Silica sand

POTENTIAL & KNOWN RESERVES IN ALBERTA

Peace River Paddy Member (up to 16.5 m friable quartz sand), Firebag ≈16 Mt, Bruderheim glaciofluvial sand

Confidence: Indicated

• Source Energy Peace River1.0 Mt/yr nameplate (2025); expansion plan to 3 Mt/yr; 3,600 acres of rightsRock Products, Feb 2026 ↗
• AMI Silica Firebag≈16 Mt; 1 Mt/yr target; SML approved 2014Northern Miner ↗
• Sil Bruderheim>6,000 t/d processing claimedSil Industrial Minerals ↗

Where it occurs

• Peace River valley (Paddy / Cadotte members)
• Firebag / basal McMurray
• Bruderheim glaciofluvial sands
• Swan River Formation (NE)
• Marguerite River

Official reserve pins on the map

• Firebag silica resource16 Mt · Resource estimate · 2014Athabasca Minerals / Norwest PEA ↗

Live Atlas valuation (reference scenario)

1 subsurface asset priced by the Atlas engine: economic value $121B. Move the Scenario Laboratory sliders on the map to reprice.

• Peace River Silica Sand4.2K Mt in place · recoverable $139B · economic $121B (87% clears break-even)

GEOLOGY: WHAT MAKES A DEPOSIT MORE LIKELY

Mature quartz arenite from Cretaceous shorefaces and fluvial channels, or reworked glaciofluvial sand, processed to API 19C proppant or glass grades.

Host formations

Peace River Formation (Paddy Member) · McMurray basal sands · Quaternary glaciofluvial sand · Swan River Formation

Depth range

0–120 m

Favourable conditions

• Above 95–99 % SiO2 with low feldspar and iron
• Round, well-sorted 20/40–100 mesh grains with high crush strength
• Shallow overburden and river or rail access
• Proximity to Montney / Duvernay drilling or Heartland glass demand

Prospectivity envelopes on the map (3)

• Peace River Formation quartzose sandsHighly favourable
  Cretaceous shoreface quartz arenite (frac / glass-grade silica) · 0–60 m
  • Paddy and Cadotte members outcropping in the Peace River valley
  • > 95 % SiO2, low feldspar, shallow (< 50 m) overburden
  • Road and rail access to the Montney / Duvernay frac-sand market
  Source: AGS industrial mineral occurrence database; Peace River silica sand assessments.
• Basal McMurray / Firebag silicaFavourable
  Clean fluvial quartz sand beneath / beside the oil sands · 0–120 m
  • Basal McMurray channel sands with low bitumen saturation
  • Shallow burial north-east of Fort McMurray; coarse, well-sorted grains
  • Co-development with oil sands mines (overburden stripping already paid for)
  Source: AGS silica sand assessment of the Athabasca area.
• Bruderheim glaciofluvial sandProducing / drill-proven
  Reworked Quaternary quartz sand processed for industrial grades · 0–30 m
  • Thick, clean glaciofluvial sand bodies on the North Saskatchewan outwash
  • Existing plant (Sil Industrial Minerals) and Heartland customers
  Source: Producing operation.

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 ↗
• Surficial geology of Alberta (Map 601 tiles)Alberta Geological Survey · Surficial geology · drawable · verifiedCover type and thickness proxy; controls aggregate, placer, peat and indicator-mineral dispersal trains.Source ↗
• Industrial mineral occurrences (DIG 2019-0027)Alberta Geological Survey · Mineral occurrences · drawable · verifiedQuarry and industrial-mineral target inventory.Source ↗
• Surficial sand & gravel deposits (DIG 2015-0027)Alberta Geological Survey · Surficial geology · drawable · verifiedDirect aggregate and placer target layer; also screens silica sand and construction supply near demand centres.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 ↗

VALUE & VALUE CHAIN

Western Canada frac sand FOB: No public 2025–26 index (paid studies only)

Unverified

Flat processed-sand price in the Atlas; real demand tracks Montney completions.

Value chain

1. Quarry / dredge
2. Wash, dry, screen
3. Rail or truck to well pads
4. Frac proppant; glass, foundry, filtration

Industries and products that rely on it

DEMAND & PRODUCTION PROJECTIONS

What the forecasts say

• MarketSilica sand demand 3.5–5.5 % CAGR to 2030; frac demand cyclical with gas drilling

Key risks

• Gas drilling cycle
• Rail availability
• Competition from Saskatchewan and Manitoba sands

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. Quaternary sand on Crown land is held under a Surface Material Lease (Public Lands Act).

Royalty

$0.37/t silica sand from a sandstone lease (AR 350/93 s.12); surface materials pay Public Lands royalties.

Lead time

2–3 years for a new plant

Permitting path

1. AER Directive 091 for bedrock-hosted silica
2. Public Lands Act Surface Material Lease / EPEA Code of Practice for pits
3. Water Act for wash water

Infrastructure needs

• Wash plant and dryers
• Rail transload
• Natural gas for drying

Active players

Recommended next steps

• Qualify Paddy Member sand for low-iron glass
• Assess Firebag co-development with oil sands overburden stripping

MINES, PILOTS & PROJECTS (3)

Who is already working this commodity in Alberta

• Peace River frac-sand quarrySilica sand · Source Energy Services · ≈1.0 Mt/yr nameplate (2025); plan to 3 Mt/yrOperating (2026)Paddy Member quartz sand; took over from Canadian Silica Industries in 2022.Source ↗
• Sil Industrial Minerals — BruderheimSilica sand · Sil Industrial Minerals · Frac, filtration, glass and abrasive sands (>6,000 t/d claimed)Operating (2026)Glaciofluvial quartz sand; largest industrial sand producer in Canada per company.Source ↗
• Firebag silica (AMI Silica)Silica sand · Athabasca Minerals / AMI Silica (Badger Mining) · ≈16 Mt resource; 1 Mt/yr targetPermitting (2026)Surface Material Lease approved 2014; not developed.Source ↗