REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR AND STATE GEOLOGIST 1903 



93 



associated with salt, clay and shale. In the manufactuTe of salt, 

 a certain percentage of gypsum is always present in the brine and 

 mnst be removed. Sometimes the crystals of selenite obtained 

 from the brines rival in perfection the best that are found in 

 nature. 



It is present as a constituent of all sea water in quantities 

 which vary in accordance with the quantities of the other mineral 

 constituents. The following analyses show the constituents of 

 sea water from different seas.^ 



Salts in solution. 

 Water 



The solid matter contains 



NaCl 



KCl 



CaCl2 



MgCl2 



NaBr &MgBr 



CaS04 



MgS04 



CaCOs & MgCOs 



l^itrogenous and bitumi- 

 nous matter 



Caspian 



.63 

 99.37 



58.25 

 1.27 



10 



7.78 



19.68 



3.02 



Black 



1.77 

 98.23 



79.39 

 1.07 



7.38 



.03 



.6 



8.32 



3.21 



Baltic 

 sea 



1.77 

 98.23 



84.7 



9.73 



4.96 



.48 



North 



3.31 

 96.69 



78.04 

 2.09 



.2 

 8.81 



.28 

 3.82 

 6.58 



.18 



Mediter- 

 ranean 



3.37 

 96.63 



77.03 



2.48 



Atlantic 

 ocean 



3.63 

 96.37 



77.07 



7.86 

 1.3 

 4.63 

 5.29 



Dead 



sea 



22.3 



77.7 



36.55 



4.57 



11.38 



45.2 



.85 



.45 



Several theories have been advanced to explain the formation 

 of gypsum deposits, the principal of which are (1) C'redner's 

 theory of deposition from sea water, (2) deposition from thermal 

 springs, (3) formation by volcanic agencies, (4) formation by 

 the action of sulfids on limestone, (5) solution and deposition by 

 spring waters, resulting in secondary deposits. 



The following statement of H. Credner's' theory of the forma- 

 tion of salt and gypsum beds is in the main from a translation 

 by Dr F. J. H. Merrill, appearing in bulletin 11, New York State 

 Museum, entitled Salt and Gypsum Industries of New York. 



^Wagner. Chemische Technologie. 11th Auflage, p. 227. Quoted by 

 Merrill. N. Y. State Mus. Bui. 11, p. 8. 



^Elemente der Geologic. 6th Aufl. Leipzig 1887. p. 317-20. 



