PEACE RIVER IRON DEPOSITS.

The deposits consist of flat-lying oolitic sandstone 5 to 30 feet thick, exposed along the southeastern slopes of the Clear Hills. The iron content of the bed grades between 32 and 35 percent Fe, mainly in the form of goethite. Resources have been estimated at technical tons, of which 227 million tons are considered proved, and 897 millions tons are classed as probable or possible resources. The composition of the deposits presents some problems to beneficiation and smelting by conventional techniques. A number of attempts have been made to upgrade the iron content using magnetic separation, flotation, direct reduction, and acid leaching techniques. More recent work indicates that an alternative procedure for upgrading the ore involves mild reductive roasting followed by crushing and grinding to yield a magnetic concentrate. Refs.