The following is a general illustration which provides an overview of the process...

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This drawing shows the general arrangement of a uranium in-situ leaching operation. The uranium deposit is depicted as the roll front between two (2) confining clay layers (aquitards). This is a classic uranium roll front in which the ore is deposited at the interface between oxidized and reduced environments in the host sand by oxidizing groundwater bearing dissolved uranium. Injection and recovery (pumping) wells are completed in the ore bearing sand. Vertical migration of the leaching fluids is blocked by the clay layers (aquitards) shown in purple above and below the mineralization. Sands above and below the ore bearing sand are monitored for contamination via the deep and shallow monitor wells. The drawing also shows the surface facilities ( ion exchange columns, tanks, carbon dioxide and oxygen storage tanks, piping, and electrical lines ) associated with a uranium in-situ leaching facility. This drawing is courtesy of Cogema Mining, Inc.