurgical flux. In 1989 a successful pilot test was conducted to prove the material was suitable for glass products (both container and flat glass). The company still hopes to become a regular supplier of glass sand. Since inception, A.S.I. has increasingly become a supplier of a wide variety of sand products including: blasting sands, nursery grits, golf course sand (both bunker and green drainage), filtration media, foundry sand, refractory sand, cement additives, concrete aggregate, traction sand (for roads, railways and airports), plaster sand and decorative sands including pebbles. These products are shipped to a wide variety of locations throughout Eastern Canada and Northeastern U.S.A. All current shipping is by road transport which services the mine site. C.N. Rail is located within 5 km of the plant and the deep water port of Saint John, New Brunswick open year round, is located 40 km away.
The posted coordinates take you to an area where you can easily see the mine. Remember, this is an earthcache, so there is no container to find, just a lesson from Mother Nature.
In order to claim this as found, please answer the following questions:
1. How is the silica mined at this site?
2. By what means do they bring the silica to the surface?
3. Estimate the width and depth of the mine.
4. Name three uses for silica?
Send the answers to the questions to our email profile. In your email, please include the name of this earthcache and the number of people in your group. Do not answer the questions in your log, but do tell us why you enjoyed your visit to the silica mine so that others can share your experiences. Have fun!!
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