Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-02-03 | Page 28 | Montana Shales Carry Phosphate

MONTANA SHALES CARRY PHOSPHATE In its investigations of richly carbonaceous carbon-aceous shales in the United States, made to obtain Infonnntion concerning -shales that may be profitably distilled for their content of petroleum when the oil fields of the country have been more fully ex- ' hausted or the prices of crude oil have become higher, the United States ecological eco-logical survey ha? sampled and tested tome f hales from deposits of unusual interest in-terest in Montana. These deposits are not very thick, and their yield of oil is not greater t ha n that of shales now distilled for petroleum In Scotland, but they are somewhat unusual in that the shale contains a consider:! lilt? amount of phosphate as well as Ihe bituminous matter mat-ter that is convertible into rietroum. A sample of this shale from Muddy Creek basin yielded 7.5 gallons of petroleum petro-leum per ton of shale and l.".fi; per cent of phosphate, and a samptr from Small-horn Small-horn canyon yielded 'Zi gallons of pet ro-leum ro-leum per ton of a hale and a.tjii per cent of phosphate. A briW report on these shales, prepared by C. K. Bowen. has just been issued as Bulletin 661-1. copies of whicii may be obtained on applb-at'on to i hv dire-tor, United States seolosKad survey, riopa rt-ment rt-ment of the interior, Washington, D. C. :