Evaluating Bromine Geochemistry as a Prospecting Tool For Potash in Western Newfoundland

Evaluating Bromine Geochemistry as a Prospecting Tool For Potash in Western Newfoundland 

Jackie O Driscoll, Robert Boehner, Lawrence Winter Roland Butler  

Keywords Evaporite, Potash, Bromine, Carboniferous, Codroy Group 

The Carboniferous sediments of the Maritimes Basin were originally deposited as red-green interstratified continental to marginal siliciclastics, marine limestone, dolostone, gypsum, anhydrite, halite, and locally, potash. The salt deposits vary from stratified, with only minor structural complications, to those that have been tectonized into pillows, anticlines e.g., Penobsquis Deposit) and diapirs or domes. In the latter cases, structural complexities make the stratigraphic position of many of these deposits uncertain. 

The St. George s Bay Sub-basin of western Newfoundland is contained within the Carboniferous Maritimes Basin (Fig. 1) and hosts sedimentary rocks assigned to the Codroy Group. The Codroy Group is equivalent to the Windsor Group, which hosts potash deposits and occurrences in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, including Potash Corporation s Penobsquis Mine in Sussex. Annual production from this deposit comprises 0.7 

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