Madawaska mine
Encyclopedia
The Madawaska Mine is an abandoned underground uranium
mine near the town of Bancroft
, Ontario
which produced 9,492,171 pounds of U3O8 during its two periods of production.
From 1954 to 1964 it operated as the Faraday Mine, and after it reopened as the Madawaska mine in 1975, production continued to 1982. The shaft into the uranium-bearing pegmatite
reached a depth of 473 metres (1,552 ft).
The mine is currently decommissioned, and a mass of 4,000,000 tonnes of uranium tailings
remains at the surface at the mine site.
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
mine near the town of Bancroft
Bancroft, Ontario
Bancroft is a town located on the York River in Hastings County in the Canadian province of Ontario.- History :In 1853 the first pioneer family settled in the area, and over the next 15 years the settlement grew quickly, as another 88 families followed...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
which produced 9,492,171 pounds of U3O8 during its two periods of production.
From 1954 to 1964 it operated as the Faraday Mine, and after it reopened as the Madawaska mine in 1975, production continued to 1982. The shaft into the uranium-bearing pegmatite
Pegmatite
A pegmatite is a very crystalline, intrusive igneous rock composed of interlocking crystals usually larger than 2.5 cm in size; such rocks are referred to as pegmatitic....
reached a depth of 473 metres (1,552 ft).
The mine is currently decommissioned, and a mass of 4,000,000 tonnes of uranium tailings
Uranium tailings
Uranium tailings are a waste byproduct of uranium mining. In mining, the raw uranium ore is brought to the surface and crushed into a fine sand...
remains at the surface at the mine site.
See also
- Uranium ore deposits
- List of uranium mines
- Uranium miningUranium miningUranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. The worldwide production of uranium in 2009 amounted to 50,572 tonnes, of which 27% was mined in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia are the top three producers and together account for 63% of world uranium...
- List of mines in Ontario