The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1914-11-21

American Fertilizer on Potash De-
velopments in Nevada" says:
Efforts to find commercial pot
ash in Nevada have been confined
almost exclusively to the work,
more or less sporadic and greatly
limited In scope, of the United
States geological survey. Private
enterprise has entered into this
search only in rare instances and
without marked success, although
results have been obtained that are
pronounced by competent authori-
ties TO be decidedly encouraging.
Following accepted theories per-
tanning to the manner of deposition
of potash salts with the government
engineers and those operating indie
pendently have devoted their eff
forts to drilling in the dry Lake
beds or playas, found throughout
the arid regions of the west.
Traces of potash were determin-
ed by analyses in samples of sur
face brines taken some ten years
ago from what is known as the
Silver Peak Salt Marsh, situated
26 miles west of Goldfield and near
the mining camps of Silver Peak
and Blair. This marsh, covering
an area of about 80 square miles,
is the lowest part of Clayton valley
and its bed has an altitude of A.
SOC feet. Clayton valley is a basin
of considerable magnitude, embrac-
ing a drainage area of some 600
square miles, but having numerous
arms and tributary valleys extend
ing in all directions. The valley
is completely surrounded by high
mountain ranges composed of lavas
and granite rocks. According to a
report by j.. E. Spur, then of the
United States geological survey,
soft shales, sa%ndstones, volcanic
tufts, with imbedded layers of an
desite and rhyolitic lavas, are free
ly distributed while limestones are
abundant.
Mr.. Spur points out that most
of the material in the valley was
laid down in an inclosed lake basin
within which the salt and other de-
posits have been formed chiefly by
evaporation of more or less con
centrated solutions. teachings
from %stratified rocks, large areas
of which are found within the bas-
in, account for much of thes aline
residue. r. B.. Dole, of the geologi-
cal survey, who had charge of gov
eminent field work here, stated in a
report that it is probable that an
area far greater than the present
basin was formerly tributary to the
! Silver Peak Marsh and contributed
! to the saline materials with which
it's clays and muds are impregna-
ted.
These reports are cited as indi-
eating that the physical conditions
are favorable for the deposition, by
evaporation and concentration of
potash and other salts. The pres
ence of potash has been determined
but not in commercial volume nor
has it been determined if this area
contains the salts in such form as
to render their recovery or separa-
ton from other materials CONNER
cially possible. j. X. Turner, a
prominent. mining engineer and
general manager of the Jumbo Ex-
tension mine; at Goldfield, points
out in a report on this salt marsh
that the rhyolitic and granite
rocks which form a large part OF
the surrounding mountain ranges.
contain from BIZ to S per cen OF
potash, but no commercial process
has been discovered by means Of
which the salts can be recovered
profitably. Alunite and the field
spars contain a high percentage OF
potash and these rocks are abund
ant in the Goldfield district. but
the recovery of the potash from the
materials involves a costly chemical
process that eliminates these rocks
as a possible source Of production
of the salts for commercial use.
Official logs of the borings made
by the geological survey W. a o n
siderable area of the marsh show
the presence of potash in all sam
pies, but nowhere in sufficient
quantity or concentration to be
commercially of value. However, as
pointed out by the report of the en-
..gineer in charge, the borings were
at too shallow a depth to determine
anything conclusively and the pos
sibility remains that important de-
posts lie at greater depth. An
average of ten .borings in this lake
bed. ranging in depth from 10 to
40 feet, gave the following figures:
Total solids at 105 degrees c. 30
90; potassium (K) 90; potassium
chloride (KCD 1.31: potassium OK
.ide (K2O) .S3; percentage of pot
,assium oxide (K20) in saline resi-
due 2.69.
Several wears ago attention was