Phosphate

POTENTIAL & KNOWN RESERVES IN ALBERTA

Exshaw <10 Mt @ up to 25 % P2O5 (seams <50 cm); Fernie ≈260 Mt low grade

Confidence: Inferred

• Exshaw FormationUp to 25 % P2O5, <10 Mt in situ, seams <50 cm (Crowsnest Pass)AGS phosphate (1987) ↗
• Fernie Formation≈260 Mt low-grade in Alberta; Johnston Canyon 16–99 Mt; Ranger Canyon 39–235 MtAGS phosphate ↗
• Imports≈2 Mt/yr phosphate rock into Alberta (1988)CIM — sedimentary phosphate ↗

Where it occurs

• Crowsnest Pass (Exshaw)
• Fernie basin margin
• Johnston Canyon
• Ranger Canyon

GEOLOGY: WHAT MAKES A DEPOSIT MORE LIKELY

Thin upwelling-related sedimentary phosphorite beds in Mississippian and Jurassic strata, folded and thrust in the Front Ranges.

Host formations

Exshaw Formation · Fernie Formation basal phosphorite · Ranger Canyon / Johnston Canyon

Depth range

0–100 m

Favourable conditions

• Structural thickening of phosphorite horizons
• Outside Category 1 Eastern Slopes zones
• REE credit above 1,000 ppm

Prospectivity envelopes on the map (1)

• Fernie / Exshaw phosphorite (Crowsnest–Banff)Permissive only
  Thin Jurassic–Mississippian phosphorite beds in the Front Ranges · 0–100 m
  • Fernie Formation basal phosphorite 0.3–2 m thick, 10–25 % P2O5
  • Too thin and structurally complex for economic mining today; REE-enriched
  Source: AGS phosphate potential of Alberta.

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 ↗
• Coal Development Policy (1976) categories 1–4Government of Alberta · Coal · drawable · verifiedCategory 1 = no exploration; Category 2 = no open pit. The decisive constraint for metallurgical coal.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 ↗

VALUE & VALUE CHAIN

Phosphate rock / DAP: Rock US$153 (2025) → US$160 (2026f); DAP US$685 → US$725

Not in the Atlas price deck.

Value chain

1. Mine
2. Beneficiation
3. Phosphoric acid (sulphur link)
4. DAP / MAP fertilizer

Industries and products that rely on it

DEMAND & PRODUCTION PROJECTIONS

What the forecasts say

• World BankPhosphate rock US$160/t 2026, US$170 2027World Bank Commodity Markets Outlook, Apr 2026 ↗

Key risks

• Land policy
• Thickness

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

Rock phosphate listed as quarriable with no stated rate (unverified).

Lead time

10+ years

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

Infrastructure needs

• Rail

Active players

Recommended next steps

• Keep as reference; sulphur-acid integration study only

MINES, PILOTS & PROJECTS (0)

Who is already working this commodity in Alberta

No operating mine, pilot or advanced project is tracked for this commodity in Alberta.