The Fission Mine, previously known as the Richardson Deposit, is a fluoride and uranium deposit in Cardiff, near Wilberforce, Ontario, Canada.
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Fission Mine Cardiff, Ontario  Fission Mine Fission Mine (Southern Ontario)  Fission Mine Fission Mine (Ontario) | |
| Province | Ontario |
| Country | Canada |
| Coordinates | 45°06′N 78°18′W / 45.100°N 78.300°W |
| History | |
| Discovered | 1922 |
| Opened | 1929 |
| Closed | 1931 |
| Owner | |
| Company | The Ontario Radium Corporation (1920s) Fission Mines Limited (1930s/40s) |
Location and geology
editThe mine is located two kilometres east of Wilberforce on lot four, concession 21 of Cardiff Township.[1]
History
editUranium was first discovered at the location in 1922, by prospector W. M. Richardson.[3] His find was first called "the Richardson deposit" and later "the Fission property"[4]: 175
In 1929, the mine was owned by Toronto company The Ontario Radium Corporation.[2] The same year, Ontario Mine's Branch geologists Hugh S. Spence and R. K. Carnochan reported the several hundred pounds of radioactive materials found exceeded all known quantities of uranium in Canada and all ore bodies that they were aware of anywhere in the world.[2] Combined with being close to the surface, and easier to mine due to being held in softer ore, the mine was assessed as being commercially viable and able to produce 1 gram of radium, worth $70,000 at the time.[2] In 1929, the global cumulative supply of radium to date was 300 grammes, growing at 50 grammes per year.[2]
Between 1929 and 1931,[4]: 175 unsuccessful[5] attempts were made to extract radon from the uranium ore[6] via a tunnel driven into a hill.[1]
More radioactive materials were discovered in the mine around 1935,[5] and again during World War II,[5] with owners Fission Mines Limited offered 200,000 shares at $1.00 each to fund further development of the property in 1949.[7] The exploration turned out to be not economically viable.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Gentry's Tiny Mystery Unsupported by Geology". Creation/Evolution Journal. 8 (1). National Center for Science Education (NCSE). Winter 1988. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
- ^ a b c d e Hugh S. Spence and R.K. Carnochan, The Wilberforce Radium Occurrence Archived 2023-02-12 at the Wayback Machine, 1929, Mines Branch
- ^ Reynolds, Nila (1979). Bancroft. A Bonanza of Memories. The Bancroft Centennial Committee. pp. 184–193, 223.
- ^ a b Lang, A. H.; Griffith, J. W.; Steacy, H. R. (1962). Canadian Deposits of Uranium and Thorium (PDF). Yukon University: Geological Survey of Canada - Department of Mines and Technical Surveys. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ a b c d S.L. Masson and J.B. Gordon, Radioactive Mineral Deposits of the Pembroke-Renfrew Area Archived 2022-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, 1981, Ontario Geological Survey Mineral Deposits Circular 23
- ^ "Radioactive and toxic wastes from the Bancroft Uranium Mines. Where are we going and who is in charge?" (PDF). Toronto, Ontario: Canadian Institute for Radiation Safety (CAIRS). 1 May 1987. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ Offer of Common Capital Shares Archived 2023-02-12 at the Wayback Machine, Fission Mines Limited, 9 March 1049