About Potash Mining
Buried hundreds of feet below the land surface in Navajo and
Apache counties, Arizona, there is a deposit of minerals containing
potash–potassium compounds. Used primary as a raw material
for fertilizer, potash was discovered in the Holbrook Basin
in the 1960’s but wasn’t considered economical for
commercial production at the time.
With growth in world population and pressure for higher crop yields
per acre, in recent years the demand for fertilizer has grown faster
than supply. The price of potash rose dramatically and companies
initiated projects in the area to further evaluate the potential
for profitable mining.
Three companies are pursuing projects –
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Sylvite – Potassium Chloride
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American West Potash LLC, HNZ Potash LLC
and Passport Potash Inc. Each project could generate hundreds of jobs and produce
two million tons of salable product or more a year. The Holbrook Basin could
out–produce the aging mines in the Carlsbad, New Mexico area, becoming the
leading potash–producing region in the United States.
Since potash in the Holbrook Basin is located hundreds of feet beneath the ground
surface, and beneath the Coconino aquifer, surface or open pit mining is not under
consideration. Both conventional underground mining and solution mining are possibilities.
For overviews of exploratory drilling sites and land ownerships, refer to the Arizona Geological Survey’s
Holbrook Basin Drilling and to a Google Earth map on the
www.nestedquotes.ca website.
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