AUVERGNE ROPHIN -- shut down Purpose: production of uranium Type: underground mines and treatment plant Locatio n: Lachaux (Puy-de-Dôme) Operator: Cogéma; Cogéma owns the basins; and private entities, other parcels Period of operati on: ?-1955 Raw materia ls: uranium ore Proces s: treatment by gravimetry-flotation, without acid attack Productio n: 24 t of uranium The mines at Reliez, Rophin, and Bigay provided ore for the treatment plant which handled 30,000 t of ore at 0.84% [InfoU iii-iv.92]. The solid wastes are composed of 30,000 t of residues stored in basins that cover 3 ha. The activity of the radium 226 is 0.31 TBq. The plant has been dismantled: the residue-containing basins drained, covered with vegetable earth and evergreen trees; the platform used for storing uranium ore, covered with waste rock. The restoration project ended in 1985 but the site was never enclosed [Andra 00]. |