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Show DISCOVERY OF PHpiE Eghty.flve Million Tons of Phosphate Rock, Estimated Content of Eliljton Field, Montana Thod Iscovory of rock phosphato at Molroso, Montann, by H. S. Galo of tho United States Geological Survey, Sur-vey, In Octobor, 1910, suggested tho strong possibility of Its occurrcnco In tho western part of tho State. In 1911 rock phosphato was discovered by J. T. Pardeo, of tho Survey at threo localities In wostorn Montana In tho Gnrnet Hnnge, six miles orth of Gnrrlson; nt Phlllpsburg; and half n mile east of lClllsion. A detailed examination of the phosphate phos-phate Ho d nt Klliston wns begun In 1913 by It. W. Stono nnd C. A. Bo-nlno, Bo-nlno, mid their report hns Just boon published by tho Geologlcnl Survey nB Bulletin G80-N. Tho phoBphntc in th0 south ha'f of thu Hlllston Held Is within two mllco of tho Northom Pacific Hallway Hall-way and readll accessible to It. The farthest point In tho northorn part of tho Hold Is between six and sov-en sov-en miles from th0 railway by way of Dog Creek valley, down which thore Is nn easy grade. In the south half or tho E'.llston Held tho phosphnto bed stands nearly vortical along about two miles of Its outcrop, but near Elllnton It Is so faulted that an estimate of the area underlain by It Is dlfllcult. On tho assumption, however, that this part of tho field contnlns tho equivalent of throe miles of outcropping bed thnt could bo mined to a depth of half a mile, thoro Is In tho south half of tho field half a Bquaro mllo underlnln by phosphato; phos-phato; and as tho fow measurements In this part of tho Hold suggest an avorago thickness of four feet, it Is estimated that at leaBt 15,204,861 tons of phosphato rock Is present In tho south half, while In tho northern half thero is nn ostlmatcd deposit of 70,000,000 tons of rock, making n total of moro than 85,000,000 tons In th0 whole Elllston field. Those deposits havo not yet been dovoloped, owing to tho recency ol thotr discovery and to tho lack of markets sufficiently near to Justify mining and reduction. Tho demand for fertilizer products In tho Western States Is not largo, owing, to the lack of Intensive cultivation and tho newness new-ness df tho agricultural lands; but thero is a growing tendency to uso fertilizers where tho land Is fanned extensively, especially In tho Middle Wost. Tho western phosphato deposits de-posits aro favorably situated to mcot n demand from this Bectlon of tho country and will doubtless bo utilized utiliz-ed In tho futuro. A copy of Bulletin G80-N mny bo obtalnod freo on application to tho Director of tho United States Geological Geol-ogical Survey, Washington, D. C. |