Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1920-06-11

is notably true of what is known as
the cap lime forming the roof of the
richest phosphate beds. The phos-
phate beds vary from a few inches
to IA feet in thickness and three
are fully IL of them in the best cross
sections of the series developed
They lie at all angles in the region,
from flat to vertical, due to folding
and faulting Of the strata, and re-
semble in their mode Of occurrence
the anthracite coal veins OF Pennsyl-
vania. The richest vein at the base
of the series and the one that has
been most extensively developed is
five to seven feet thick. It has been
opened at number OF points by
adit and cross-cut tunnels to a MAXI
mum depth of about 500 feet on the
dip. The structural conditions in
some localities are such as to indi-
cate that this bed can be mined to
maximum depth on the dip of several
thousand feet. 1t is very persistent
through the region for miles and
shows geologically surveyed re-
sources Of minable tonnage, estimat-
ed, in Idaho alone, at approximately
sand tons of phosphate rock shipped
already from one operation on this
vein has given very close practical
check in value to the original field
sampling results obtained by the u.
s. biologists of 70 per cent tricalci-
UNI phosphate with uniform low con-
tent of less than one per cent Of Ell
Their iron or alumina. Carload ship
ments have been repeatedly made
from this bed Of 80 per cent tri-calci-
um phosphate contents, but from ex-
perience already obtained, 1t is safe
to estimate the fairly uniform COM
mercial ACREAGE value Of 70 per cent
for this bed.
Only 16 townships out or about so
townships in which this mineral is
conspicuously manifested in the Ida
no part of the field alone, have SO
far been surveyed in detail, and it
is more than probable that when this
survey has been completed in the
Idaho area it will show an estimated
minable resource of ten billions of
tons of this important mineral and
in addition, 100 billions of tons Of a
grade figuring down to As per cent
tri-calcium phosphate, as a combined
resource of the numerous other large
veins in the series above the rich ba-
sill bed, presenting a practically ex-
haustless supply and constituting the
largest and richest phosphate field in
the world SO far known.
paaDns $grm nngragradeis
This mineral occurs as a brown
: granular outcrop, but under the sur.
face a few feet it is usually DARK
brown or black of uniformly oolitiC
texture. The folded position of the
beds afford exceptional opportunities
for cheap and rapid drainage adj
: tunnel development and back stopping
: methods of mining The texture il
such that the mineral can be drilled
with coal augers and mined in al
respects similar to hard bituminui
: coal veins and just as cheaply operat
ed. for no evidences of gases have
: been found in the considerable devel
opment already obtained and 1t Ii
likely that, on a large scale opera
( tion, these deposits can be minet
at a maximum cost of not to exceed
| 800 per ton. The mineral comes
3 out clean, requires no sorting in thu
: mine or subsequent washing or sur
: face handling as it is ready for ship
5 ment and use in its crude form. Tn,
+ roofs are generally sound and gooG
D 9Th the exception of occasional clet,
: of the wall rocks in it's process of ex
: traction.
4 The present freight rate on tn
3 mineral from this field to the middl
: western grain states have acted a
< a serious embargo against its sue
: cessful development so far, and tn
4 bulk of the phosphate rock produces
I in Idaho and in one mine over tn
> line in Wyoming, near Cokeville. ha
I been shipped to Pacific Coast points
4 at a freight rate of about $40 pc
5 ton plus % per cent. A REASONABLE