THE 



JOURNAL OF GEOLOGY 



JANUARY-FEBRUARY, igio 



THE NITRATE DEPOSITS OF CHILE 



R. A. F. PENROSE, Jr. 



CONTENTS 



Location of the Nitrate Regions. 



History of the Nitrate Mining Industry. 



Natural Features of the Nitrate Regions. 



IMoDE OF Occurrence of the Nitrate Deposits in the Tarapaca 



Region. 

 Materials Composing the Nitrate Deposits in the Tarapaca Region. 

 Other Nitrate Regions in Chile. 

 Origin of the Nitrate Deposits of Chile. 

 Industrial Features in the Tarapaca Nitrate Region. 

 Nitrate Deposits Elsewhere than Chile. 



LOCATION OF THE NITRATE REGIONS 



The nitrate deposits of Chile are in the northern part of that 

 country, in the region lying between about 19° and 26° south lati- 

 tude, and mostly in the provinces of Tarapaca and Antofagasta. 

 Some more or less isolated deposits have been found both north and 

 south of these Hmits, but, as yet, have not proved of very great extent.' 

 The Tarapaca region has been worked for a longer time, and at 

 present supplies more nitrate than the Antofagasta region, but the 

 latter is an important producer and has great future possibilities. 



I Many changes have occurred in the last thirty years in the boundaries separating 

 Chile, Peru, and Bolivia; and even provinces vi^hich bear the same names now as they 

 did then may have different boundaries, so that different accounts of this region written 

 at different times necessarily conflict in statements of boundaries and names. The 

 data in the present paper are based on the boundaries of states and provinces as they 

 now exist. 

 Vol. XVIII, No. I I ' • 



