El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-04-10
MINING NEWS
SALTS IN
SOUTHERN CALF.
Deposit of Great Importance
Discovered in Two
Places.

Places.
The two federal bureaus engaged IN
the search for potash salts, the bureau
OF soils Of the department OF agricul-
ture and the geological survey OF the
department of the interior. have re-
ceiTed promising telegraphic news from
their field representative. says press
bulletin Of the United States geological
survey A potash deposit OF apparently
great Importance has been discovered
in BOraL or Searles lake. in the north
county, Cal. This lake or playa is the
last remaining pocket OF a once much
greater lake which has almost dried up.
and Its central depression contains a
large body OF crystalline salts known
to consist OF common salt and sulphate
and carbonate OF soda, with small guam
titles OF boraN This salt body is satur-
ated with brine. and interested perBonsB
stimulated by the governmental search
Tor potash, recently secured an analy-
sis of old sample material from this
brine The result being significant
the lake was visited jointly by repre-
sentauves Of the geological survey and
OF the bureau OF soils, who took brine
samples from six wells distributed over
the salt flat. Analyses OF these sam
pies have been made by the cooperative
laboratory at the Mackay School OF
Mines, at Reno, Nevada, and show an
oxide TX o. contained. The average
salinity Of the brine is 1882 grams OF
solids per 100 &C Comparison OF the
results indicate that the brtnes are
nearly uniform throughout the flat
The probable Importance OF the depos-
1t Is due to the occurrence Of the potas-
Stun salts in soluble form in a natural
saturated brine and under climatic and
other conditions especially favorable 70
Its separation and recovery by solar
evaporation. Existing data give rea-
sOnable assurance that the brine-satur-
ated salt body is at least 60 feet thick
and covers an area Of at least IL square
miles. Assuming the salt body to con-
tain 25 percent by volume of the brine,
the total amount OF potassium oxide Is
estimated at over 100000 short tons.
This estimate Is believed 20 be conser-
vattFe, and the available tonnage may
wei be expected TO exceed 100000
tons, which would supply the country,
at the present rate OF consumption OF
potash, for 80 years At any rate. 1t aD-
pears that this locality constitutes a
probably readily available commercial
form Methods Of separating potash
from brines are now under invesuga-
ton b. the bureau OF soils.
Wet and Dry Lakes Common
BOraX lake or Searles lake is one Of
the many playas or Internationally wet
and dry lakes common throughout the
arid regions of the west. 1t lies be-
tween the Argus and Slate ranges in
the MOhaVe desert Of southern CalifOr-
MIA Borax lake was the original scene
OF the famous "20-mule team" boraX
mine, the bOraX being hauled in great
wagons drawn By 20 to rs big mules
10 the Southern Pacific railroad at Mo-
have q distance Of so miles. The lake
or flat is about 10 miles long and five
miles wide and has received the drain
age from the surrounding hills for
many thousands. OF years. vast quanti-
ties Of dissolved minerals being thus
concentrated in it. The water has been
evapOrated under the intense heat OF
the long hot sssous, but the salts have
remained, so that for most Of the year
in fact, often throughout the year
the bed is q glistening plain OF white
salts. in attempting TO cross which men
have lost their lives, BOrings have
been made through the mud and water
underlying the lake TO a depth Of some
hundreds Of feet, the DEEPEST borings
made bringing up hot mud.
Minerals Found in Mud.
Many useful and curious minerals
are found in the muds and other depOs-
its Of BOraX lake, including, of course,
boraX. Among them are gypsum,
glauberlte carbonate and sulphate OF
soda, salt thenardiue, and hanskite.
The last carries as much as 2.33 per-
cent Of potassium equivalent TO 4.44
percent Of potassium chloride. The
salts are not evenly distributed over the
surface of the lake. BOraX was found
plentifully over about three square
miles, common salt is everywhere, ana
sodium carbonate and sodium sulphate
are widely distributed. One boring is
said TO have passed through % feet OF
solid trona (hydrOus carbonate OF sOda)
Of great purity At other places there
IS 25 feet OF solid mixed sulphate and
carbonate OF soda with smaller guam
titles OF other salts. Although the lake
bed is dry most of the time, a few
inches under the outer crust there is
always Water-a bittern heavily I'M
pregnated with salts. Several years
ago an English company attempted to
work the soda deposits on an extensive
scale, but for some reason the work
has not been pushed. This company
sunk number OF wells, casing them
through the soda deposits. 1t was
found that a heavy stream Of water
could be pumped continuously without
perceptibly lowering the water level.
Potassium chloride and sulphaue. the
forms in which potash salts are most
likely to be found in such deposits,
are among the most soluble of salts
and are likely to be much more gener-
ally diffused than salts less easily SOL
uble. That the entire body Of water
and mud in the lake contains potash In
a more or less uniform degree, is indi-
Gated by the results thus far attained.
However, there are modifying ageu-
cies, such as springs and streams, that
bring in fresh water, for the movement
Of water through the lake viii be slow,
owing to the presence Of the sand and