The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-01-04
P0TASH-BEARING
ROCKS IN WYOMING
Leucite Hills of Sweetwater County Es-
timated by the United States Geo
logical Survey to Contain Mil
lions of Tons of Potash.

The Leucite hills of Wyoming. locat-
ed in the Rock Springs coal district. have
long been known among biologists as
interesting examples of volcanic out
flows of an unusual lava. They now
assume possible economic Importance Al
a source of potash to meet, in part at
| least, the steadily increasing demand for
this fertilizing material, for which the
United States must now look TO Ger
many. The announcement that a west
ern company intends to erect plant in
the Leucite hills area for the extrac-
tion of potash and alumina from these
rocks makes opportune report just is.
sued by the United States geological
survey describing the character and dis
tribution of this lava formation and
estimating the amount of potash and
alumina it contains.
Possible Potash Resource.
Assuming that the process intended to
be employed proves commercially feas-
ble, ii is highly interesting to note that
the survey places the potash content of
the leucite rock Gin sight" at 1877 349,-
Oh tons. This estimate is based on a
careful geologic examination of the area
and a series of analyses of the rock.
which show an average potash (K2O)
content of over 10 per cent.
During the past 30 years survey geolo-
gists have studied and described in their
reports these lava deposits, so that the
present brief report by Biologists Whit
man Cross and A. r. Schultz is simply
a realization on the earlier regular geo.
logic work of the survey. An examina-
tion Of the area was made by Mr.. Cross
in 1884. followed by-a careful study, de-
seribng in exact terms these exception
al rock types. which at that time held
orly scientific interest.
Investigations Incidental to Coal Land
Classification.
Tn 1907 and 1905 Mr.. Schultz. who
was engaged in government coal land
work in the Rock Springs
area. made incidental observations of
these igneous rocks. and only the spress
OF other work prevented his publishing
before this time a=scientific contribution
on the area which has now come to have
economic interest and possible value to
industrial chemists who are attacking
the problem of furnishing an American
potash supply. Should this feature of |
the potash situation be worked out sue /
cessfully the potential value of the Leu |
cite hills would of course be large.
The report by Biologists Cross and /
IS a detailed description of the |
character of rock. including twenty |
mesas of lava cappings. constituting the /
Leucite hills. with careful estimate of /
the area and rock tonnage of each and I
the number of tons of potash, as well I
rs of alumina stored in them. The larg- |
EST rock mass is known as Iirkel Mesa,
which is estimated to contain 04234,- I
l27 short tons of potash. Steamboat
mountain contains in its rocks 20.6ls.lS0
IONS of potash and several other lava
bodies contain over 100000 tons each.
The several areas are described by sec
ion township, and range, and those
Fhich are believed TO be unappropriated
public land are noted.
A copy of the report MAJ be obtained /
rec on application to the director of
he geological survey. Washington, d. c.