MIXKHALS— XnX-MKTALLIC 163 



till' liiiH'sIoiH' liack fi'niii ilif outcrop. Estiniatt'd woiilil require 35 tons of rock to 

 he treated to obtain one ton of criuU' salts. 



OIL SHALE 



Uses — Source of power, liiiht and lubricants, and, when it is a phopphatic oil- 

 slial(\ as in southern Montana, is a source of fertilizer. 



Ot'curreiice — I)illon-I)ell area. Beaverhead county, richest beds of phosphatic 

 shale. 3 feet or more in thickness, yielded 20 to 30 gallons of oil to the ton. The 

 T'nited States Geolosiical Survi-y, in its report on this field, says scant encourage- 

 ment can be given the hope that the shale of this area can be successfully ex- 

 ploited for its oil yield It adds, however, that if on further Investigation 



the merits of "Tetraphosphate," a fertilizer manufactured in Italy, are estab- 

 lished, "the process could readily Ik carried on in conjunction with the distilla- 

 tion of the oil shali's in the Dillon-Dell area. 



Oil shale is also found near Adel. ^Meagher county, yielding 12 gallons to the 

 ton, in Jefferson comity, between Jefferson station and Logan, yieldin.g 10 gallons 

 to the ton, in (iallatin comity, near Chestnut, yielding 12 gallons to the ton. Re- 

 ported by Rowe beneath gypsum bed eight miles south and east of Bridger, Carbon 

 county. 



PHOSPHATE 



Uses — In largest (piantity as ingredient of artificial fertilizers, finely 

 ground, directly as a fertilizer, also used for making pho.sphoric acid and phos- 

 phorus. Phosphorous used in phosphor bronze, phosphor copper and phosphor tin, 

 in incendiary bullets, smoke screens, matches, and striking surface on boxes of 

 safety matches. 



Occurrence — Reported by the T". S G. S. in (iranite, Powell. Lewis and Clark, 

 Beaverhead and Jefferson cimnties. Detailed reports have been made on all of 

 these deposits except the one near Cardwell. in Jefferson county. They show the 

 deposits examined are workable and high grade, containing GO per cent or more 

 tricalcium pho.sphate. The deposits are easil.v accessilile from INIaxviHe. Garrison, 

 Elliston and Melrose, at a distance of one to six miles from the railway. The 

 Montana deposits, with those found in Idaho, I'tah and Wyoming, constitute the 

 largest phosphate beds in the world, so far as known. They are of a higher 

 grade than those found in Florida and South Carolina which have been the 

 principal scuirce of phosphate in this country up to the present time. The U. S. 

 G. S. estimates there are nearly six billion tons of high grade phosphate available 

 in the T'nited States of which five and a half billion tons are found in Montana, 

 Idaho, rtali and AVyoming. 



Some development wurk has lieen done on the Granite county deposits but 

 they have not reached the ct>mniercial stage. The Anaconda Copper Mining Com- 

 pany has lieen using phosphate rock from Conda, Idaho, in a superphosphate plant 

 at Anaconda, the capacity of which is being enlarged (1923) from lO.(MK) tons to 

 30.000 tons of superphosphates per year. The enlarged plant will use 70.000 

 tons of suliihuric acid which is the capacity production of the acid plant at the 

 Anaconda Reduction Works. 



SLiVTE 



Uses — AlKnit three- fourths of the slate produced in this country is for 

 roofing purposes. :\[iU stock Includes blackltoards. flooring, wainscoting, mantels, 

 hearths, switchboards, vats, sinks, laundry tubs, sanitary ware, grave vault.s. tops 

 for laboratory, liilliard and kitchen tables. Waste is used for road material and 

 flagging. Slate vcikhm-. a luiill-up niatcrial. recommended for roofing. 



Occurrence — Four miles east of Mitchell. Lewis and Clark county. Some 

 development has been done on this doi»osit and machinery installed for making 

 shingles, blackboards, switchboards, table tops and other flat work. The black- 



