Limestone, dolomite, cement & lime

POTENTIAL & KNOWN RESERVES IN ALBERTA

Large high-purity Paleozoic carbonate along the Front Ranges; quarry tonnages unpublished

Confidence: Measured

• Lafarge Exshaw2.2 Mt/yr cement (expanded from 1.3 Mt/yr, 2013–16)CemNet ↗
• Heidelberg Edmonton CCS≈1 Mt/yr CO2 capture postponed Aug 2026; capex up to C$2 B; federal SIF C$275 M LOICemNet, Aug 2026 ↗
• Fly-ash SCMLafarge / TransAlta 100 kt/yr beneficiation line (ERA C$15 M)Global Cement ↗

Where it occurs

• Exshaw (Lafarge cement, Graymont lime)
• Cadomin (Heidelberg)
• Crowsnest Pass
• Nordegg
• Devonian dolomite Front Ranges

Live Atlas valuation (reference scenario)

1 subsurface asset priced by the Atlas engine: economic value $7T. Move the Scenario Laboratory sliders on the map to reprice.

• Upper Devonian Limestone (Edmonton region)900K Mt in place · recoverable $8T · economic $7T (91% clears break-even)

GEOLOGY: WHAT MAKES A DEPOSIT MORE LIKELY

Thick, structurally uplifted platform carbonates exposed in thrust sheets of the Front Ranges.

Host formations

Palliser Formation · Livingstone / Rundle Group · Banff Formation · Devonian dolomites

Depth range

0–200 m

Favourable conditions

• Above 97 % CaCO3 for cement clinker and quicklime
• Low magnesium and silica for lime; dolomite separately for refractory and ag-lime
• Rail (CP at Exshaw, CN at Cadomin) and proximity to Calgary / Edmonton

Prospectivity envelopes on the map (1)

• Front Ranges carbonate belt (Exshaw–Cadomin)Producing / drill-proven
  High-purity Devonian–Mississippian carbonate (Palliser, Rundle) in thrust sheets · 0–200 m
  • Thick, structurally uplifted Palliser and Livingstone limestone at surface
  • > 97 % CaCO3 beds suitable for cement clinker and quicklime
  • Rail on the CP main line (Exshaw) and CN (Cadomin); proximity to Calgary / Edmonton
  Source: Lafarge Exshaw, Graymont Exshaw lime, Heidelberg Cadomin quarries.

DATASETS THAT TEST THE TARGET

Stack these layers on the integrated map

Discriminating datasets first, then every catalogued public dataset tagged to this commodity. Verified endpoints draw directly; link-only entries open the publisher page.

• Bedrock geology of Alberta (Map 600 tiles)Alberta Geological Survey · Bedrock geology · drawable · verifiedWhich formation is at the bedrock surface: the first screen for outcropping targets such as silica sand, limestone, ironstone, bentonite, ammonite shell and shallow coal.Source ↗
• Industrial mineral occurrences (DIG 2019-0027)Alberta Geological Survey · Mineral occurrences · drawable · verifiedQuarry and industrial-mineral target inventory.Source ↗
• Metallic & industrial minerals agreementsAlberta Energy and Minerals · Mineral tenure · drawable · verifiedLithium, salt, silica, limestone and metallic tenure; about 2 million ha are under lithium leases.Source ↗
• Metallic, placer, quarriable & salt mine boundariesAlberta Energy and Minerals · Mines & operations · drawable · verifiedOfficial footprints of non-energy mines and brine fields.Source ↗
• Eastern Slopes land-use zones, Green/White area, treaty boundariesAlberta Energy and Minerals · Land constraints · drawable · verifiedPolicy geography that decides coal, phosphate and limestone access in the Foothills.Source ↗
• Parks & protected areas (by designation)Alberta Forestry, Parks and Tourism · Land constraints · drawable · verifiedHard no-go areas (e.g. Peace Point gypsum inside Wood Buffalo National Park).Source ↗

VALUE & VALUE CHAIN

Cement / lime (Canada): 2026 price not found (unverified)

Canada cement market ≈5 % CAGR 2025–29

Flat quarry-gate price in the Atlas; carbon price affects clinker cost more than limestone value.

Value chain

1. Quarry
2. Crushing
3. Kiln (clinker / quicklime)
4. Cement, lime, aggregate

Industries and products that rely on it

DEMAND & PRODUCTION PROJECTIONS

What the forecasts say

• Canada cement≈5 % CAGR 2025–29Business Wire ↗

Key risks

• Carbon price on clinker
• Land-use conflict in the Bow Valley
• Construction cycle

DEVELOPMENT: TENURE, ROYALTY, PERMITTING

What a developer needs to know

Tenure

Metallic & Industrial Minerals Tenure Regulation (AR 265/2022): permit — exclusive exploration right, indefinite term, no rent, $625 fee, assessment work $7/ha (first 2 years) → $13 → $20/ha; lease — 15-year initial + 15-year intermediate term, indefinite while producing, $3.50/ha rent.

Royalty

$0.0441/t for limestone, shale, granite, sandstone, gypsum and building stone (AR 350/93 s.12).

Lead time

5+ years for a new quarry; months for expansions

Permitting path

1. AER Directive 091 (rock-hosted minerals) under the Mineral Resource Development Act, in force Feb 2024
2. EPEA approval and Water Act licence
3. Public Lands Act surface disposition on Crown land
4. Indigenous consultation via the Aboriginal Consultation Office
5. Eastern Slopes land-use zone compliance

Infrastructure needs

• Rail loadout
• Kilns
• CO2 capture if pursued

Active players

Recommended next steps

• Model Heidelberg CCS restart under the carbon-price slider
• Screen Nordegg / Crowsnest carbonates outside Category 1 zones

MINES, PILOTS & PROJECTS (3)

Who is already working this commodity in Alberta

• Exshaw cement plant & quarryQuarry · Lafarge Canada (Holcim) · 2.2 Mt/yr cementOperating (2026)Expanded from 1.3 Mt/yr in 2013–16; largest cement plant in western Canada.Source ↗
• Exshaw lime plant & quarryQuarry · Graymont · Two rotary preheater kilns (capacity unpublished)Operating (2026)Quicklime, hydrated lime and pulverized limestone for oil sands, water treatment and steel.Source ↗
• Cadomin QuarryQuarry · Heidelberg Materials · Rail-fed limestone for Edmonton cement plantOperating (2026)Edmonton plant's full-scale CCS (≈1 Mt/yr, up to C$2 B) paused August 2026 on weak carbon prices.Source ↗