Mining In The Udon Area

[ray23]

"recent discovery of potash??"" This deposit of Potach about 20km south of Udon has been known for a long time.. The original Environmental Impact study was done over 10 years ago.. The Canadian Co. that had the concession to mine sold it to a Thai consortium a few years ago and the project has not moved forward to my knowledge. If there is an Iron deposit in Udon province, I'd wager it is on the western edge in the hilly/ridge areas. Wikipedia says this about the Potash mine concession"

"Asia Pacific Resources, a wholly owned subsidiary of Italian-Thai Development PLC, owns the concession to the Udon Thani potash mines and plans to develop them. According to press reports, Udon Thani has enough potash to mine 2 million tonnes per year for 25 years. Potash is one of the main components in fertilizer.

Unconfirmed reports that the Government of China is negotiating to buy the rights for Udon Thani from ITD (Italian-Thai Development PCL)"

Ah, here you go.. There is Iron Ore is in Loei province, so if it is also in Udon province I'd wager it's on the western border of the province in the hilly areas....

http://www.alibaba.com/offerdetail/1007890...i_Iron_Ore.html

"Detailed Selling Lead Description

We can offer the Iron Ore 62% Fe of Loei province, Thailand North Eastern origin for serious inquiries only." IRON ORE HANDLING

The design of the processing circuit is designed to feature a jaw crusher equipped with a rock-breaker followed by a two stage crushing and screening operation with horizontal washing screen to produce both lump and fines 0-50 mm size or as client's request.

Capacity at 1,000 Mt per day and plan for 4,000 mt

Sufficient stockpiles of ore will be maintained at the processing facilities to allow for uninterrupted trucking/barging to Ayutthaya/Sriracha port.

Specifications;

Iron as Fe: 62 % min : Volumatic test method

Sulfur as S: 0.02%-0.08% max :

Phosphorus as P: 0.02%-0.10% max : Based on ASTM E278-01

Silica as SiO2: 2% to 5.0% max : Gravimatric test method

Aluminum as Al2O3: 0.98%-3.5% max : ICP test method

Specific gravity from 4.0 to 4.5.

Moisture content: Humidity at 105 deg.c on received basis 8%, Rainy season Max.10%.

Sizes: Fine and Lump

Fines are defined as iron ore with the majority of Individual particles measuring less than 10 millimeters diameter. Conversely, lump is iron ore Majority of individual particles measuring more than 10 Millimeters diameter. Iron ore lumps varies from + 10 mm to + 75 mm.

Fe Content: Iron of as high-grade as possible is required because an increased of 1% Fe in the burden increased the productivity by 2% and decreased the coke rate by 3%. In the Dee Laa Mining, the range of the Fe content in iron ore lumps is 60.2% to 66.5%.

Silica: 1.5% decreased of silica causes reduction in the slag volume of 65kg per ton of pig iron. Increase of 100-kg slag per tonne of pig iron raised fuel consumption by 40 kg of coke per tonne of pig iron. In the Thailand Plants, the range of silica in iron ore lumps varies from 2.6% to 5.0% (max.).

Alumina: If the ore is high in alumina, the fluidity of slag is affected. It should not also be too low. In the Indian Plants, alumina content in the ore varies from 3% to 3.5% Generally.

Phosphorus should not exceed 0.10%

DISTANCE ADVANTAGE:

The closest distance to China, Korea and Japan than other iron ore deposits, the transportation of the iron ore to China and Japan requires shorter time than other exporters. (Approximately 2,600 Nautical miles, India approximately 4,000 Nautical miles, Australia approximately 3,600 nautical miles, and Brazil approximately 10,000 nautical miles to China)

More the I ever wanted to know about Potash, leaving little doubt in my mind that mining will soon begin in the area. I knw that this was opposed in the area a fwe year back because of fears of waht woudl ahppen to the ground water supply. That is a huge concern howeve we are talking about a lot of money here and the Thai and Chinese partnership has already been formed. I donlt think the local farmers are in the drivers seat in this. China doenslt seem to have a good track record in it's on country about things like this. What concerns will they have for a foriegn country?

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JD22Ad02.html

[RY12]

most boring post ever! the first 3/4 at least. actually, any develepment seems to be beneficial to a country in the long run, even if it disinfranchises the locals. although certainly china doesn't have a good track record.

[Jamie]

China will try anything to get their hands on more iron ore. Since BHP/Rio Tinto have pretty much cornered the market on iron ore, this would be beneficial to China. The shipping distances would also be beneficial. What are the total reserves for the iron ore?

[ray23]

Ry I can do much better then that

Lets see the sing song girls will be overcome by the dust in the air and therefore will have to quit working, would that help.

Actually very important stuff around Udon, doesn't mean much if you don't live here.

The infrastrucure here is fragile, this kind of truck traffic will tear up the roads even worse then the sugar cane trucks. The Potash mine is located about 20 Klms outside of Udon not to far from the railroad tracks that seem to get used about twice a day for trip from Noongkhia to Bangkok. So some room to work there. I'm hoping they build a rail spur so they can tranport that way. we will see

If the ground water gets destroyed here that would be a major problem for this area. There many benefits to mining, but there are problems as well. At least from what I have seen far it won't be strip mining.

My concern is will the watch dogs actually do thier jobs, time will tell. I little tea money can get a lot done here, tea money like this opens a entire new realm.

Maybe it will provide jobs in the area, but this is rice country. Something the country can not afford to lose, the biggest export they have.

[RY12]

a topic about the sing-a-song girls would be even more boring! all kidding aside, i'm sure it is an important issue and i hope it works out well for everyone... i was just refering to the lengthy list of mineral science terms i'm sure no one here understands!

[ray23]

I didn't understand fully either hoping someone would explain it.

I was totaly amazed at the value of Potash, who would have thought fertlizer components would be that expensive. The costs involved for rice production have went sky high here, fertilizer being a part of that. Maybe on a positive side the local will get a break on the costs. But, somehow I doubt it.

The iron ore is something new hitting the area. The location of that seems to be one of the most beautuful area of Issan. In hindsite should have known somethign was up, the road to that area has already been changed to two lanes both directions.

[Boksida]

If the ground water gets destroyed here that would be a major problem for this area. There many benefits to mining, but there are problems as well. At least from what I have seen far it won't be strip mining.

The groundwater and rice yields in the potash project area are not too good anyway. Potash deposits always occur with salt deposits and there is a rock salt layer and an aquiclude above the potash. The presence of salt indicates the absence of groundwater and, where the salt naturally leaches to the surface, affects near surface water and soil quality. The area does have some sugar cane production as this is more salt resistant.

Potash can not be strip mined as the mine would dissolve when it rained. This is not a good idea.

[Gary A]

I didn't understand fully either hoping someone would explain it.

I was totaly amazed at the value of Potash, who would have thought fertlizer components would be that expensive. The costs involved for rice production have went sky high here, fertilizer being a part of that. Maybe on a positive side the local will get a break on the costs. But, somehow I doubt it.

The iron ore is something new hitting the area. The location of that seems to be one of the most beautuful area of Issan. In hindsite should have known somethign was up, the road to that area has already been changed to two lanes both directions.

I don't know anything about geology, but I do know that I have a lot of what has been called laterite. It looks like rusty volcanic rocks to me. It is commonly used to make building blocks because of the red color it gives them. I'd be quite happy for someone to haul them away.