UNITED STATES MINERAL RESOURCES 



EVAPORITES AND BRINES 



By George I. Smith, Charles L. Jones, William C. Culbertson, 

 George E. Ericksen, and John R. Dyni 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Abstract of conclusions 197 



Introduction 197 



Geologic setting of evaporite and brine deposits 198 



Marine evaporites 198 



Nonmarine evaporites 202 



Brines 202 



Known resources of evaporites and brines 203 



Potassium compounds 203 



Salt 204 



Gypsum and anhydrite 205 



Sodium carbonate 206 



Sodium sulfate 207 



Boron minerals 207 



Nitrates 208 



Strontium 208 



Bromine 209 



Iodine 209 



Calcium chloride 209 



Magnesium compounds 210 



Undiscovered resources of evaporites and brines 210 



Marine evaporites 210 



Nonmarine evaporites 212 



Brines 213 



Summary of U.S. resources 213 



Problems for research 213 



References cited 214 



FIGURE 



24. 



Map showing marine evaporite deposits of the 

 United States 



TABLES 



42. Marine evaporite deposits of the United States-- 



43. Evaporite and brine resources of the United 



States 



Page 

 199 



Page 

 200 



213 



ABSTRACT OF CONCLUSIONS 



Commodities derived from evaporite and brine deposits in- 

 clude potassium and magnesium compounds, salt, gypsum and 

 anhydrite, calcium chloride, sodium carbonate and sulfate, 

 nitrates, boron, strontium, bromine, and iodine. World and 

 national resources of most evaporite minerals are very large. 

 Some of these resources are adequate for a few centuries at 

 present rates of consumption; others are adequate for 

 thousands of years; still others are virtually unlimited. 

 Very probably within the next several hundred or few 

 thousand years, no evaporite resources will be exhausted or 

 wdll increase greatly in cost. 



Evaporite resources of the United States are large. Un- 

 limited supplies of nitrates, bromine, and magnesium are 

 available from air and sea water. Resources of salt and 

 sodium carbonate appear adequate for thousands of years 

 at present consumption rates. Known supplies of gypsum and 

 anhydrite, sodium sulfate, borates, strontium, iodine, and 

 calcium chloride should be adequate for hundreds of years. 

 Known domestic resources of potassium compounds may be 

 exhausted in 100 years at present consumption rates, but 

 Canadian resources are sufficient to fulfill requirements of 

 North America for thousands of years. 



At present world consumption rates, known world re- 

 sources of potassium salts in marine evaporites are adequate 

 for 5,000 years, and resources of salt, gypsum, magnesium, 

 and calcium chloride are virtually unlimited. Nonmarine 

 evaporites provide known resources of sodium carbonate 

 adequate for thousands of years, sodium sulfate and stron- 

 tium for hundreds to thousands of years, and borates, ni- 

 trates, and iodine for hundreds of years. Brines from wells, 

 lakes, and the ocean provide resources of iodine, bromine, 

 and calcium chloride adequate for hundreds of years. Sea 

 water and air are unlimited and currently are practical 

 sources of magnesium and nitrogen. 



INTRODUCTION 



Evaporites and brines are the main source of sev- 

 eral industrial and agricultural minerals important 

 to the U.S. economy. Their aggregate annual value is 

 about two-thirds of a bilHon dollars. Some of the 

 minerals are important because of properties at- 

 tributable to one element in the compound, others 

 because of the properties of the compound itself. The 



U.S. GEOL. SURVEY PROF. PAPER 820 



197 



