The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-18
R0CN|
n |, IS examiner
Rich Area in Wyoming. Utal| |,
and Idaho Subject of A
Report.
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY n
OF WESTERN FlELu
Phosphate Has Been Found Uu'
the Big Cottonwood
Canyon.

In bulletin No $50. the United stste<
/ Geological Survey has just issued mn
| limiuary volume showing A portion Of a.
| labors OF its engineers during the yea
! 1909 The following extracts arc tato-
: from the preliminary report on tho pho>
pha'c lands of this section Of tho ve.|
! by Ioyt s. Gale and Ralph ". RIcII
( ards.
! On December o. 1905. tho secretary n
| tho interior Withdrew from all kinds II
/ entry i.5al3OO acrcs OF land in Idala.
! Utah. and Wyoming, pending an exam
nation of their phosphate resources. III
| lands withdrawn were not then suppcso<
| 10 be all phosphate bearing. but de
| Included all areas IN which. according t.
/ the mSagcT evidence then available yaiI
able phosphate deposits seemed likely r.
, lac present. The field work done in ~
summer of 1909. on which This report +
! based, has led To the restoration NJ soru>
OF these lands and tu the Withdrawal
! others. so that tho total area now win
| held from entry is 2.51i .399 acres
| Two parties were detailed by the gco.
! logical survey 10 examine the lands th{.
Withdrawn. The larger party. which "
! outttted at Montpelier Idaho about jim.
!. WAS in charge Of Iioyt 5. Gale an
! included X. w. Richards and c.
Rrcgcr. w II. Waggamau. Of the b,
rcau Of soils. department OF agricultur<
who was associated with these geologic.
In tho field throughout tho season N.
agreement between the bureau OF sol
and the geological survey. assisted In N.
collection OF representative samples d
phosphate rock and made field chemic1|
determinations of thcfr content Of pho..
phoric acid. George II. Girty. paleontolo|
gis', was with the party during Jun
and July and. with the assistance OF e
T.. Berger collected n large amount n
material that is important in the stud|
of the stratigraphic relations Of n.
, phosphate bcnring beds.
The other party, which was under u
direction OF Eliot Blackwcidcr OF th|
University OF Wisconsin, examined pho
phatc lands in the extreme southern pn1'
OF the area Withdrawn and studied strait
graphic problems in tho northern part o|
the WasatCh mountains.
The actual limits of these phosphaf|
deposits are not yet known. Phosphaf@
was found by tho senior author In a.
canyon near Sail Lake City. Specimen
collected by Boutwell, from the Park Cl1<
formation I'm the Park City mining III
tract have recently heeu recognized an1
Identified by chemical tests as phospha{(
rock. This rock Is also reported 10 occu|
on Mil creek. southeast OF Salt Lak<
City. where float is said TO have bee.|
found on \ hin to the north or Che wago1
road above the !imekllns, near the naI1
road.
Phosphate rock is reported In PROF.
canyon at or near Midway, Utah. Spec
mems from supposed coal prospects OF ff<
same geologic horizon. oil Labarge crce&
Wyo., and from supposedly cQuiyaler|
rocks east or southeast Of tho Wind riyf|
range. have been tested. showing pho
phate and indicating the wide dIstrIhu|
tiou of these deposits. The extent n
similar deposits southwHrd through Uto|
~ a ;,,t ~
The Prcuss range. in the northern pad
OF the area examined. shows tho Ipayr
mum relief. the difference in clevaiIc'
between the level of Bear river and o.
top OF Mead or Frcuss peak being 4o0|
feet The extreme relief i'm the south
"rn portion OF the area is 1900 feet. ht-
tween the level of Bear river and Re
peak. in the Crawford mountains TI|
mean surface elevation of Bear lake =
Ja@J feet above the sea as dcterrnf1lrI
by recent level work. The flood pIain|
of Eear river and Bear lake OCCUPY one
nIth TO one fourth of the entire area. t.
remainder is made up OF mountains COZ
sistins Of the Preuss. Sublette. Graz
east of Bear lake. extending TO r*
Idaho -WYomlng line. 10 the south a1|
west Of Bear river. is known as tho Be7|
LAX" plateau. The oregon Short Ian.
crossing the area. follows the Bear Rivc<
valley. Montpelier Ida. and Randolpu
Utah. are the largest towns
The deposits were carly prospectcd be
cause the superficial resemblance OF tW
nutcrop to coal blossom attracted rI/
prospcctor. Their phosphate nature VI
hrst recognized. according To G.. c. Jou<#
IN an analysis uf a sample taken by n
" Ptdcock on Woodruff creek. west W
the town OF Woodruff Rich county. Ut1X
in The summer OF 1891. The true ne<
ture OF the deposits having been fou1
out: The work OF the discouraged CO..
seekers became of value TO the phospheU
faCt which explains the r1t
plGity with which Il large portion of m
easily accessible deposits were locate
MT Jones took prominent part in pm
early stalking ont of claims and hts o.
per gives Il review of his methods an
results. Weeks ana Fcrricr in 1907 pun
iiShed n general account OF the westeI
area, with brief descrtptlou
Of several of the localities. In I:
W" "eks published n progress report on ~
neld work III the area. noted the proErf4|'
OF the industry. and discussed the que
ton of markets and The status OF pho
Phatc deposits in mining law.
The rock phosphate deposits Of tn
Idaho. Utah and Wyoming fields q!
original sp1imentary formations laW
down at the time when that part OF ru*'
earth's surface Was largely covered 1*
water Since the time in which iW'
phosphate strata were deposited otn
sediments have been ~
so that many thousands ~
feet OF subsequent strata have oVer1I
Jr succeeded them. Defamation OF tiH@
earths crust has tilted. folded. and ~:
lu"ntly broken these strata. which orlF#,
aaly lay flat. Cplift of the land or e.
,ess'on of The sea has subjected ~
rocks in their disturbed positions
stream erosion and the action of attnQ
'phcric agencies. so that great bodies
he more elevated parts have been r#&
novcd entirely and the tirincated eds
>t the rock strata are now exposed =
he surface. The occurrence of the u
phosphate at the surface of the grouu
,ow depends on the geologic strucfu \
md more or less accidental RELATIONSHIP .
'uch as absence of masking cover
atcr deposits, depth of erosion, am
many miner factors. 4t6 n
The rock phosphate deposits are thu
more properly analogous to coal on
limestone and especially To the Clln(4> !
ron ores of the Appalachian region ti
hey are In ore deposits such as YEN
" )odcs or 10 alluvial deposits of
accr type.