The chronicle-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1920-1941, 1921-01-28
MARL BEDS Great
New Jersey Has Much Wealth II
Its Possession.
Formed Ages Ago When the Atlantic
Coast Was . Marsh and SWarmsd
With Gigantic Reptiles.

The .retaceOus period may seem re-
mote from the present, and In point
OF time 1t is. 1t was good many ages
ago when the Atlantic COASTAL plain
was under water and when gigantic
saurians swnrmed in ocean and marsh.
Blu, natural processes that Sere un'
der eay during this period are af-
fec,lng our present civilization very VI
tally. They touch our food, our
clothing. our industries--in fact, every
phase of life. Herschol Bickell tells the
HrooklyE Eagle. For 1t was during
The cretaceous period that Mother Ma
ture was storing up coal and lignltes'
petroleum and marls, especially
greensand mari which has recently
been bro.' At prominently to the atten-
ton OF Americans by the discovery
that 1t Is rich in potash.
The chief constituent Of greensand
Is a mineral called glaucOnlte, when,
III technical terms, IS dun green
amorphous silicate of iron and pOtas-
stun. Glauconite contains from to
per cent OF potash. This Is removed
by treating the mineral with milk OF
lime under pressure, the result belhg
pure caust!c potash. which Is the base
for all tie many potash chemicals used
In Industry and als0-even more impor-
tant at the present time-for the pest
commercial fertilizers.
The exact origin OF glauconite is not
We, known, although scientists have es-
tabIished the fact that its formation
is continuing today at the bottom OF
The sea. in some places from 2O TO
1000 fath0ms deep, although it seems
10 be especially favored by shallower
water of about 100 fathOms.
Tie fact that 1t occurs In rounded
lu,.,., surrounded in many instances
b. .,hells Of the foraminifera, minute
organisms Of the bottom of the ocean,
has given rise to the theory that In
some little understood way the decom-
position OF the bodies of these ami
mails brought about the chemical re-
action that resulted in glauconite.
1t is crystalline In form but is rare
~ found in anything like perfect crys-
falls, usually occurring in minute par
ticles, which react feebly with polarized
light. Often free glauconite Is found
without traces of the shells mentioned,
and 1t is believed that this occurs be-
cause ocean currents have washed
away the heavier minerals from It's
surrounding calcareous formation. The
shells tend to become very friable, and
the whole mass OF glauconite and
shells may easily be crushed between
the fingers.
The mari beds of New Jersey have
been known and used as sources OF
fertilizers for as many years as the
state has been settled. Until recently,
however 1t was for the phosphoric
acid and carbonate Of lime, both OF
=. -. c' .s.. .s.ss contain, that the marls
We're used. Their richness in potash
content. while known vaguely, had new
err been regarded as of first import
ance, because no satisfactory process
for separating the potash had been
found.
These beds cover large area which
stretches obliquely across the state
from Raritan bay and the Atlantic on
the southwest, distance Of 100 miles.
They vary from nine to nineteen miles
In width and the average depth of the
deposit IS 30 feet.
According to figures compiled by the
geological survey, square mile OF
greensand-there are approximately
1880 square miles of It in New Jer-
sey--will yield, from thickness Of one
foot, 5000 tons of potash, and 20
foot bed that covers an area OF
square mile will yield 100000 tons.
New Jersey Is not the only state,
however, that has rich greensand de-
posts. The mari beds run through
Delaware, across the District Of CO.
lumbIa and down into Virginia. taper
Ing to point a short distance south
Of Petersburg. They are slightly wider
In their southern reaches.
Experts estimate that there is suffi-
cient raw material in the New Jersey
and Delaware beds to furnish potash
for the United States these next 5000
to 1000 years.