66 



CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON. 



Composition of the Water of the Salton Sea, by Earl B. Working. 

 The sample for the 1923 analysis of the water of the Salton Sea was col- 

 lected June 18. Results were as follows, in parts per 100,000: 



Total solids (at 110°) 3,893.81 



Ignited at dull red heat 3 , 765 . 44 



Organic matter and water of hy- 

 dration 128.37 



Sodium, Na 1,239.7 



Potassium, K. 

 Calcium, Ca. . . . 

 Magnesium, Mg. 

 Aluminium, Al. . 

 Iron, Fe 



13.665 



68.371 



65.933 



0.625 



0.0363 



Chlorine, CI 1,832.0 



Sulphate radicle, SO4 537 . 85 



Carbonate radicle (total CO3) 16.86 



Fixed CO3 (not removed by boiling 



60 minutes) 12 . 87 



Silicate radicle, SiO^ 2.69 



Phosphate radicle, PO4 . 067 



Nitrate radicle, NO3 . 173 



Borate Present 



Lithium Present 



Copper Trace 



The previous analyses from 1907 to 1911, inclusive, gave the carbonate 

 after partial or total evaporation, which should compare approximately with 

 the figure given above as "Fixed CO3." Analyses in 1912 and following 

 years reported total CO^, which, in this sample, amounted to 12.365. 



There has been considerable discussion of the disappearance of the phos- 

 phate ion from the Salton water; so this determination was made with special 

 care ; 6 liters of water were evaporated down and most of the NaCl and CaS04 

 removed by crystallization, with careful washing to avoid losing any phos- 

 phate. While the results show a loss as compared with the figures of 1910 

 and preceding years, it does not seem to be so great as indicated by some 

 of the analyses of intervening years. The figure obtained for nitrates is 

 undoubtedly too low. Evaporation was carried out at atmospheric pressure, 

 and some nitrate was surely decomposed with the oxidation of a portion of 

 the organic matter present. Borate and lithium were determined only 

 qualitatively. 



General observations indicate that there has been very little decrease 

 of the volume of the water of the Salton Sea since 1919, the date of the last 

 analysis. 



