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7 <br />III. Project Description <br />Section 11. Proposed urface Excavation or Other Land Disturbance <br />Six possible drill-sites are being proposed for NEPA clearance; from these sites one to <br />three sites will be selected for drilling in Phase 1, Proof-of-Concept drill holes. See the <br />descriptions of locations of these drill holes in the section Maps and Drawings. <br />Through the examination of data from existing petroleum wells, RM Potash has <br />identified potentially significant potash occurrences beneath the areas for which potash <br />prospecting permit applications have been filed. From this data RM Potash calculated <br />apparent thickness and grade of potash beds in Paradox Salt #5, #6, and #9 at depths <br />between 5500 and 6000 feet. Agapito Associates (Grand Junction, Colorado) has <br />confirmed the interpretations of RM Potash, that there are potentially significant potash <br />resources present. Acquisition, re-processing, and re-interpretation of existing seismic <br />data over the project area have confirmed large areas of shallowly dipping strata at the <br />depth of the potash horizons. Solution mining can utilize a range of drill well <br />configurations to extract the potash depending on the grade, dip and thickness of the <br />potash strata. Shallowly dipping strata are ideal for low cost solution mining of potash <br />beds using vertical injection and extraction wells, the exploitation method being <br />anticipated for this project. Using directional drilling techniques potash can be extracted <br />from beds located thousands of feet from the drill site well head location. Warm, <br />saturated salt brine is pumped down injection wells into the potash beds, where the <br />solution dissolves the potash (potassium) minerals. The solution loaded with potassium <br />is pumped to surface through extraction wells and routed to a processing facility. In the <br />processing facility potassium chloride, and some byproduct sodium chloride, are <br />separated from the brine in boilers fired with natural gas. Water from the processing <br />facility will be reclaimed and recycled. <br />This Exploration Plan and Notice of Intent applies to Phase 1 (Proof-of-Concept) of the <br />Colorado Potash project. In this phase RM Potash plan to drill to the depth of the potash <br />beds and recover core samples of the potash mineralization for characterization of its <br />thickness, mineralogy, and potassium grade. To perform this Proof-of-Concept work RM <br />Potash proposes to drill from one to three of the proposed sites (specific sites to be <br />selected after NEPA clearance) with a large truck-mounted drill rig capable of drilling <br />and coring to 7000 feet (figure 3). Drilling of the upper part of the holes will be done <br />with conventional tri-cone drill tools, similar to those used to drill oil or water wells. In <br />this part of the drilling water-based mud will be circulated in the drill hole to remove <br />cuttings; mud will be reclaimed and re-circulated from storage tanks; cuttings will be <br />contained in lined open mud pits. <br />In the part of the hole to be cored, a diesel-based mud will have to be used because water <br />based mud, even salt-saturated water-based mud, will dissolve the potassium minerals <br />before they can be successfully cored and recovered. To do this safely, casing will be <br />inserted in the drill hole to the depth where coring is to begin and cemented in place to <br />isolate the upper portions of the drill hole, and any potential aquifers, from the diesel-