GEOLOGY AND MINING METHODS
________________

GEOLOGY
 

The deposit is a very thick sedimentary deposit of zeolitized volcanic ash of Tertiary age known as the Salt Lake Formation. The sedimentary interval in which the clinoptilolite occurs is more than 1000 feet thick in the area. Thick intervals of the zeolite are separated by thin limestone beds deposited in the freshwater lake where the volcanic ash accumulated.

CROSS-SECTIONS OF DEPOSITS (click on image to enlarge)

TOPOGRAPHY SHOWING DISTRIBUTION OF SANDSTONE LAYERS (click on image to enlarge)

SCALED PLANT PLAN VIEW (click on image to enlarge)

 

The deposit includes an 800- foot mountain. Zeolite can be sampled over a vertical extent of 800 feet and on more than 700 acres. The current pit covers more than 4 acres. Within the pit, the zeolite is remarkably homogeneous.  Despite the apparent huge size of the deposit, the Company claims no reserves.

________________

MINING METHODS
 

Depending on the location, the zeolite is overlain by 1 to 12 feet of zeolite rich soil. On the ridges, the cover is very thin, and in the draws the soil is thicker. The overburden is stripped using a tractor dozer, currently a Caterpillar D 8 K. It is moved to the toe of the pit, and will eventually be dozed back over the pit for reclamation.

Although near-surface rock is easily ripped, it is more economical to drill and blast at depth. An Ingersol Rand LM 200 air track with a 750 cfm compressor is used to drill 10 foot holes on a 3 to 4 foot center basis. Holes are loaded with ammonium nitrate and primed with powder and detonators. Breakage is generally good. Initial benches were 20 to 30 foot, but these will be divided into 10 foot benches. Each bench is accessed by a road.

Loading is best performed with a Liehberr R 965 excavator with a 2 yard bucket to allow sorting of the oversize.

Alternatively, a Caterpillar 988A loader with a 6 cubic yard bucket is used. The benches are cleaned with the D 8 K.

Haulage is over approximately 4000 foot of road on an uphill grade of 2.5% to the mill. On higher benches, the grade will eventually be downhill. Caterpillar 769 A and 769 B rock trucks are used. They haul 18 to 20 tons per load, and the cycle time is about 30 minutes including loading.

 With both trucks and the other existing equipment, the mine is capable of producing 80 tons per hour.

The mine plan is to open pit an area more than 1 mile in diameter. Assuming the zeolite goes below the valley floor, a 2 to 1 slope will be utilized in sinking. Reclamation will include drifting topsoil back over the mined area.