potash was the muriate type produced at the Moab mine. The fertilizer industry consumed about 85 percent of the potash produced by the United States the chemical industry used the rest. The Walker brothers, Salt Lake City merchants, hauled the first wagonloads of copper from Bingham Canyon in 1868. Connor discovered copper in the mountains of the Salt Lake Valley. In the 1860s the California Volunteers under Col. In 2013, the United States produced about 970,000 metric tons of potash, about two percent of global production. First steam shovel used by Utah Copper Company, March 16, 1906. The crystals of potash and salt are then sent to a facility to be separated through a flotation process. The water is dyed bright blue to reduce the amount of time it takes for the potash to crystallize darker water absorbs more sunlight and heat. This evaporation process typically takes about 300 days.
Eventually, a highly-concentrated brine is pumped all the way to the surface and into one of the evaporation ponds shown above.Īs the water evaporates, potash and other salts crystallize out. That brine gets pumped into underground caverns, where the potash continues to dissolve. Potash is soluble, so water dissolves it into a brine. In Utah, the miners pump water deep underground to reach the potash ore. The ore at Moab-which actually lies about 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) below the surface and within the Paradox Formation-began to form about 300 million years ago. Over geologic time, sediment buries these deposits and they become potash ore. As the water evaporates, it leaves behind potassium salt deposits. Most potash forms in arid regions when inland seas or lakes dry out. The mine produces muriate of potash, a potassium-containing salt used widely by farmers in fertilizer. If you live in the United States, there’s a good chance that a potash mine like this one in Moab, Utah, helped get it there. Jeff Passarella at 43, e-mail: or website.
The program consists of conducting training classes, assisting mine operators with the preparation of training plans, developing training curriculum, and providing guidance in improving health and safety in the mines throughout the State of Utah. These interactive maps range from comprehensive technical data to in-depth photo guides. Take a virtual tour of Utah geology, find rockhounding destinations, or access databases of field data. The State of Utah, through Utah State University Eastern (USU Eastern) provides high quality training and assistance to the mining industry in Utah. Discover additional mapped content through these interactive web applications. Utah State University - College of Eastern Utah Jeff Passarella, Mine Safety and Industrial Education Specialist