They look like any other mine, really. Only ever been inside the mine once but it was pretty neat. Most of the actual mining is done by machines that are controlled remotely. The big chunks of the pure shit looks like a pinkish orange quartz rock. Most of what they get isn’t as pure though and they need to refine it with crushers and the like.
They got warehouses where they keep the raw ore before it’s processed. It honestly just looks like sparkly dirt at this stage. After they process it they get a few different products out of it and crush it into different consistencies like fine grain or granular. They have these domes that they store them in that have a feeder at the bottom to slowly trickle out onto conveyors for transport or more refining. Pretty much each dome has a different product too with different grains and uses. Most of it by this point looks like the cinnamon crystals on Cinnamon Toast Crunch. That’s the good shit right there where it’s all potash with very little impurities.
They get a lot of different kinds of salt out of it and they keep most of that outside. Some of that stuff is super white and fine. It has the consistency of sand or snow (or even cocaine) and looks the part too. I mean, it’s basically just salt at this point (not the kind you wanna eat) and they sell it off depending on its use. I don’t think it’s the same kinda stuff they’d send off to the evaporation pools but I could be mistaken. Last time I was there they had a giant pile outside that was about the size of a grocery store of that white salt. And one of the salt piles that’s a byproduct is road salt. Not as pure and not very expensive, but it’s just a by product so they refine that shit to sell it off.
countrypunk@slrpnk.net 5 weeks ago
Ooh, do elaborate. I’m curious what they look like in person.
TommySoda@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
They look like any other mine, really. Only ever been inside the mine once but it was pretty neat. Most of the actual mining is done by machines that are controlled remotely. The big chunks of the pure shit looks like a pinkish orange quartz rock. Most of what they get isn’t as pure though and they need to refine it with crushers and the like.
They got warehouses where they keep the raw ore before it’s processed. It honestly just looks like sparkly dirt at this stage. After they process it they get a few different products out of it and crush it into different consistencies like fine grain or granular. They have these domes that they store them in that have a feeder at the bottom to slowly trickle out onto conveyors for transport or more refining. Pretty much each dome has a different product too with different grains and uses. Most of it by this point looks like the cinnamon crystals on Cinnamon Toast Crunch. That’s the good shit right there where it’s all potash with very little impurities.
They get a lot of different kinds of salt out of it and they keep most of that outside. Some of that stuff is super white and fine. It has the consistency of sand or snow (or even cocaine) and looks the part too. I mean, it’s basically just salt at this point (not the kind you wanna eat) and they sell it off depending on its use. I don’t think it’s the same kinda stuff they’d send off to the evaporation pools but I could be mistaken. Last time I was there they had a giant pile outside that was about the size of a grocery store of that white salt. And one of the salt piles that’s a byproduct is road salt. Not as pure and not very expensive, but it’s just a by product so they refine that shit to sell it off.
countrypunk@slrpnk.net 5 weeks ago
That is very interesting. Thank you for sharing.