The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-12-18
Nh POTASH IS
| FULL OF PROMISE
D,p0sit of Alunite Near the
Town of Marysvale Be
Ing Investigated.
Experts IN THE FIELD
,Iay Bring About Discoveries
That Will Eclipse The
German Sources.
Experts IN THE FIELD

M.
X, o,,ss Of materials commonly re-
"a n under the term potash
r'a,,aI biologists visited this locality
fms.s, End November of the present
The Msrysvale alunite deposits
s,,,scri6ed in A report by r. s, Butler
4, Eo,t :. Gale issued as An advance
..isr NJ contributions TO Economic
siJosy lall," which will soon he ready
q SIsiTibu,ion This report may be had
,,s: geological survey. Washington. y
is shown in this report. while
4, ,fsnosit furnishes material OF charac-
sei adapted for utilization. the guam
u ,hys far revealed is insufficient to
;,ly Inc whole United States with
.,sh However, it is favorably located
rompete with foreign potash in sup
ma The needs OF the western orch
,Ibm,rh large vein Of "pink spar
,Ss hills southwest OF MarysNalc had
~ been known TO prospcctors and had
m repeatedly located for tho sake OF
al netalliferuUs values said 10 he
>rnd In fhe siiiceous wall rocks Of the
.-1r. Il was not until 1910 that the true
.iIurs OF the pink spar WIS discovered
n on January !, 1911, the claims that
M been allowed 10 lapse were relo
|.1ld for the sake OF the newly recuG-
,bsd deposit Thomas Gillian OF Rich
f,N had sent specimens 20 the United
.fs;ss ASSAY office al Salt Lake in No
|smter 1910 and these had been for
|5rj,5 to an eastern chemist who is said
q have recognized the real value OF the
fiterisl
Alunite a Potash Rich Mineral
/ Ihs mineral alunito. otherwise known
q aumstone. is a hydrous sulphate oi
|hmlnum and potassium. containing
lf PER cen, of sulphur trioXide. 81 per
Ipl Of alumina. III per cent OF potash
~ is ner cent of water, Samples of
|fs Marysyale rock have been analyZed
Ew.T. scheller in the geological sur
|py laboratory, and the results have
Rbsn 2 very close approximation to the
f.crs,ical composition Of the mineral as
|cotsd above. In the United States,
|sDlie Is known at several places in Col
|1z6c-in the RosIta hills Custer county.
N Calico peak. near Rico: In tho Ma
es2l Belle mine. near SIlVerton, and at
nipple Creek. 1t occurs also At Tres
't1ilos. Mariposs county. Cal assocl =
ztd With the gold ores at Godflcld. New,
Pa IN line Cactus range east OF C;oldfiold
ths Rabbit Hole sulphur mines. near
psnloolfl House, New at Alunltn. neal
.r FeraS. Ney.. IN tho MorenCi and
ossss districts. Ariz.. and In tho Frisco
|tnrcl Beaver county. Utah.
y sone Of these places q is supposed
hsYe been produced by tho alteration
pola'h feldsrars which have beer
+rs1 on by acid solutions II the altcra
a,m ar" tln result of rescending acid
'Suuo5s derived from the oxidation
NTlte, The resulting deposit viii moi
}tfumaDly extend below the SurIicIa'
sne OF oxidation, but II they have beer
10 ascending acid solutions Of vol
Hme or other origin tboy may he eX
80 70 eHtend TO greater depths
re Ltsh deposit is situated near the
na cottonwood canyon. about sever
|ran ~ course Que southwest al
|hcysvale. Pu'" county. II is located
snl near sect'on lG. r. az s., II, ( w
~ 20 iar SIS now known is covered ny
.nns claim locations. MarysvaIe Is Tho
Asssnt terminus Of a branch oT Tho
rnver Flo Grsnde railroad The do.
Nv ih io'ind high IN the Tushar range
','oppins near the cresi Of ridge
~, eaos from the main divide al al
sya'ion OF approximately II ma root
"s ,s, level, and extends down tc
10y ~. ssno feet. the lower end heinz
~ f,uo i.oo feet above the railroad a
Extent Of the Vein.
me deposit al MarysyaIe is . some
uncommon occurrence i'm hi:
-sslliy II consists OF a large and very
|i;Ess VEN, apparently = true hssur'
p;9..,h - ihe mineral aluui;e occurs 81
|rjihnr.y banded crystalline structug,
|,S.nt |.,Ss. evidence Of. replacement o
|rs,. suosiances on any considcra nj,
4 e. me alunitc here Is massive an,
a r-e " IN bodies of compact earth,
In e'mmWar texture and In clear crystal
nv 49, massss, varying from white 20 ;
srsed sr,7. pink color. The Vein Elm has
,r,a.. ,r,as...sest-southcsEt course. has beer
rhont sr ny prospecting for 2 distance o
has, osoo feet along ihe outcrup. and (
|l,m." W oulcrop in the extension OF tn,
|lhp n, rsurse half mile OF more bcyoil,
|ssndEs dEVspeeted ground, II apparcntl
De so,',ty ttry vertical in part. but iowa L,
aoos.,. .hern extension OF the ontcroI
M TO he Inclined 10 the southwes
|hush w, angle. The wall rocks are
|aox,. .uleihed portion OF the volcani
IN, r"nlch form the greater part q
ARA ronar sn range. The size of the veir
.5,obsb,p,'a b,pa,eHt purity Of the material n
.hrdlnr I'VE most unusual features. Ac
.h,Ss 10 number OF measurement
f.lsp,nen,.. me present incomplete dc
ID Zee, ~ mere Is In ono place at lcas
BON. .; ~ soid alunlte in The larger vel
.1uan,iT. tcft away, with conEidcra bl
.|5z n',ro'' o, amnltic rock and alternat
.hler,sn,u aIunite and siliccous wall roc
.popbl,. This low-Grade rock ma
. .'ht pr.x1 sHtehd beyond thai shown !
.'aldt ,s,sal pts Other measurement
|'ass u Iess thlcknesses, but i'm cac
.fat b,,s s doubtful whether the trcnche
- may be present. '''''
A estimate of Potash Content.
Conservative estimate ma. no had =
I N nnnlns an average width ~ ,cn f.5
|blhs principal vein. nepjectipp othc
"a osnasiI, '1I assuming a total proved iengt
/ &t6 tsa,"t ~ the present time as shot
.1op tlle surface area OF tho ont
1qusrs ptooahl.' greater than "a, OF
hsiely ,-el Tie rock weighs approx
t llat an p W. pounds 10 tho cubic foot.
dsmh q, acre Of ground underlain 10 III
'i1e sl,o,, one foot would contain abou
frs..n, Iona of alunite. The area ;
,on.whs S,umeted for this deposit
ase,apra' Iess than AN acre. and il
conia!n vnly Ten feet in width IL w,ouI
bs roek stnpro simstely 200 coo tops
bns ss ,t ior zach 100 feet Of depth .
'sce olmor,r deposit maintains IT,. suI
ihs reco,nsisns and quality, Estimstir
lh, oSsooVershle potash al ion ner cent
aisld 70 o6n'cl 6S,'cl 100 feet In depth Won
ofslic,, ,yvO IVY tons In ,crms cf The th
sspres.shh o. Thus 100 feet OF this We
nam or,.. commercially represents ne
potash slHth of The annual impor
,.t adds III. yVn'' dtlons, w. 7. Scla
s anaf,,nne following 10 the report
The S.N ot the Marysvale rock:
ilphurir aria and that portion OF Il
"a All. ssSln combined with The aiur
ahyl a. nflyen off bv ignition. so th
VS. Gnr Id ,,hlId Of the remaining rcaid
NSh,. cent Of the original materis
alM 'Iv ims potassium snlphote ana tw
nd senn D'upls aluminium oxide"
A shn,,,, therefore. that hiuc di
Itt,s Practical process 5or ,n ~"'I I,
Ga,nta a',iniie by which potash m
~ desj,a5 AS Inc sulphate. one OF
MI able commercial forms. a
N" " i"rm presumably ayailaI