SEDIMENTARY PHOSPHATE ROCK IN ALBERTA AND SOUTHEASTERN BRITISH-COLUMBIA - RESOURCE POTENTIAL, THE INDUSTRY, TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH NEEDS

Approximately 2. 0 million tonnes of phosphate rock is imported from the U. S. to Alberta annually and is used in the production of agricultural fertilizers. No phosphate rock is presently mined in Canada, although sources of igneous phosphate have been mined in the past. Sedimentary phosphate rock is found in nine geological units within the Cordilleran Foothills and Front Ranges region of Alberta. The Devonian-Mississippian Exshaw Formation, Permo-Pennsylvanian Rocky Mountain Super-group, and the Jurassic Fernie Formation have the best potential for future development. Most of the phosphate rock in Alberta is of low grade and lies within restricted land use areas. The best over-all resource potential lies in the Fernie basin area of southeastern British Columbia, in the Fernie Formation. The possibility of deep phosphate rock deposits in the plains region should be examined. U. S. supplies of phosphate rock are secure until the year 2000; however, by this time, the richer deposits in the U. S. may be exhausted. Alternate deposits, such as the ones in Alberta and British Columbia, might then be considered.