Smith Ranch and Highland are
uranium mining
Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. Over 50 thousand tons of uranium were produced in 2019. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia were the top three uranium producers, respectively, and together account f ...
operations located in
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
,
U.S.A.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
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 is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...
production facility in the United States.
Smith Ranch and Highland are roll-front
uranium deposits
Uranium ore deposits are economically recoverable concentrations of uranium within the Earth's crust. Uranium is one of the more common elements in the Earth's crust, being 40 times more common than silver and 500 times more common than gold. It ...
. Uranium is recovered using
in-situ recovery (ISR) mining methods.
Between 2002 and 2011, the Smith Ranch - Highland operation has produced 15 million pounds U
3O
8.
Reserves
As of December 31, 2013, proven and probable reserves are 2,599,100 metric tons at an average grade of 0.09% U
3O
8. (5.2 Million pounds)
Ownership
The Smith Ranch-Highland operation is owned by Cameco Resources Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of the Canadian company,
Cameco Corporation
Cameco Corporation (formerly Canadian Mining and Energy Corporation) is the world's largest publicly traded uranium company, based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. In 2015, it was the world's second largest uranium producer, accounting for 18 ...
.
The Highland operation was acquired in 1997 when Cameco purchased Power Resources Inc., the majority owner of Highland. In 2002 Cameco acquired Smith Ranch from
Rio Algom Mining Corporation and consolidated operations with the Highland facility.
See also
*
Sandstone uranium deposits
References
{{Reflist
External links
CAMECO - Smith Ranch-Highland Operation
Buildings and structures in Converse County, Wyoming
Uranium mines in the United States
Mines in Wyoming
Solution mines in the United States
1972 establishments in Wyoming