Mosaic's Mining Operation: Gigantic IRON
Take an inside look at The Mosaic Co.'s mining operation in West Central Florida.
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The Mosaic Co.'s mining operation in West Central Florida.© 2009 -
Once phosphate is found, it's loaded into a water pit. Here, a high pressure hose helps separate it from other materials before it is pumped to the processing facility.© 2009 -
This massive digger is used by Mosaic to separate clay soils from phosphate. The crane and bucket of the unit stands several stories tall.© 2009 -
Since phosphate ore is generally found 15 to 50 feet below the ground, Mosaic uses a huge bucket scoop and draglines to move it to a production pit for processing.© 2009 -
The scoop used to move the ground away from the phosphate ore is massive. To appreciate its size, consider this bucket is capable of holding several full-sized cars.© 2009 -
One of the massive processors at the phosphate facility is shown. These units are used to dry the materials and get them ready for the transformation into an important fertilizer.© 2009 -
This chart at the facility shows the way phosphate is mined and processed.© 2009 -
Finished phosphate is sent via conveyor to be packaged and readied for shipment to customers.© 2009
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At The Mosaic Co.'s mining operation in West Central Florida, Big IRON doesn't begin to describe the massive unit that digs through the soils searching for phosphate that ends up as fertilizer. Size takes on a whole new meaning as thousands of tons of soil and phosphate is scraped away and moved daily. View several photos that highlight this process.
