OCR Text |
Show - - Utah Has ExtensivePhosphate ExtensivePhosphate Extensive ExtensivePhosphate Phosphate Deposits A large portion of the world worldphosphate workphosphate I s < ; phosphate reserves an element elemen elementvital elemenvital elemcvital < vital in both plant and nnd animal anima animalnutrition animanutrition animnutrition nutrition is located in the Unit United United Uned It ed States Latest available fig figuses tiwes uses es give our share as 51 pe per percent pcent er ; cent of the totalIn totalIn total totalIn In this country the phosphatreserves phosphate phosphat phosphatereserves phosphareserves te reserves are divided a among amongUtah arnoiUtah ong ongUtah B Utah Wyoming Montana Monthna , ant antIdaho and andJdaho arIdaho > d Jdaho Idaho In the West and Tennes Tenneslee Tennesee Tenneee lee ee and Florida in the Southea Soutbeast Southeast SoutbeastThese SoutheastThese ; These western fields contain containperhaps containperhaps contalperhaps perhaps more than half of o ( thinations the thi thenations ttnations -e e - nations profitable reservesUtah reservesUtah reserves reservesUtah Utah s a bed of this reserve , 8C ac according acording cording ding to the best estimates estimate estimatesevaUable estimatavailable ; ; evaUable Available , , has nearly two bil billion billion bllion lion tons of probable ore are of 40 40per 4 4per [ ( 0 per cent grade or better Ttgrade The Thu Thegrade Thugrade grade Is Indicated by the per percentage pertentage pecentage centage tentage of tricalcium trlcalcium phosphate phosphateThese phosphateThese phosphatThese These phosphate deposits in Utah Utal Utahare Utalare Utaare ji are limited Umlted to the Wasatch antUintah and ant andUintah anUlntah Uintah mountain areasA areasA areas areasA A phosphate industry has hat hasbarely hatbarely hibarely is barely begun In Utah for up to tc tothe tcthe 1the , the present time , , Utah's Utahs ' ' phos- phos phosphate phoshate phophate - - receivedbut phate hate resources have received receivedbut receivebut , < i but but little developmnt For sev several several se'eral seeral ' / eral years rock was mined at atthe al althe ithe the north end of the Crawford CrawfordMountains CrawtorMountains &fountains fountains Mountains : & , , Rich County , , andtrucked and andtrucked antrucked < i trucked to the railroad at Sage SageWyoming SageWyoming Sag'Wyoming SagWyoming ' e Wyoming But these mines ha\not ha not have havenot havenot \ . not operated in recent years yearsThe yearsThe yearThe The total tonnage they produc produced produced produed c ed was never greatIn greatIn great greatIn In 1942 1042 new mines began op operatlon operatfon 01eratlon 3 eratlon eratfon in Little Diamond Creek CreekSpanish CreekSpanish CreelSpanish Spanish Fork Canyon But the thetotal thetotal trtotal total amount of rock mined to todate todate Idate date in this enterprise enterprble is like likewise likewise Ukwise " wise very small as compared comparedwith comparedwith comparewith with the state s 8 total reservesIt reserves reservesIt It seems certain that there therewll1 therewill therwill - wll1 will be a continuous and grow growIng growfag groving ' Ing fag demand for phosphate rock rockfrom rockfrom rocfrom from the western field Assurely As Assurely Aaurely surely as crops are taken year yearafter yearafter yeaafter after year from farm land lands landsphosphate landsphosphate : - phosphate fertilizers will w1l1 be beneeded beneeded bneeded - needed to replace the phosphate phosphatetoken phosphatetaken phosphaltoken token taken from the soil Phosphate Phosphateis Phosphatis " 15 is an element that is not re- re returned returned r rturned - < , ' . turned to the land in barnyard barnyardmanure barnyardmanure barnyarmanure - manure The longer these lands landsare landsare landare are farmed fanned the greater need needof needof neeof " of phosphate fertilizers will be become become b bcome < ' come comeAs As soon as ate as the market becomes becomesJrl'eat becomesgreat becomeflreat . ' Jrl'eat Jrleat great ' enough to wan-net wan net warrnet - local localdevelopment localdevelopment loccdevelopment [ development of phosphate hosphate re < ; sources ourc's ourcs ( ' in the state the follow followmg : ing mg factors will properly gUldpi gUldpithe gutd gutdthe the development ( ( a ) anility qU'llity qUllity quality qualityo qualitythe qU'llityof ' o of ofthe < the rock ( b ) accessibility ant antc ( ( c andlc ) ) cost of miningPhosphate miningPhosphate mining andl Phosphate deposits depo'llts depollts ' in thf thi thfCrawford thiCrawford th thCrawtord Crawtord Crawford Mountains ' cast f'H'It fHIt east ' ofl n nRandolph < oflRandolph Randolph are the largest In the thestate tht thtstate th state Here there are at lell least < ; t fivfeet ( fiv iv ivfeet feet of high grade rock containing contain containing ing ( ng 70 per cent tricalcium tricaldum phoc phos phosphate ; phate At no other place in tht the thestate ' state is this quality present pre.ent preent . In Insuch it itsuch 1 such a thickness There TIwrC ' ii iiprobably Is Isprobably : probably about 00 60 million 10nJl lont 10nJltons lonttons Ions tons of 70 per cent rock in this thit thissection thitsection sectionThis section This phosphate be bed in thp thr thpCrawfrd thrCrawfrd rawfrd Crawfrd mountains is favorablp favorable favorablpto favorableto to : o mining because of a strong stronglImestone stronglimestone limestone cap rock with a fewjoints few fewJoints fe > joints Immediately overlying overlyingthe over Iyin the best ore , , and by the absenc absE-ncE absE ncE absence absenceof absencof - ' of faults Both quality and nnd CO'lt COlt cost CO'ltof costof co ' of mining are factors in the early earlydevelopment earlydevelopment development of these deposlt deposits depositsthe < ; - the first ffrst first to be mined In the thedate thestate th state date Although these depoclts deposits depocltsare depositsare depositare ; are more than 12 miles from the therailroad therailroad railroad the country In between betweenIs is flat and well wen drained makin making makingroad makingroad road maintenance or rallroa railroad railroadconstruction railroadconstruction < construction Inexpensive D Be Because ( ' ( cau cause < ; c of these factors these dp de dppolts deposits ( posits polts ' ! must also be rated 's s 'samong ' is isamong among the most accessible In the thestate th thstate ' ! state tate stateThe The Little Diamond creek do doposit d < 1 ( posit is i'l il ' only about 10 miles from fromthe fromthe the railroad In Spanish Fork ForkCanyon ForkCanyon For ] Canyon This deposit is contiir contin contain contined contained , ed in a bed of good grade gradl grads . ooliti oolitic ooiitic ooliticrock ooiiticrock oolitirock rock which has been estimate esUmated estimated esUmatedto estimatedto < to average five feet thick aloni alon along alongan & an outcrop of 1300 feet It cor con contalns contains tains talns a probable tonnage of 1 300 000 long ong tonsUtah's tonsUtah's tons Utah's Utahs ' phosphate reserve Is Isnot isnot inot not large until untl1 the deposits along alongthe alongthe alon the south flank Dank of the Ulntah Uintah UlntahMountains UintahMountains Uinta Mountains north of Vernal arecounted are arecounted ari aricounted counted In this area the phosphatebearing phosphatebearing phos phate-bearing phate bearing - - - shales and oolite oolites oolitesare oolitesare are 19 feet thick wtlh wtih an average average aver age quality of 40 per cent tricaltitan tricalcium trical cium titan cfum phosphate Figures leai lead leadto leadto to an estimate 0400,00000 040000000 of'400,000 of400000 ' ' , , 00 loni long longtons longtons tons : ons of 01 60 50 per cent rock and 1 100000000 100 000 000 tons of 40 per centrock cent centrock cen rock Some of this rock can be bemined bemined b < mined by the open pit method methodBut methodBut methodBut But this and other advantageare advantage advantageare " are more than offset oUset by the factthat fact factthat that low Quality nuaUty rock of 40 to 50 50per 50per 5per ( i per cent IS is is not considered com corn commerclal cornmercial cornmerclal ) merclal mercial by present standards standardsand standardsand and also because these depositsire deposit deposits depositsare ; are ire all over 100 miles from the therailroad therailroad th < railroad railroadDaggett Daggett and eastern Summitounties Summit Summitcounties Summicounties counties ounties ; along the north flant Dank flank Dankof flankf of ) f the Uintah Ulntah Mountains contain containappreciable containappreciable contairappreciable appreciable reserves , . but the thebeds theaeds th thbeds < beds aeds are thinner than those of ofthe ofthe othe the south ! flank Jank and likewise are area area ana a a considerable distance from a araUroad arailroad irailroad raUroad railroad raUroadAside railroadAside Aside from the phosphate de deposits delochs deposits posits lochs that have been mentioned mentionedotner mentionedether mentionedother otner ether Utah out-crops out crops oukrops outcrops - of phos phosphate phosphate phosphate phate phate bearing formation show showonly showinly showonly only inly lime llme shales and very small smallamounts smallimounts smalamounts amounts imounts of richer rock These de deposits deaosits deposits posits aosits will be of no value unti until untilall untilill ; all ill supplies of richer rock haveieen have havebeen hav < been ieen uUllzed utilized _ |