Smith Ranch-Highland
Encyclopedia
Smith Ranch and Highland are uranium mining
operations located in Wyoming
, U.S.A.
They are separate permits, operated as a single operation, and have one central processing facility. The Smith Ranch-Highland operation is the largest uranium
production facility in the United States.
Smith Ranch and Highland are roll-front uranium deposits. Uranium is recovered using in-situ recovery (ISR)
mining methods.
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Uranium mining
Uranium 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...
operations located in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, U.S.A.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
They are separate permits, operated as a single operation, and have one central processing facility. The Smith Ranch-Highland operation is the largest uranium
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...
production facility in the United States.
Smith Ranch and Highland are roll-front uranium deposits. Uranium is recovered using in-situ recovery (ISR)
In-situ leach
In-situ leaching , also called in-situ recovery or solution mining, is a mining process used to recover minerals such as copper and uranium through boreholes drilled into a deposit, in situ....
mining methods.
Reserves
As of December 31, 2009, proven and probable reserves are 2,703,000 metric tons at an average grade of 0.1% U3O8. (5.9 Million pounds)Ownership
The Smith Ranch-Highland operation is owned by Cameco Resources Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of the Canadian company, Cameco CorporationCameco
Cameco Corporation is the world's largest publicly traded uranium company, based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In 2009, it was the world's second largest uranium producer, accounting for 16% of world production.-History:...
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