The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-12-05
THE SEARCH FOR POTASH.
Progress of Work of United States Geo.
logical Survey.


The United States geological survey
has just issued short report, by Hoyt
S. Gale, on the progress Of the work Of
deep drilling for potash which is being
carried on in Carson Sink, Nevada, neal
the town of Fallon. While no discovery
OF potash salts is announced by the sur
yey, Mr.. Gales report is distinct and
valuable contribution to the discussion
of potash, setting forth clearly the
broad, basic reasons which lead the geo
logists to the belief that they will find
sooner or later, in some one of these
desert basins commercial deposits of sol
uble potash such as constitute the great
Stassfurt beds. in Germany.
Last winter Congress appropriated
$4,000 to enable the geological survey
TO prosecute search for potash, the
money becoming available July /. An
appropriation Of Sl2,500 was also made
to the bureau Of soils for a like pur-
pose, and it was mutually agreed that
the two appropriations should be adj
ministered in the spirit Of cooperation
with an avoidance of duplication in work
and territory.
Five Sources of Potash.
In summary of the occurrence Of
potash in the United States, published
BY the survey last winter, five general
sources were mentioned III igneous
rocks, (2l marls, g alunite, az salines
and go organic sources, including wood
ashes, beet sugar molasses and residue
wool scourings, and seaweed or kelp
The geological survey has confined its
activities to work on mineral saline de-
posits and is devoting large part OF
It's appropriation TO the project of drill
ing for possible deposits of buried salts
wyoming's Possibilities.
The first field work under the new APP
preparation was done in southern Wy
oming, in the geologic formations termed
the RED Beds which are known to be
rich in salines, suggesting for many rea-
sons the possibility of carrying depos-
its of the Stassfurt type. A consider
able amount of study had already been
devoted to this area and accordingly the
data relating TO the Wyoming salines
were collected and reviewed and this
work was followed by field examinations.
These investigations indicated that the
assumption OF the existence of beds OF
potash salts in the Laramie basin in
southern Wyoming is logical, but the
data at hand, which were fairly COM
plete, proved to be chiefly of negative
character so far as revealing any un-
usual amounts Of potash is concerned.
Realizing on Early Survey Work.
Extensions Of the study of the Great
Basin desert region revealed this as the
most promising area for the surveys
first drilling operations. This coneln-
sion was based largely on the early geo
logic work of G. X. Gilbert and l. G.
Russell, who, in survey monographs /.
and XI., describe in scientific detail the
prehistoric lakes Bonneville and Lahon-
tan. These ancient lakes were, in for
mer geologic age, enormous bodies Of
water, many times the area Of Lake
Superior, and Mr.. Gale states that no
more convincing reason can be advanced
for the belief that immense quantities
OF saline material must be included in
the strata underlying the desert sinks
OF the Great Basin than that set forth
in the philosophic writings OF these emf
nent biologists. His report contains di-
rect quotations from these monographs,
describing in detail the origin and struc-
ture of the old lake beds, and he adds
that there exists in these treatises, rep
rcsenting field investigations in the early
eighties, a wealth Of maturely digested
data on which to base the proposed plan
OF operation in 1911. From the study Of
these reports with their excellent maps
it was concluded that the most promis-
ing test Of the hypothesis OF possible
buried salines in concentrated form
would be somewhere in the low portions
Of either the Lahontan or the Bonnie
vile basin. The Lahontan basin was
chosen because that lake is known to
have never overflowed. The drill site
selected is in sec. 30, T. 81 n, r 80 f.,
in Nevada.