Diamond Creek Proposed Mine

The Diamond Creek Proposed Mine is a phosphorus-phosphates mine located in Caribou county, Idaho at an elevation of 6,627 feet.

About the MRDS Data:

All mine locations were obtained from the USGS Mineral Resources Data System. The locations and other information in this database have not been verified for accuracy. It should be assumed that all mines are on private property.

Mine Info

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Site Name

Primary: Diamond Creek Proposed Mine
Secondary: Diamond Creek / Alumet

Commodity

Primary: Phosphorus-Phosphates
Tertiary: Uranium
Tertiary: REE
Tertiary: Fluorine-Fluorite
Tertiary: Vanadium

Location

State: Idaho
County: Caribou
District: Slug Creek District

Land Status

Land ownership: Private
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.

Holdings

Type: Patented
Type: Federal Lease

Workings

Type: Surface

Ownership

Owner Name: Alumet Corp.
Info Year: 1978
Years: 1978 - 1995

Owner Name: U.S. Forest Service
Percent: 100.0
Info Year: 1978
Years: 1978 - 1995

Production

Not available

Deposit

Record Type: Deposit
Operation Category: Producer
Plant Type: Beneficiation (Mill)
Operation Type: Surface
Mining Method: Open Pit
Milling Method: Thermal Decomposition
Years of Production:
Organization:
Significant: Y
Deposit Size: M

Physiography

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

Mineral Deposit Model

Model Name: Phosphate, upwelling type

Orebody

Form: IRREGULAR

Structure

Type: L
Structure: Folding

Type: L
Structure: Faulting

Type: R
Structure: Snowdrift Anticline

Type: R
Structure: Upthrown Block Of Upper Valley Fault

Alterations

Not available

Rocks

Not available

Analytical Data

Not available

Materials

Unknown: Collophane
Unknown: Chalcedony
Unknown: Calcite
Unknown: Sericite
Unknown: Quartz
Unknown: Pyrite
Unknown: Orthoclase
Unknown: Montmorillonite
Unknown: Kaolinite
Unknown: Dolomite
Unknown: Limonite

Comments

Comment (Reserve-Resource): GARRAND RESERVES ARE FOR THE FOLLOWING ORE BLOCKS: UPPER VALLEY QUAD: 36B-37B. GARRAND ONLY SHOWS THE RESOURCES IN NW CORNER OF LEASES (SECS 24, 25, T7S R44E).

Comment (Economic Factors): MINE WILL OPERATE 350 DAYS PER YEAR: 4147 MT/DAY ORE(2 SHIFTS); 34257 MT/DAY WASTE(3 SHIFTS). WASTE ROCK WOULD BE REMOVED BY ELECTRIC SHOVELS AND DUMP TRUCKS. ORE WOULD BE REMOVED BY HYDRAULIC EXCAVATORS AND DUMP TRUCKS. ONLY THE REX CHERT WILL REQUIRE BLASTING

Comment (Deposit): THE AVERAGE WIDTH OF MINERALIZATION(AWM) DIMENSION IS HARD TO PUT A FINGER ON, NO MENTION OF IT IS GIVEN IN THE EIS. FOR MATRIX 3 50% PROB LEVEL IT IS 250M. FOR MATRIX 3 PROB LEVELS 25-10% IT IS ALSO VARIABLE(810 ACRES OF LEASES WAS ASSUMED TO BE UNDERLAIN BY P205) THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF MINERALIZATION(ALM) DIMENSION FOR MATRICES 1 AND 9 IS UNKNOWN, NO MENTION IS MADE OF HOW FAR NW OF THE LEASES ALUMENT PLANS TO MINE.

Comment (Exploration): THE SITE HAS NEVER EXPERIENCED ANY MINING. THE SITE HAS BEEN EXPLORED BY DRILLS AND TRENCHS. AIR PHOTOS(JULY 1978) SHOW 8 BULLDOZER TRENCHES CUTTING THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION AND TEN DRILL PADS SCATTERED OVER THE LEASE HOLDINGS.

Comment (Development): ALUMET GROUP LEASE COVERS 1195 ACRES ( 1975 ) ; ECON.COM: STRIPPING RATIO WILL START AT 3.4 : 1 AND INCREASE TO 10.4 : 1 IN 1981 (EXPRESSED AS CY OF OVERBURDEN : CY OF ORE)

Comment (Workings): 1 PIT WILL BE 12,000 FT LONG, 1400 FT WIDE (AVG.), UP TO 750 FT DEEP

References

Reference (Geology): EMIGH, G. D., 1958, PETROGRAPHY, MINERALOGY AND ORIGIN OF PHOSPHATE PELLETS IN THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION: IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, PAMPHLET NO. 114, 60 P.

Reference (Deposit): O'MALLEY, F.W., 1953, STRATIGRAPHIC SECTIONS OF THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION IN IDAHO, 1947-48, PART 3, USGS CIRC. 262.

Reference (Deposit): SERVICE, A. L., 1966, AN EVALUATION OF THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY AND ITS RESOURCES (IN FIVE PARTS), 3. IDAHO: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 6801, 201 P.

Reference (Deposit): SERVICE, A. L. AND POPOFF, C. C., 1964, AN EVALUATION OF THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY AND ITS RESOURCES (IN FIVE PARTS), 1. INTRODUCTORY REVIEW: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 6485, 86 P.

Reference (Deposit): DAY, R. L., 1973, TRENDS IN THE PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY OF IDAHO AND THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE FIELD: IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, PAMPHLET 155, 63 P.

Reference (Deposit): POWELL, J. D., 1974, EVALUATION OF PHOSPHATE RESOURCES IN SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO: IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, INFORMATION CIRCULAR NO. 25, 33 P.

Reference (Deposit): RIOUX, R.L., 1975, GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE UPPER VALLEY QUAD., CARIBOU COUNTY, IDAHO, USGS MAP GQ-1194.

Reference (Deposit): SERVICE, A. L., AND PETERSEN, N. S., 1967, AN EVALUATION OF THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE INDUSTRY AND ITS RESOURCES (IN FIVE PARTS) TRENDS AND OUTLOOK: U.S. BUREAU OF MINES, REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS 6935, 131 P.

Reference (Deposit): THOMPSON, M. E., 1953, DISTRIBUTION OF URANIUM IN RICH PHOSPHATE BEDS OF THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 988-D, P. 45-65.

Reference (Deposit): THOMPSON, M. E., 1954, FURTHER STUDIES OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF URANIUM IN RICH PHOSPHATE BEDS OF THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1009-D, P. 107-122

Reference (Deposit): MC DIVITT, J. F., 1956, ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF PHOSPHATE AND OTHER MINERALS IN SOUTHERN IDAHO: IDAHO BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY, PAMPHLET NO. 111, 48 P.

Reference (Deposit): RULE, A. R., D. E. KIRBY, AND D. C. DAHLIN, 1978, RECENT ADVANCES IN BENEFICIATION OF WESTERN PHOSPHATES: MINING ENGINEERING, V. 30, NO. 1, P. 37-40.

Reference (Deposit): MANSFIELD, G.R., 1927, GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF PART OF SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO: USGS PROF. PAPER 152.

Reference (Deposit): MINING ENGINEERING, JAN 1978, ALUMET'S DIAMOND CREEK READIES FOR PRODUCTION, PP 35-36.

Reference (Deposit): RICHARDS, R.W., 1914, GEOLOGY OF THE PHOSPHATE DEPOSITS NORTHEAST OF GEORGETOWN, IDAHO, USGS BULL 577.

Reference (Deposit): SHELDON, R.P., 1953, STRATIGRAPHIC SECTIONS OF THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION IN IDAHO, 1949, PART 4, USGS CIRC, 304.

Reference (Geology): MARTIN, G. W., 1958, MINERALOGY OF PHOSPHATE OOLITES: ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, V. 53, NO. 8, DECEMBER, P. 1046-1048.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): GARRAND, L. J., 1975, PHOSPHATE STUDY SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO, FOR U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, CARIBOU NATIONAL FOREST, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CONTRACT NO. 50-820: GARRAND CORP.

Reference (Reserve-Resource): U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, AND FOREST SERVICE, 1978, FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT/ DEVELOPMENT OF PHOSPHATE RESOURCES IN SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO, FOUR VOLUMES.

Reference (Deposit): LI, TA M., 1978, SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO PHOSPHATE MINING: HOW AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT DISTORTS GROWTH PLANS: MINING ENGINEERING, V. 30, NO. 1, P. 25-28.

Reference (Deposit): CARTER, RUSSELL A., 1978, AN INTEGRATED INDUSTRY - PHOSPHATE MINING AND MILLING IN IDAHO: MINING ENGINEERING, V. 30, NO. 1, P. 29-36.

Reference (Deposit): DE UOTO, R. H., 1979, URANIFEROUS PHOSPHATE RESOURCES AND TECHNOLOGY AND ECONOMICS OF URANIUM RECOVERY FROM PHOSHPATE RESOURCES, U.S., AND FREE WORLD., OPEN FILE REPORT, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.

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