South Ridges Combined

Site Name

Primary: South Ridges Combined
Secondary: Commissary Ridge
Secondary: South Ridges
Secondary: Top of the World Mine
Secondary: South Mountain Mine
Secondary: Absaroka Ridge
Secondary: South Ridges #1
Secondary: South Ridges #2
Secondary: South Ridges #3
Secondary: South Ridges #4

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Commodity

Primary: Phosphorus-Phosphates
Tertiary: Uranium

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Location

State: Wyoming
County: Lincoln
District: Western Phosphate

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Land Status

Land ownership: Mixed
Note: the land ownership field only identifies whether the area the mine is in is generally on public lands like Forest Service or BLM land, or if it is in an area that is generally private property. It does not definitively identify property status, nor does it indicate claim status or whether an area is open to prospecting. Always respect private property.

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Holdings

Type: Other

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Workings

Type: Underground

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Ownership

Owner Name: State Of Wyoming
Company ID: 4801290
Percent: 5.00
Home Office: Wyoming
Info Year: 1978

Owner Name: U.S. Government
Company ID: 4801290
Percent: 95.00
Home Office: Dist Of Columbia
Info Year: 1980

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Production

Year: 1949
Time Period: 1948-1949
Description: One Mine Produced In 1948-49 8000 Short Tons Ore

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Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Past Producer
Operation Type: Surface-Underground
Mining Method: Shrinkage Methods
Milling Method: Flotation
Year First Production: 1948
Year Last Production: 1949
Discovery Year: 1904
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: N

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Physiography

General Physiographic Area: Rocky Mountain System
Physiographic Province: Middle Rocky Mountains

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Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Phosphate, upwelling type

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Orebody

Not available

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Structure

Not available

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Alterations

Not available

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Rocks

Not available

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Analytical Data

Not available

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Materials

Unknown: Kaolinite
Unknown: Tourmaline
Unknown: Zircon
Unknown: Feldspar
Unknown: Fluorite
Unknown: Gypsum
Unknown: Illite
Unknown: Limonite
Unknown: Montmorillonite
Unknown: Pyrite
Unknown: Apatite
Unknown: Calcite
Unknown: Dolomite
Unknown: Quartz
Unknown: Sphene

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Comments

Comment (Production): RECOVERIES IN THE YIELD DATA SET FOR TWO-PRODUCT MILLS ARE CALCULATED FROM THE TOTAL FEED TO THE MILL AND ARE NOT ACTUAL RECOVERIES WITHIN EACH ORE STREAM. WITHIN-ORE-STREAM RECOVERIES FOR TWO-PRODUCT MILLS PROPOSED IN THIS EVAL- UATION ARE 89.0 PERCENT FOR MILL K1, DEV SCH 1&2; 85% FOR MILL K3, DEV SCH 1; 72 PERCENT FOR MILL K3, DEV SCH 2; 83 PERCENT FOR MILL K5, DEV SCH 1; 62 PERCENT FOR MILL K5, DEV SCH 2. EXACT RECOVERIES USED IN CALCULATING PRODUCT OUTPUT TONNAGES FOR TWO PRODUCT MILLS PROPOSED IN THIS EVALUATION ARE 40.6743 PERCENT FOR PRODUCT A, DEV SCH 1&2; 48.3257% FOR PRODUCT F, DEV SCH 1&2; 59.7870 PERCENT FOR PRO- DUCT C, DEV SCH 1; 25.2130 PERCENT FOR PRODUCT H, DEV SCH 1; 50.6431 PERCENT FOR PRODUCT C, DEV SCH 2; 21.3569 PERCENT FOR PRODUCT H, DEV SCH 2; 40.2855 PERCENT FOR PRODUCT E, DEV SCH 1; 42.7145 PERCENT FOR PRODUCT J, DEV SCH 1; 30.0928 PERCENT FOR PRODUCT E, DEV SCH 2; 31.9072 PERCENT FOR PRODUCT J, DEV SCH 2.

Comment (Production): PRODUCTS A,B,C,D, AND E, WHERE PROPOSED IN THIS EVALUATION, ARE ACID GRADE PRODUCTS, AND PRODUCTS F,G,H,I, AND J, ARE FURNACE GRADE PRODUCTS. NOT ALL OF THESE PRODUCTS ARE USED IN THIS EVALUATION.

Comment (Ownership): PHOSPHATE LANDS MAY BE LEASED FROM THE U.S. GOVERNMENT OR FROM THE STATE OF WYOMING. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE NO ACTIVE LEASES OR PROSPECTING PERMITS WITHIN THE AREA INCLUDED IN THIS DEPOSIT. THERE ARE NO PHOSPHATE MINERAL HOLDINGS IN THE DEPOSIT AREA.

Comment (Names): OTHER NAMES:TOP OF THE WORLD MINE, SOUTH MNT. MINE-COMMISARY RIDGE, ABSAKORA RIDGE.

Comment (Deposit): THE NORTHEASTERN PORTION OF THE DEPOSIT EXTENDS INTO SUBLETTE COUNTY. DOMAIN - LAND CLASSIFICATION IS AS FOLLOWS WITH APPROXIMATE PERCENTAGES OF TOTAL OUTCROP AREA IN EACH CATEGORY SHOWN IN PARENTHESES: NATIONAL FOREST LAND (55), U.S. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT LAND (20), POTENTIALLY UNAVAILABLE ROADLESS AREA REVIEW AND EVALUATION (RARE II) LAND (20), AND STATE OF WYOMING LAND (5).

Comment (Geology): THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION IS SUBDIVIDED INTO FIVE MEMBERS BY MCKELVEY (BIBLIOGRAPHY REF. L010), TWO OF WHICH (THE MEADE PEAK AND RETORT MEMBERS) CONTAIN SIGNIFICANT PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS. IN UTAH AND SOUTHWESTERN WYOMING, THE MEADE PEAK MEMBER, AND IN CENTRAL AND NORTHWESTERN WYOMING, THE RETORT MEMBER CONTAIN THE DEPOSITS OF POTENTIAL INTEREST. THE PARK CITY FORMATION OF UTAH AND CENTRAL WYOMING AND THE SHEDHORN SANDSTONE OF NORTHWESTERN WYOMING ARE STRATIGRAPHIC EQUIVALENTS OF AND INTERTONGUE WITH THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION. THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION AND EQUIVALENT FORMATIONS ARE UNDERLAIN BY EITHER THE TENSLEEP SANDSTONE, WEBER QUARTZITE, WELLS FORMATION, OR DIAMOND CREEK SANDSTONE AND ARE OVERLAIN BY EITHER THE WOODSIDE OR DINWOODY FORMATIONS.

Comment (Production): THE SOUTH MOUNTAIN MINE, ALSO KNOWN AS THE TOP OF THE WORLD MINE, OPERATED IN 1948-49, AND WAS REPORTED IN A 1950 PUBLICATION TO HAVE PRODUCED 8000 SHORT TONS OF ORE. IT IS NOT KNOWN IF THIS FIGURE REPRESENTS THE TOTAL PRODUCTION FROM THIS MINE, AND THE GRADE OF THE ORE PROD- UCED IS UNKNOWN. THE MINE CONSISTED OF AN OPEN PIT AND AN ADIT LOCATED NEAR THE CREST OF COMMISSARY RIDGE. THE DATE OF DISCOVERY OF THE SOUTH RIDGES PHOSPHATE IS APPROXIMATE.

Comment (Workings): ABBREVIATION FOR MINING DISTRICT: WEST. PHOSPHATE = WESTERN PHOSPHATE FIELD.

Comment (Reserve-Resource): PROPERTY HAS BEEN SPLIT INTO 4 SEPARATE DEPOSITS FOR SUPPLY ANALYSIS WITH SEQUENCE NOS. 0560230182, 0560230183, 0560230184, AND 0560230185 RESPECTIVELY NAMED SOUTH RIDGES NO 1, SOUTH RIDGES NO 2, SOUTH RIDGES NO 3, AND SOUTH RIDGES NO 4. REFER TO THESE RESPECTIVE DEPOSITS FOR THEIR SPECIFIC RESERVES AND OPERATING DATA [ABWilson, 8-feb-2010, deleted these extra 4 records. They are duplicate records for this deposit. They did not contain any information not already in this master record.]

Comment (Deposit): THIS MINERALS AVAILABILITY SYSTEM EVALUATION WAS DONE AS PART OF A 1980 STUDY OF UTAH AND WYOMING PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS BY THE INTERMOUNTAIN FIELD OPERATIONS CENTER, DENVER, COLORADO.

Comment (Economic Factors): Mining and beneficiation costs for each proposed operation were obtained by applying one of 34 basic mine models and 5 basic mill models developed for evaluating Utah and Wyoming phosphate deposits. Site-specific cost adjustments were made for land acquisition, infrastructure, unusual haulage distance to mill, the presence of multiple beds requiring mining of waste, and mill feed grade and recovery. All costs are in January 1980 dollars. The schedule of costs is based on the assumption that each proposed operation will be independently developed as soon as technically possible after the official January 1979 base date for the current phosphate study. Thus, land acquisition, exploration, and infrastructure capital costs are assumed to begin in 1979. Mine and mill capital costs include a contingency allowance of 15 percent of all other capital costs except working capital. Mine and mill working capital is estimated at 60 days of operating cost. A Bureau costing manual (bibliography data set ref. I030) was used to estimate surface and underground mine exploration, development, reclamation, plant, and equipment capital costs; underground mine operating costs; capital and operating costs for the calcining-hydration mill (if used) and for the flotation sections of other mills; costs of transporting products from proposed mills to existing final processing plants; and access road construction cost. Surface mine operating costs are size-scaled, using scaling factors from Bennett (bibliography data set ref. I001), and others (U.S. office of audit and investigation) for Idaho phosphate mines in 1976 and 1977. Infrastructure capital costs assigned to each proposed mine consist of only those railroad, transmission line, and access road costs which are needed for development of each mine. Railroad cost is estimated by the Richardson rapid construction cost estimating system (bibliography data set ref. I020). Transmission line cost is estimated from typical industry costs (A.W. Watts, 1980, Water and Power Resources Services, personal communication). Access road costs are estimated by using the capital and operating cost estimating handbook (bibliography data set ref. I030). Land acquisition costs are based on typical competitive bids for leases in southeastern Idaho, adjusted for specific deposit grade and thickness. Lease rentals and royalties are based on current rates for federal leases in the western phosphate field. Capital and operating costs for all mills, excepting the calcination-hydration mill (if used) and flotation sections of other mills, are size-scaled, using scaling factors from Bennett (bibliography data set ref. I001), from costs given for a sizing and calcining mill described by de Voto, et al. (bibliography data set ref. R030), vol. 2, appendix d. Site-specific cost adjustments for mill feed grade and recovery are made, using relative cost factors calculated from average cost and recovery curves for altered and unaltered ores (bibliography data set ref. I010).

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References

Reference (Production): GOKHALE, K. V. G. K., RAO, T. C., AND BISWAS, A. K., 1975, BENEFICIATION STUDIES ON A HIMALAYAN LEAN PHOSPHATE DEPOSIT WITH CALCAREOUS GANGUE, IN SEMINAR ON BENEFICIATION OF LEAN PHOSPHATE WITH CARBONATE GANGUE, 11TH INTERNAT. MINERALS PROCESSING CONGRESS, KAGLIARI, ITALY, APRIL 23-24, 1975, P. 53-54.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): DE VOTO, R. H., AND STEVENS, D. N., ED., 1979, URANIFEROUS PHOSPHATE RESOURCES AND TECHNOLOGY AND ECONOMICS OF URANIUM RECOVERY FROM PHOSPHATE RESOURCES, UNITED STATES AND FREE WORLD: SUBCONTRACT 78-177-S TO DEPT. OF ENERGY CONTRACT 50-54-5903 (BENDIX FIELD ENG. CORP.) BY EARTH SCIENCES INC., 1396 P. PLUS PLATES.

Reference (Production): RULE, A. R., KIRBY, D. E., AND DAHLIN, D. C., 1977, RECENT ADVANCES IN BENEFICIATION OF WESTERN PHOSPHATES, PAPER PRESENTED AT S.M.E. FALL MEETING AND EXHIBIT, ST. LOUIS MO., OCT. 19-21, 1977, 17 P.

Reference (Production): RULE, A. R., KIRBY, D. E., AND DAHLIN, D. C., 1978, RECENT ADVANCES IN BENEFICIATION OF WESTERN PHOSPHATES: MIN. ENG., JAN. 1978, P. 37-40.

Reference (Deposit): HALE, L. A., ED., 1967, ANATOMY OF THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE FIELD: INTERMOUNTAIN ASSOC. OF GEOL. 15TH ANN. FIELD CONF., 287 P., 3 PLATES.

Reference (Geology): LANE, D. W., 1973, THE PHOSPHORIA AND GOOSE EGG FORMATIONS IN WYOMING: GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WYO., PRELIM. REPT. 12, 24 P.

Reference (Production): DUNCAN, W. E., AND FISK, H. G., 1957, CENTRAL WYOMING PHOSPHATE ROCK - CHARACTER, PROCESSING, AND ECONOMICS: UNIV. OF WYO. NAT. RES. RESEARCH INST. BULL. 6, 60 P.

Reference (Geology): RUBEY, W. R., ORIEL, S. S., AND TRACEY, J. I., JR., 1975, GEOLOGY OF THE SAGE AND KEMMERER 15-MINUTE QUADRANGLES, LINCOLN COUNTY, WYOMING: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROF. PAPER 855, 18 P., 2 PLATES.

Reference (Geology): U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 1960, MINERAL AND WATER RESOURCES OF WYOMING: U.S. CONGRESS - SENATE, DOC. 76. P. 14-16, 145-147.

Reference (Geology): U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 1955, PRESTON, IDAHO; WYOMING, 1-DEGREE BY 2-DEGREE TOPOGRAPHIC MAP: U.S. GEOL. SURVEY, 1:250,000-SCALE MAP, 1 SHEET.

Reference (Geology): SHELDON, R. P., CRESSMAN, E. R., CARSWELL, L. D., SMART, R. A., 1954, STRATIGRAPHIC SECTIONS OF THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION IN WYOMING, 1952: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRC. 325, 24P.

Reference (Geology): U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 1954, OGDEN, UTAH; WYOMING, 1-DEGREE BY 2-DEGREE TOPOGRAPHIC MAP: U.S. GEOL. SURVEY, 1:250,000-SCALE MAP, 1 SHEET.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): COFFMAN, J. S., AND SERVICE, A. L., 1967, AN EVALUATION OF THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY AND ITS RESOURCES - PART 4, WYOMING AND UTAH: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES REPT. INV. 6934, 158 P.

Reference (Ownership): U.S. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, 1978, STATE OF WYOMING LAND STATUS: U.S. BUR. OF LAND MANAGEMENT MAP, 1:500,000-SCALE, 1 SHEET

Reference (Geology): ORIEL, S. S., 1963, PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE FORT HILL QUADRANGLE, LINCOLN COUNTY, WYOMING: U.S. GEOL. SURVEY OIL AND GAS INV. MAP OM-212.

Reference (Production): EBERL, E., 1970, BENEFICIATION OF CALCIUM PHOSPHATE BY CALCINATION, THE MATERIAL BALANCE: RUDARSKO - METALURSKI ZBORNIK, NO. 2-3, 1970, P. 275-283.

Reference (Reference): HARRIS, R. A., DAVIDSON, D. F., AND ARNOLD, B. P., 1954, BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE GEOLOGY OF THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE FIELD: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 1018, 89 P.

Reference (Geology): GULBRANDSEN, R. A., 1967, SOME COMPOSITIONAL FEATURES OF PHOSPHORITES OF THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION, IN INTERMOUNTAIN ASSOC. OF GEOL. 15TH ANN. FIELD CONF., P. 99-102.

Reference (Deposit): GARRAND CORPORATION, 1975 (?), PHOSPHATE RESERVES OF SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO: U.S. DEPT. OF AGR. CONTRACT NO. 50-820, 1102 P.

Reference (Deposit): MSHA M/NM MINE FILE 1-17-80

Reference (Deposit): CLABAUGH, P. S., 1946, PERMIAN PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS OF MONTANA, IDAHO, WYOMING, AND UTAH: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY STRATEGIC MINER. INV. PRELIM. MAP 3-198, 1 SHEET.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): SHELDON, R. P., 1963, PHYSICAL STRATIGRAPHY AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF PERMIAN ROCKS IN WESTERN WYOMING: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROF. PAPER 313-B, P. 49-273, PLATES.

Reference (Geology): COCHRAN, K. L., 1950, WYOMING PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY, IN WYO. GEOL. ASSOC. 5TH ANN. FIELD CONF., GUIDEBOOK (SW WYOMING), P. 133-135.

Reference (Geology): CHENEY, T. M., SHELDON, R. P., WARING, R. G., AND WARNER, M. A., 1954, STRATIGRAPHIC SECTIONS OF THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION IN WYOMING, 1951: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CIRC. 324, 22 P.

Reference (Geology): SCHULTZ, A. R., 1914, GEOLOGY AND GEOGRAPHY OF A PORTION OF LINCOLN COUNTY, WYOMING: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 543, P. 43-45, 131-134.

Reference (Geology): RUBEY, W. W., ORIEL, S. S., AND TRACEY, J. I., JR., 1976, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE COKEVILLE 30-MINUTE QUADRANGLE, LINCOLN AND SUBLETTE COUNTIES, WYOMING: U.S. GEOL. SURVEY OPEN FILE REPT. 76-597, 1 PLATE.

Reference (Geology): ORIEL, S. S., 1969, GEOLOGY OF THE FORT HILL QUADRANGLE, LINCOLN COUNTY, WYOMING: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROF. PAPER 594-M, 38 P.

Reference (Geology): MCKELVEY, V. E., 1959, THE PHOSPHORIA, PARK CITY, AND SHEDHORN FORMATIONS IN THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE FIELD: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROF. PAPER 313-A, P. 1-47, 3 PLATES.

Reference (Deposit): Spangenberg, D.R., Carey, E.F., and Takosky, P.M., 1983, Minerals availability commodity directory on phosphate: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular IC-8926, 678 p.
Pages: p. 395-398.

Reference (Production): GOOD, P. C., 1976, BENEFICIATION OF UNWEATHERED INDIAN CALCAREOUS PHOSPHATE ROCK BY CALCINATION AND HYDRATION: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES REPT. INV. 8154, 17 P.

Reference (Production): NEUBERGER, R., 1968, PHOSPHATE ROCK CALCINATION IN ISRAEL: PHOSPHORUS AND POTASSIUM, NO. 35, MAY/JUNE 1968, P. 11-21.

Reference (Production): RULE, A. R., DAHLIN, D. C., AND FERGUS, A. J., 1978, FLOTATION OF CARBONATE AND SILICATE MINERALS FROM PARTIALLY ALTERED PHOSPHATE ROCK OF THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION, PAPER PRESENTED AT ISMA TECHNICAL/ECON. CONF.; ORLANDO, FLA., OCT. 23-27, 1979, 11 P.

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