alaska resource overview -...
TRANSCRIPT
Alaska Resource Overview
Kennicott Mine
July 21, 2010JOGMEC • Tokyo, Japan
By Tom Irwin, CommissionerAlaska Department of Natural Resources
Larry Hartig, CommissionerAlaska Department of Environmental Conservation
Ed Fogels, DirectorOffice of Project Management and Permitting, ADNR
Alaska has a long mining history
1880 - Joe Juneau and Richard Harris discover gold at Juneau
1886 - Treadwell Mines in Juneau are the largest underground gold mines in the world
1896 - Klondike Gold Rush begins in Yukon Territory
1898 – Gold discovered at Nome
1900 – Copper discovered at Kennicott 1911 – 1938 Kennicott copper mine in operation
1902 – Gold discovered on Pedro Creek near Fairbanks
Alaska Mining Industry Defined by
Three Major Periods
1.From late 1800s until 1940s - mining was the largest industry in Alaska and provided the most jobs.
2.From 1940s until 1989 - effectively no hardrock mining in Alaska.
3.From 1989 to Present – Red Dog & Greens Creek began operation in 1989 and ever since continued growth of minerals development.
Historically, Gold has been focus of most mining in Alaska
Much of recent gold emphasis has been on the “Tintina Gold Belt”
But, as following map and placer districts show, gold occurs in many other areas in Alaska
TINTINA GOLD
BELT
Fort KnoxPogo
Donlin Creek
Nyac
Nixon ForkRock Creek Big Hurrah
Lucky ShotKensington
AJ/Treadwell
In Development
Producing Gold Mine
Major Prospect
Livengood
But…
…there is more than just Gold in Alaska
TINTINA GOLD
BELT
Goodnews Bay/
Red Mountain
MAN
Brady Glacier
Salt Chuck
Union Bay
Duke Island
Red Mountain
Chip-Loy
Ni + Cu + Cr + PGE
TINTINA GOLD
BELT
Red Dog
Brooks Range Lead-
Zinc Belt
Niblack
Greens Creek
Denali
Kennicott
Prince William Sound
VMS deposits
Arctic Ambler VMS Belt
MAJOR STRATIFORM
BASE METAL + Au, Ag
OCCURRENCES
TINTINA GOLD
BELT
Quartz
Hill
Pebble
Pyramid
“Porphyry” Cu + Mo + Au
Rare Earth Elements
Alaska is under explored
Bokan Mountain is one of the largest combined heavy & light rare earth deposits in North America
Variable concentrations of light and heavy rare earth elements (REE)
Zirconium,
Beryllium,
Tantalum,
and Niobium are associated with uranium mineralization.
And then…
…there is coal
(a lot!)
Coal Resources and Reserves
Eagle-Circle
Rampart
Nulato
Matanuska
Alaska Coal Resources and Reserves(all tonnes x 1,000,000)
2277,80013,320Nenana Province
1,700154,8703,716,210Totals
05208,660All Other Areas
1,40010,55064,230
Cook Inlet-Susitna
Basin
73136,0003,630,000
Northern Alaska
Basin
Measured
Reserves
Identified
Resources
Hypothetical
ResourcesLocation
Sub-bituminous C Approximately 40% of Alaska’s coal resources
Nenana and Cook Inlet Basins Clean Low Rank Coal
7,800 Btu/lb Sulfur 0.17% Moisture 26% Volatile Matter 36% Fixed C 29% Ash 9%
Bituminous High Rank CoalApproximately 55% of Total Resource
Location Btu/lb Sulfur Moisture
Volatile
Matter Fixed C Ash
Cape
Beaufort
9,100 to
12,700 0.2 - 0.4% 2.5 - 7% 22 - 33% 35 - 56% 8 – 27%
Deadfall
Syncline
10,900 to
13,200 0.2 - 0.3% 2.5 - 8% 22 - 36% 35 – 56% 5.5 – 23%
Matanuska
10,400 to
13,200 0.2 - 0.6% 2.5 - 9% 32 - 45% 38 - 51% 4 – 24%
USIBELLI
HEALY MINE
WESTERN ARCTIC
COAL
Alaska Coal Projects andInfrastructure
Jarvis
Coal Mining Activities in Alaska
Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc. operations constitute the only active coal mining operation in Alaska.
Last year, Usibelli increased production to 1.7 million tonnes and expects to exceed 1.8 million tonnes in 2010.
The majority of production is for Alaska markets
UCM currently ships over 816,000 tonnes per year to Japan, South Korea and Chile through Port of Seward
Usibelli Coal Mine(www.usibelli.com)
• Continued Alaska coal contracts to Korea & Japan
• Trial shipments of coal to power plants in Chile
• 1.7 million tonnes production in 2009
• 95 Employees• No “Lost-Time” Accidents
since 1/27/04
USIBELLI
HEALY MINE
WESTERN ARCTIC
COAL
Alaska Coal Projects andInfrastructure
Jarvis
Chuitna Coal Project(PacRim Coal)
Chuitna Coal Project
A surface coal mining and export development located in the Beluga Coal Field, approximately 72 kilometers west of Anchorage.
Ultra low sulfur, subbituminous coal resource, approximately 20 kilometers from the coast of Cook Inlet.
25-year mine life at approximately 12 million tonnes/year based on proven reserves in one (LMU-1) of three mining areas in 20,571 acre (8,325 hectares) coal lease area.
Chuitna Coal Project
The proposed project includes:
a surface coal mine and support facilities.
mine access road, coal transport conveyor, personnel housing; air strip;
a logistics center, and coal export terminal (Ladd Landing Development). The coal export terminal would include a 3,000-meter trestle constructed into Cook Inlet for the purpose of loading ocean-going coal transport vessels.
Project is currently in permitting stage –Supplemental EIS is in preparation
Permitting expected to be completed in 2011
Production anticipated in 2014
Chuitna Coal Project
Western Arctic Coal Project Arctic Slope Regional Corporation
(http://www.asrc.com/lands/lands.asp?page=coal)
Underground test mine; circa 1994; coal tested in local villages
Western Arctic Coal Project
Located in the Western Arctic Coalfield of northwestern Alaska, approximately 64 kilometers south of Point Lay.
At Deadfall Syncline, the Cretaceous-age Nanushuk Formation Contains four coal seams range from 1.5-3.5 meters in thickness that dip at 14 to 30 degrees.
The bituminous grade coal has a measured resource of 40 million tonnes and identified resource of 350 million tonnes that averages 12,900 BTUs.
Recent studies have increased the reserves of coking quality coal within the deposit.
Western Arctic Coal
Project Location
• 1,050 kilometers northwest of
Anchorage
• 800 kilometers northwest of
Fairbanks
• 64 kilometers south of Pt. Lay
•190 kilometers NNW of Pt.
Hope
•145 kilometers north of Red
Dog Mine
•250 kilometers north of Red
Dog PortIllustration courtesy of ASRC
Wishbone Hill
Wishbone Hill
Wishbone Hill is a historic mining area located approximately 64 kilometers northeast of Anchorage.
Surface mineable reserves at Wishbone are estimated at 13 million tonnes of clean bituminous coal.
Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc. has not yet initiated mining activity at the Wishbone Hill location.
How to get more information…
Alaska Department of Natural Resources,
Large Mine Permitting
Mine information at:
www.dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/mining/largemine/index.htm
Alaska Department of Commerce, Community
and Economic Development
Minerals information at:
www.dced.state.ak.us/oed/minerals/mining.htm
State and FederalInteragency Minerals and
Geology Information
at:
AKGeology.info
Domo Arigato!