Show ALUNITE FOUND NEAR MARYSVALE VALE jL Government Experts Make 5 i Important Discovery and f Chronicle It in Bulletin i SUPPLY POTASH DEMAND f fl l f If If D Deposits posits Prove of Commercial Commercial Commer- Commer k cial Quantities Find Will WillBe Be Notable One tf r depo deposit lt o of or alunite important 1 t An n ii discovered which has lias but recently i been near neat ale Utah Is now nov being Developed De de- favorable ft a il showing hewing with tb so 0 source souren that II It promises to afford one materials f of oC the much deIr ll class cluis of oC referred to under tinder the term 1 I commonly potash Federal geologists colo visited this locality In March larch and November of the present The Thc alc alunite deposits year jear ar Butler Dutler But Dut- described in a report b by n B. B S. S are arc advance ad ad- Hoyt S. S Gale Issued us ns an and ler to Contributions 0 of or vance vanco chapter Economic I HIll 1911 l 1 which will distribution This re report report re- re ready for Cor soon oon be to the Ule lort ma may mai be had by application port director United States geological olo survey surer sur sur- VC vey er Washington I D. D C. C As 8 I la Is shown furnishes Inthis Inthis In Inthis this report while the deposit adapted of or character well welI material far Car quantity thus for utilization the to supply the Insufficient revealed rc Is whole United States with potash However How favorably orab located to compete con com ever cyer it Is Js potash In supplying with foreign u p pete te the western orchards of or needs the spar Although a large e vein of pink had Marysvale Ians of or the hills lulls southwest In Ir and to prospectors long been known located for the tho sake repeatedly had hall been to be values said sail of small rous or of the wall rocks rock found In the siliceous that the true until 1910 spar it was not fbi discovered cred 1 j nature of th the pink spar spat was January 1 1911 lUll the claims that and on had been allowed to lapse were relocated relo relo- the tho newly newl recOgnized recognized for fOI the sake al e of or Thomas Gillan of Richfield Richfield Richfield Rich Rich- deposit specimens to the United field had sent office at Salt Sail Lal Lake e in Xo- Xo sa States a assay these had been forwarded forwarded forwarded for for- ember 1910 and chemist who is warded to an eastern said ald to ha have recognized the real value aluc of the metal Alunite n a The mineral alunite mlle otherwise known of as Is a hydrous sulphate and potassium containing aluminum trIoxide 37 per cent of sulphur of or cent of 11 4 per pel cent per reI Samples Sam Sam- potash and 13 per 13 er cent of or water rock have hac been analyzed anal analyzed an an- Marysvale pIes ples of or t the e the geological in al zed by W. W T T. Schaller laboratory and the results cal cat survey sur have Ilave shown a very Cr close approximation composition of or the the theoretical mineral to as quoted above In the United States alunite Is known at several places In Colorado the Colorado the Rosita Hills Custer county on Calico Peak near Rico in the National Belle Belie mine near Creek It occurs oc- oc Silverton and at Cripple Mariposa q f curs cers also at Tres count county Cal associated with the gold old goldI I ores at Goldfield Nov Nev and in the Cactus Cactus Cac Cae- range c east of or Goldfield at the tho Rabbit Rab flab t hit bit Hole sulphur mines near Humboldt House Nev at near Las Vegas Vegas Ve Vo- 4 gas Nov In the thc Morenci and BIsbee Arizona and In the l Frisco dIstrIct district dis dIs- triet el Bea county Utah Jn In some of or these thes places It is supposed pp sd to have e been produced by the alteration of yr pta potash h feldspars which have liac been acted on by acid solutions If the tho alterations alterations alterations alter alter- are arc the tho result of descending acid solutions derived from tho the oxidation of or pyrite the resulting deposit will not presumably extend below the zone of or oxidation Lut ut I if thc they have been due to ascending acid solutions Ons of volcanic volcanic vol vol- canic or other origin tho they the ma may be ex expected ex- ex to extend to greater g depths The Tho Utah deposit Is situated near the head heHl of oC Cottonwood canyon can about seen se seven sev- sev en miles mUes In a course due southwest of Marysvale Inns Plute county count It Is located locatell In and near section 16 township 28 south seuth range 4 1 west and so far as now known known is covered b by mining minIng- claim lo b- b catlon Marysvale is the present terminus tor ter minus of or a branch of or the Denver Rio Grande railroad The deposit is found high In the Tushar ran range e outcropping outcropping- near tho the crest of oC a a. ridge c that leads from the main divide at an au elevation of oC approximately feet reet above c sea sealevel sealevel level le and md extends down lown to about feet teet tho the lower end being about feet above the at Marysvale g i tenc u of the he Vein The deposit at al Marysvale is a n somewhat somewhat somewhat some some- occurrence In this tins what uncommon un country countr It consists of pf a n. large and very cry true fissure I sure regular vein eln apparently a In mineral mineraI alunite occurs filling tilling as the uniformly banded handed crystalline structure replacement of ot of at without evidence c other substances on an any considerable scale The Tho alunite here Is massive andis and andis is found bot both botn l in bodies of ot compact in and earthy earth or granular texture varying I from roni clear crystalline masses white to a a. decided pink color The Tho vein eln has a southeast northwest-southeast course has been traced by prospecting for a distance of about feet along tho the outcrop and is known to outcrop In Inthe Inthe inthe the extension of ot the same course half halfa a mile or 01 more inor beyond the prospected ground It apparently stands nearly nearl vertical In part but toward the southern southern south south- ern era extension of the outcrop appears to be Inclined d to the southwest at a steel steep angle The Tile wall rocks are arc a much portion of the volcanic flows which form the greater part of t r the Tushar range The rhe size sire of or the vein eln and apparent purity of ot the materIal material material ma ma- are probably Its most unusual features According to a number a of measurements made from the present Incomplete developments there is in inon on one place at least twenty feet of oC solid soUd alunite in the he larger vein and six feet teet more in a parallel vein some twenty twenty- live five feet awa away with considerable quantities quan quan- titles of rock and alternating purer alunite and siliceous wall rock Intervening This low grade rock may possibly extend be beyond ond that shown In Inthe Inthe inthe the present pits Other measurements made rev reveal reval al Jess ess thickness but In each casc case It Is whether the trenches that have been du dug expose all the alunIte alunIte alunite alun alun- ite that ma may be e present l of or Pota h Cout Content nt A A. conservative estimate ma may be had by assuming an average e width of ten feet teet In the principal vein yeIn neglecting other veins and assuming a total proved length lenth of deposit at the tho present present pres pres- ent cat time as about feet th the surface surface sur sur- ur- ur face area are of at th the thc outcrop is probably greater than square feet Tile The rock weighs hs approximately pounds to tho the cubic foot so that an acre of ot ground round underlain to the depth of or one foot Coot would ouM contain about short tons tons- of Tho The area at pre present ent estimated for this deposit is somewhat less than an acre and if it ii averages feet in width it would only onh ten contain contaut con con- ta taut tain n approximately tons of the vo rock k for ca each h feet teet of depth so long IonS longas as the tile deposit maintains Its surface di dimensions dl- dl and quality J Estimating the tile recoverable potash at 10 per cent of or orthis this ore are ca each h 00 feet in depth would yield tons in terms of or the theoretical theoretical theoretical the the- K O. O Thus feet teet of this vein expressed commercially represents perhaps only a sixth of the annual Imports Imports Im Im- ports of at potash s salts Among ther observations TV W. T T. Schaller adds the tile following to to th tile the re report report report re- re port of at the analyses of the tile Marysvale rock The Thc t a nater cr and that portion of oC the tile sulphuric acid combined with the tile alum alum- ina ma are driven off b by I Ignition so MO that about third one of the remaining residue rest resi due 56 per cent of the original material material material ma ma- Is soluble potassium sulphate and two-thirds two Insoluble aluminum oxide It seems therefore that little itlIe difficulty difficulty culty cUlly should be he encountered in establishing JI lishing a practical process for the re reduction reduction ro- ro of alunite lJ by which potash may mav maybe be obtained a as ab the sulphate one of Its most desirable commercial forms torms and In m a form presumably available available avail all able ahle for Cor the he production of oC metallic alti aluminum 11 m. m The discovery o er is of especial 1 value alue as Indicating the conditions under which such such deposits occur and for its effect In stimulating stimulating- and directing the tho search for deposits of like character which may rea be expected elsewhere especially in this tIlls general region rejon b On 01 the discovery of other such dep deposits depends the possibility of developing de from material of this character a home hom production sufficient to meet a large part of the tho nations nation's need for potash |