Fernie Group
The Fernie Project encompasses seven subgroups of claims in Southeastern Kootenay region of British Columbia – Marten, Barnes, Crowsnest (Pump Station), Mt. Lyne, North Alexander, Alexander and Bighorn, totaling approximately 108 km².
The Project is located 20km to the Northwest and Southwest of Sparwood, BC, a well-supported mining town and is located in the Elk Valley that is the home of several large mines providing metallurgical coal. The area is well supported by road and rail transportation.
Canadian Phosphate Limited acquired the Fernie Group Project Tenures in stages since 2012, and now hold up to 60 km of strike length of the phosphate zone of the Fernie Basin across the tenures.
The Marten project provides shallow phosphate deposits spanning 1,739ha and links with Crowsnest project to combine exploration funds and pool resources. It is 20km southeast of Sparwood and links with the Crowsnest mining project to combine exploration funds and pool resources.
Canadian Phosphate Ltd started exploration on the Marten mining project in October 2014 and gained approval for the extraction of a bulk sample up to 10,000 tons, which was completed in 2022. Results of this bulk sample were successfully trucked, crushed and were well received by our initial customers. Work on an industrial mineral quarry permit is underway.
The Marten project benefits from experienced mining suppliers, and ready labour in the nearby communities of Sparwood and Fernie. Support infrastructure is in place including road and rail access for bulk materials and logging road access to the areas of the claim that are of interest.
The Barnes Mining Project in the Fernie Basin covers 2,702.61 hectares, situated 32km south of Sparwood, BC and 27km east of Fernie, BC. It consists of a series of broad, open fold structures within a well-defined stratigraphic sequence ranging from the Triassic to Cretaceous age. The basal Fernie Formation comprises extensive pelletal phosphorite, phosphatic shales, siltstone, and sandstone. Previous trenching and drilling activities at the Barnes Project yielded results ranging from 20.9% to 32% P205. A trenching analysis demonstrated the continuity of phosphorites and consistent grade along the strike.
Canadian Phosphate Ltd initiated initial exploration in 2012, followed by trenching and drilling in 2017 and 2018. Applications for an initial bulk sampling and preliminary work on an industrial mineral quarry application are currently underway. As the project is situated in a dip slope that runs parallel to the topography, it is suitable for open-cut mining and offers significant potential for economic development into a production quarry.
As with all CP8 ore resource holdings, the phosphate is of high quality, low in metals, and ideal for organic rock phosphate products.
Bulk Sampling
An 8000 t bulk sample was completed on the Marten tenures in 2021-2022, with an average grade of 22.5 % P₂O₅ with a thickness ranging from 1.1m to 2.1m.
The Barnes and Pump Station tenure groups are the current focus of bulk sampling advanced exploration applications with the Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals in order to further the geological understanding and mining characteristics of the area.
The Fernie project is targeted to initially provide quality product to the existing phosphate customer base with an upcoming Industrial Mineral Quarry application. Further exploration and subsequent geological modelling of the trend will be required in order to advance the geological confidence and provide a maiden mineral resource estimate.