 Beryl crystal on pegmatite matrix excavated at Tanco Mine | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Tanco Mine Location in Manitoba | |
| Location | Bernic Lake |
| Province | Manitoba |
| Country | Canada |
| Coordinates | 50°25′48″N 95°26′47″W / 50.4299554°N 95.4464722°W |
| Production | |
| Products | Caesium from Pollucite, Spodumene, Tantalum |
| History | |
| Opened | 1969 |
| Closed | Currently open |
| Owner | |
| Company | Sinomine Resource Group[1] |
| Website | https://tancomine.com |
The Tanco Mine or Bernic Lake mine is an underground caesium and tantalum mine, owned and since 2019 owned and operated by Sinomine Resource Group on the north west shore of Bernic Lake, Manitoba, Canada.[2] The mine has the largest known deposit of pollucite and is also the world's largest producer of caesium.
The mine has the largest tantalum reserves in Canada having estimated reserves of 2.1 million tonnes of ore grading 0.22% tantalum. The mine also has additional reserves amounting to 7.3 million tonnes of ore grading 2.76% lithium.[3] The mine also produces caesium brine, which is converted into caesium formate which is used mostly as additive for drilling fluids to increase the fluid's density. A concentrated solution of caesium formate has a density of 2.3 g/cm3.[2]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
bwcwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "TANCO — Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada, Ltd" (PDF). Cabot Corporation. 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
- ^ "Tantalum reserves in Canada" (PDF). commerceresources.com. 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-25. Retrieved 2013-07-07.